2010 News

 

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1 September 2010 - IndigoVision Launches Low-Bandwidth HD PTZ IP Dome Camera

The key to using High-Definition (HD) cameras in everyday CCTV applications is to deliver excellent image quality at very low bandwidths. IndigoVision has achieved this with the new series 11000 PTZ, the latest addition to the company’s range of HD IP cameras.

The 11000 is a high-performance day/night HD PTZ Dome camera that incorporates a dedicated encoder chip, which guarantees full frame rate (25/30fps) HD video, under all conditions. The unique use of pure digital signaling from sensor to network results in typical bandwidths of 2Mbps to a maximum of only 6Mbps under full PTZ. Typically the camera delivers HD video at similar bit rates to Standard Definition (SD) cameras. The 11000 operates in progressive scan mode, producing stunning quality images on PC monitors.

The HD cameras use advanced H.264 compression technology and complement the company’s existing 8000 (MPEG-4) and 9000 (H.264) range of SD 4SIF IP cameras. Both HD and SD cameras can operate seamlessly on the same network, providing end-users with a truly flexible solution and a wide spectrum of IP camera price/performance from which to choose.

The HD 11000 has a x10 optical and x12 digital zoom, allowing operators to zoom in and identify fine detail such as license plates and people’s faces. When using the digital zoom in a viewing pane the whole picture is still recorded for later analysis, even though the operator is only viewing a small part of the scene. The IP67 rated camera is available as either a standard or environmental pendant mount or with an in-ceiling mount.

Commenting on the launch of the new camera, Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision CEO said, “I believe this is a very exciting product for our partners and end users. It brings all the benefits of High-Definition video to mainstream surveillance, without the bandwidth and storage overhead associated with traditional megapixel IP cameras. IndigoVision’s HD solution has already been adopted in some high-profile applications, such as the 500 HD IP cameras that Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are using to monitor US-Canada border crossings, in what we believe to be the largest ever HD IP Video surveillance system.”

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18 August 2010 - IndigoVision Integration Module Receives Lenel Factory Certification

IndigoVision, the complete IP Video security solutions provider and member of the Lenel OpenAccess Alliance Program, has received Lenel factory certification for their interface to OnGuard.

“IndigoVision has completed required factory testing at Lenel to validate the functionality of its interface to OnGuard. We look forward to their continued involvement in the Lenel OpenAccess Alliance Program,” said Josh Phillips, Director of Marketing for Lenel.

The interface between the two systems is achieved through an integration module in ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software. This allows tight integration between OnGuard access control and IndigoVision IP Video systems across an IP network.

OnGuard alarms and events can trigger a wide range of actions within the IndigoVision system. This includes starting recordings on an IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR), displaying live video from cameras on monitors and ‘Control Center’ viewing panes, moving PTZ cameras to specific locations or sending notification emails. All OnGuard events appear within the Alarm Log and can, for example, be viewed when playing back recordings in ‘Control Center’.

The Lenel OnGuard interface is currently one of 22 integration modules that allow IndigoVision’s IP Video to integrate with a wide range of security systems including access control, intruder detection, BMS and Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS).

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11 August 2010 - Belgium Town Upgrades Surveillance with IndigoVision IP Video

The Belgium town of Koekelberg has upgraded its obsolete digital surveillance system with a distributed IP Video solution from IndigoVision. With a population of over 18,000, Koekelberg is one of 19 municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital region. The 45 camera system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Sicom, a division of Fabricom.

Implementing video surveillance over large urban areas is technically very demanding. Whether it is to manage traffic or monitor criminal activity, remote wide-area monitoring creates a challenging environment for surveillance systems. What makes IndigoVision’s technology ideal for these applications is its class-leading compression technology. Evidential-quality video can be transmitted across standard IP networks over large distances with minimal bandwidth requirement. This ensures latency is kept to a minimum, which allows PTZ cameras to be controlled smoothly from a distance, and wireless networks to be deployed. Koekelberg used an existing combination of fiber and wireless networks.

“IndigoVision’s system has provided the town with an excellent video surveillance solution, delivering superb image quality and a robust and flexible platform for future expansion,” said Laurent Mertens, Koekelberg’s Head of Security. “We were also impressed with how easily and cost-effectively the system could be upgraded in the future as new technology becomes available.”

The Town’s original digital surveillance system was becoming unreliable and difficult to expand, but still represented a large investment. It was therefore important to re-use as much of the existing equipment as possible. The flexibility of distributed IP Video allows fast and cost-effective upgrades to existing systems, as original equipment can be re-used - as was the case in Koekelberg, where all the original cameras and network infrastructure were kept.

The security surveillance operators, based in the Town Hall, use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s IP Video and alarm management software to view live and recorded video from all the cameras. Fifteen days of continuous recording is achieved using IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorders (NVRs).

“The video management software provides our security team with a set of professional tools to quickly and easily search and retrieve recorded footage, using a simple and logical interface,” added Mertens. “We have already helped in many prosecutions by exporting evidential video for the Police.”

The system is soon to be expanded to allow the local Police direct access to the video. As IndigoVision’s system is truly distributed, this is simply achieved by extending the network to the police station and installing a ‘Control Center’ workstation. As ‘Control Center’ software is licensed on a per seat basis free of charge, this can be achieved for just the cost of an entry level PC.

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21 July 2010 - City of Calgary and IndigoVision Create Ground Breaking Surveillance Network

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is at the heart of a ground breaking ‘Data Warehousing’ and surveillance system for the City of Calgary. Data streams from different city operations are integrated into a centralized Oracle database. This powerful tool allows the city authority to analyze an amazing array of data. For example, for any area of the city a map can be pulled up showing crime statistics, including the number of crimes, what kind of incident it was and any associated video clips that have been imported from the IP Video system.

When Owen Key, the City’s Chief Security Officer and Manager of Corporate Security joined 5 years ago he was faced with an unmanageable surveillance system. As he explains, networking was the solution, “The city had many ‘islands’ of video from disparate inaccessible analog systems. As most of the metropolitan area is managed centrally, we soon realized that a networked environment was the only answer. IndigoVision’s excellent IP Video compression technology has allowed us to realize this vision and is one of the key factors in achieving the system we have today.”

Calgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta and the fourth largest Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in Canada. Unlike most cities, the municipality manages all aspects of the City with over 700 sites spread across 2,000 square miles.

Since 2007, nearly 550 PTZ and fixed cameras have been connected to the network, many retained from the original analog systems. IndigoVision’s system now monitors 30 different departments around the city, including parks and recreation, transit centers, water utilities, fire, emergency response, road crews and parking authority. The city has also developed three mobile security vehicles, which are equipped with laptops that can access live or recorded surveillance video from any camera over the 3G mobile network.

“Another reason for choosing IndigoVision is ‘Control Center’, their Video Management Software,” added Key. “The usability is excellent, with great drag and drop features for cameras, interactive maps and individual profiles for each user to restrict access to certain cameras or features, as required. However, it’s the flexible licensing of the software that has been the most benefit. ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision’s hardware; this means we can deploy video workstations where we need them for no extra cost. In addition to the main Command Center we have workstations located in many different departments with currently 154 different users.”

It’s the non-centralized architecture of the IndigoVision system that allows ‘Control Center’ workstations to be distributed around the network. IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorders (NVRs) are also distributed around the edge of the network close to the cameras, to reduce the bandwidth. Dual streaming is used on many cameras allowing 15fps video to be streamed across the WAN and full framerate 30fps video to be locally recorded. A 14 day archive of all video is maintained.

The system is continually growing and evolving. The next major phase is to incorporate the Lenel access control into the whole data control progression, including full integration with the surveillance system across the IP network. This is achieved by using one of IndigoVision’s many integration modules. Events and alarms from access control points can trigger actions and create logs in the IP Video system, producing a complete audit trail. For example, an illegal entry alarm can instantly move a camera to a pre-configured position and display the video of the entry area to an operator. This tight integration helps to improve incident response.

IndigoVision has just won a 50-camera project for the Calgary Convention Centre and will be deploying their Video Wall software in the new central command center, which is due on online at the end of 2010. Based on ‘Control Center’, the Video Wall software allows professional fully-featured IP-based control room video walls to be built to any size, at a fraction of the cost of other dedicated display products.

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14 July 2010 - IndigoVision IP Video Keeps Watch on Remote Gas Facilities in Amazon Rain Forest

A major oil and gas company based in Brazil is using IndigoVision’s complete IP video security technology to remotely monitor high-tech automated gas facilities in the Amazon Rain Forest. The 12 compounds, many of which are unmanned, contain millions of dollars of process automation, telemetry and telecoms equipment and are spread across many thousands of miles of the forest. All the stations are centrally monitored from a control room in Rio de Janeiro using ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management software.

This remarkable security surveillance project is achieved through the use of a hybrid IP network consisting of satellite, fiber optic and wireless links. The system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local Partner AIRWIRE, who specializes in video surveillance of remote areas.

Commenting on the success of the project, Armando K. Gessinger, AIRWIRE’s CEO said, “We chose IndigoVision for this challenging project as they were the only company that could deliver very high-quality video at low bandwidth and provide excellent communication management tools.”

In addition to advanced compression technology and bandwidth tuning tools, IndigoVision’s IP Video system supports a unique feature called Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF), which has been a major benefit for the project. ACF, which is built-in to each of IndigoVision’s IP Video transmitter modules, controls the framerate of the camera video stream based on the amount of motion in the scene. When there is no activity, video is streamed over the network at minimum framerate, the instant motion is detected the video is automatically transmitted at the maximum configured framerate. This significantly reduces the amount of bandwidth needed as much of the time little or no activity is being monitored at the 12 stations.

A number of fixed analog cameras at each remote facility are connected to IndigoVision’s transmitter modules, which convert the camera’s feed to high-quality digital video for transmission over the IP network. PIR intruder detectors are also connected to the IP Video system via digital inputs on the transmitters. Advanced alarm handling features in ‘Control Center’ can then process these PIR detector alarms and alert operators to potential intrusions, immediately displaying the nearest camera on a spot monitor and identifying the alarm on an interactive map. The integration of alarms with video surveillance vastly improves operator efficiency and incident response. Audio is also transmitted alongside the video, allowing two-way conversations between the central control room and workers at the remote sites.

In addition to the central control room, ‘Control Center’ workstations are deployed at each remote facility for local maintenance and monitoring where applicable. IndigoVision’s flexible licensing model means that ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision’s hardware, allowing any number of video workstations to be installed for no more than the cost of the PC.

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7 July 2010 - New Zealand College Broadcasts School-Wide Assemblies using IndigoVision IP Video

On March 4th 2010 New Zealand’s Minister of Education officially opened Rangitoto College’s upgraded computer network during the school’s assembly. TorqueIP, the IT infrastructure solutions provider, who designed the system, wanted a high-profile way of demonstrating the capability of the network during the opening ceremony. They turned to IP Video specialist IndigoVision and their local partner Active Security Services for the solution.

Rangitoto College is a state co-educational high school based on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. It is the country’s largest high school with over 3000 students. However, due to the size of the school they are unable to accommodate all of the students in the main hall at the same time. So an innovative solution was developed to use a High Definition (HD) IP Camera to monitor the opening ceremony and web-cast live video and synchronized audio to over 600 computers around the school’s network, allowing every student to watch proceedings. This was all achieved with one week’s notice and without any network modification. Also no new software or expensive user licenses were required on the 600+ viewing PCs. It proved so successful the school now regularly uses the technology to broadcast whole-school assemblies.

With the combination of IndigoVision’s class-leading compression and multicast network technology, the school is able to stream high-quality video and audio to all of the school’s 600+ PC’s with a maximum network load of 4Mbps at any location. Viewing in a web browser avoided the need to install and configure any software on each PC.

The broadcasts are recorded using IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) software onto a PC hard disk. A typical 1 hour assembly creates a 570Mb file, which can be exported in standard MP4 format for editing and web publishing or archiving. A PC running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, allows the staff to control the HD IP Camera through a third-party PTZ and configure the transmission and recording of the broadcast.

The school now has an ideal platform on which to add IP Video security surveillance in the future. High-quality CCTV cameras can be rapidly installed across the school’s multiple buildings, with minimal load on the network bandwidth.

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30 June 2010 - Water Utility Looks to HD Video Surveillance for Site-Wide Security

Homeland Security is at the forefront of every Public Water Utility in the USA. This is underpinned by the Federal Government’s 2002 Bioterrorism Act, which legislates that water supplies must be protected from potential terrorist threats. Following on from a recent security review, Northshore Utility District has deployed an IndigoVision site-wide integrated IP Video surveillance system using High-Definition (HD) cameras to help it combat terrorism and improve public and staff safety. The integrated solution was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s Partner, Reliable Security Sound & Data, who has also been the District’s designated security vendor of choice for many years.

Northshore Utility District is a special purpose water and sewer utility located at the Northeast end of Lake Washington in King County, WA. The District encompasses more than 17 square miles and serves over 65,000 people. With 263 miles of sewer pipe, 15 lift stations, 260 miles of water main, 3 water pumping stations and eight water storage facilities with a combined capacity of 29 million gallons, Northshore creates a demanding security environment. This requires a distributed solution that can stream high-quality surveillance video over large distances.

The new system replaced analog surveillance equipment that was end-of-life and delivered poor quality video, as Stephen Schommer, P.E., the District’s Information Systems & Technology Director explains, “There were a number of instances where the old surveillance system caught perpetrators close up on camera, but we still couldn’t get a clear picture for identification. In contrast, the new IndigoVision HD cameras provide us with amazing video quality – in some cases it’s like looking out of the window!”

A combination of 38 High-Definition and Standard-Definition cameras have been installed at the main site HQ and at 5 remote pumping station/reservoir sites, the furthest being over 5 miles away. Operators using ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software can view live and recorded video from any camera. Video is recorded on standalone RAID-5 Network Video Recorders (NVRs).

IndigoVision’s distributed architecture allows any camera, video workstation or NVR to be located at any point on the network. Video from the HQ and each of the remote sites is recorded onto locally installed NVRs. Live and archived video from the remote sites is accessed over a standard broadband link by operators at the main site. The ability to deliver HD video across low bandwidth network links is made possible because of IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology.

“Since starting Reliable Security in 1980, I have waited 30 years to see video this good,” said Bill Miller, President, Reliable Security Sound & Data. “What makes it even better are the very low bit rates that the HD cameras are using, which range from around 1 to 2.5mbps depending on the amount of scene motion.”

Another important system needed for homeland security is electronic access control. Alongside the IP Video, Reliable Security installed a Maxxess access control system, which has been seamlessly integrated with IndigoVision’s solution over the IP network. This was achieved via an integration module in ‘Control Center’ and creates a more efficient and responsive operator environment. Through the advanced alarm handling facilities in ‘Control Center’, alarms from both security systems are consolidated into one universal operator interface. This allows alarms from one system to trigger events in the other. Cameras currently monitor all access control card readers and each card swipe is bookmarked with the recorded video, providing a complete visual audit of all people entering and leaving the various facilities.

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23 June 2010 - IndigoVision Lands Integrated IP Video Projects for Two Belgian Airports

Two Belgian airports have recently deployed integrated IP Video technology from IndigoVision, as part of infrastructure and new passenger terminal projects. Charleroi Brussels South and Liège Airports are located in the Wallonia region of the country and are operated by SOWAER (Société Wallonne des Aeroports). The complete security solutions at each airport, which integrate video surveillance with access control, emergency evacuation and perimeter protection, were provided by Fabricom, IndigoVision’s long-standing Partner in the region.

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is ideally suited to the demanding security environment of airports, as it is truly distributed. This allows multiple agencies and departments to access live and recorded video relevant to their operations. In the case of Charleroi and Liège airports, security, baggage handling, maintenance and law enforcement agencies all have access to appropriate video.

In both cases new passenger terminals were built alongside existing facilities that used traditional analog surveillance equipment. These systems were interfaced to the new IP Video solution, allowing both terminals to be monitored from a single control room. As distributed IP Video systems are very flexible and scalable, these old analog systems can be easily updated when they reach end of life.

The IndigoVision software development kit enabled a tight integration of IndigoVision’s hardware and ‘Control Center’ security management software into ICAROS, Fabricom's security and building management system. Alongside access control, intruder detection and other building related systems, an ICAROS workstation gives the operator seamless access to all the unique IndigoVision features for alarm and video management. This tight integration offers the airport security teams significant benefits and vastly improved incident response. For example, when an access control alarm is generated, the nearest camera to the entry point can be panned to a preset position and the feed automatically displayed on a control room monitor.

In excess of 250 new cameras have been installed across both airports and they are recorded on over 30 IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs). Full frame-rate video is continuously recorded from the new cameras and the legacy systems to provide the authorities with a 14+ day archive. As it is a distributed system the NVRs can be independently located in each terminal building to reduce the overall network bandwidth requirement.

IndigoVision and Fabricom have had a long and successful relationship with airport projects in Belgium. In 2001 Brussels International Airport was a pioneer of IP Video when it installed what was then the largest networked video security system in Europe, supplied by the two companies. Nearly a decade on, the 1000+ camera system is still providing the airport with a leading-edge digital surveillance solution.

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16 June 2010 - IndigoVision Wireless IP Video Surveillance Keeps Watch over Peruvian City

The city of Arequipa in Peru has deployed a new city-wide wireless surveillance system using IndigoVision’s complete IP Video solution. The system was designed and installed by wireless network specialist Netkrom Technologies and IndigoVision’s authorized partner Exprescom.

Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru and with a population of nearly 1 million, is the second most populous city in the country. As with any urban area, Arequipa creates a demanding security environment that requires the very best video surveillance to help reduce crime and keep its citizens safe.

Commenting on the success of the project, Sr. Antonio Bustamante, Security Manager of Arequipa Municipality said, “The new surveillance system is an excellent tool to identify criminal activity and to monitor rush-hour traffic. The superb video quality allows us to monitor incidents in great detail and gather evidence for investigations.”

The Municipality’s security team monitors and controls the system using ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software. This allows the city’s security team to view live and recorded video from any camera and to investigate incidents using a suite of advanced post-event analysis tools. Video from all cameras is continuously recorded for 30 days using IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorder (NVR) software and 4TB of disk storage.

“The video management software is very powerful, yet very easy for the operators to use,” added Bustamante. “Features such as scheduled Video Guard Tours allow the team to efficiently monitor all of the cameras and the thumbnail display allows us to analyze 24 hours of video in a matter of seconds.”

What makes IndigoVision’s technology ideal for city monitoring and sets it apart from other digital surveillance solutions is its class-leading H.264 compression. Evidential-quality video can be transmitted across standard IP networks over large distances with minimal bandwidth requirement. This ensures latency is kept to a minimum, which allows PTZ cameras to be controlled smoothly from a distance, and wireless networks to be deployed easily to overcome the cabling problems associated with wide-area surveillance.

Twenty of IndigoVision’s Series 9000 H.264 PTZ IP domes have been installed at key points around the city. This will be increased to 50 cameras as part of an expansion project during 2010. The 9000 IP dome overcomes the high data rates or loss of video quality associated with traditional IP domes when a camera is moving. IndigoVision’s innovative camera design reduces high-bandwidth bursts during pan and tilt movement, through the use of a unique algorithm that automatically adapts the compression to suit the type of movement. The result is improved video compression without losing picture quality during high-motion periods. The camera can deliver high-quality video at full framerate with a guarantee that no frames will be dropped even in high-motion scenes.

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9 June 2010 - IndigoVision’s New Compact NVR – Good Things Come in Small Packages!

IndigoVision, the leading manufacturer of complete IP Video security solutions, has launched a new addition to its range of Network Video Recorders (NVRs). The Compact NVR-AS 3000 is a Linux-based standalone device that delivers a powerful recording solution in a compact unit with a very small footprint.

The Compact NVR can record and playback 20 MPEG-4 and H.264 video and audio streams simultaneously with a choice of a 500MB or 1TB removable disk. The unit uses the latest hard drive technology from Seagate, with disks that have been developed for continuous video surveillance recording. The disk comes with a 5-year warranty. The removable disk allows for easy archiving and securing of evidence.

Able to withstand temperature ranges of 0^o to 60^oC, the Compact NVR is ideal for installation outside of traditional equipment rooms as it doesn’t require a temperature controlled environment. Designed for smaller installations such as retail outlets and commercial premises, the NVR can be mounted horizontally or vertically and located at any point on the network.

It is the perfect replacement for small analog/DVR systems, recording video from up to 20 IP cameras or transmitter modules directly over the network. ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, is used to remotely configure the NVR and view recorded video. ‘Control Center’ workstations can again be located at any point on the network, accessing multiple NVRs around a building or site.

The high-performance specification of the new Compact NVR, coupled with IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology means that the NVR can record both MPEG-4 and H.264 video from multiple cameras for long periods. For example, a single Compact NVR could record H.264 video from 10 cameras continuously at 4SIF, full framerate, based on moderate motion levels for over 30 days.

The ‘AS’ in NVR-AS 3000 stands for ‘Alarm Server’ and means that each Compact NVR can also store system-wide real-time alarm information that is configured in ‘Control Center’. This ensures that automatic alarm events can still operate even though a ‘Control Center’ workstation is inoperative, adding redundancy to the system. A typical event could be an access control alarm, generated from an attempted illegal entry, triggering the nearest camera to pan and zoom to a pre-configured position so that the area around the entrance could be monitored and recorded.

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2 June 2010 - National Video Monitoring Service Developed using IndigoVision Technology

IndigoVision’s complete IP Video security solution is at the heart of a national video and alarm monitoring center based in Queensland, Australia. Developed by Naskam Security Services, the purpose-built control room provides live surveillance services to a diverse range of remote sites across Australia.

“Over 5 years ago, Naskam set about looking for a quality product that would allow us to provide live video monitoring services to clients across the country at an affordable cost, whilst providing the highest quality of recording equipment,” said Chad Wright, Naskam’s General Manager. “After testing many different vendors, we chose IndigoVision’s solution as it provided us with a number of unique features and the ability to deliver excellent video quality, with minimum bandwidth.”

IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology allows Naskam to monitor high-quality video from remote sites using Next G/3G wireless links where traditional hardwired ADSL or fiber connections are not available. This enables Naskam to maximize the number of cameras that can be monitored over the available bandwidth and minimize their network costs. Naskam currently monitors numerous remote sites including shopping malls, city centers and utility infrastructures.

Naskam encourages each site to use dual streaming and local recording on IndigoVision’s Network Video Recorders (NVRs). In this configuration each camera produces two video streams, a higher resolution stream for local NVR archiving and a lower resolution stream, typically 2SIF @ 12 to 25fps, for transmission to the remote monitoring center. Recorded video can also be accessed at the monitoring center if required. The low bandwidth requirement also ensures low latency, which allows Naskam’s operators to smoothly control PTZ cameras at each remote site. Live video monitoring and camera control is achieved using workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software.

“The first installation of a live monitored site was a small remote shopping center where IndigoVision’s IP Video transmitters were installed along with analog surveillance cameras, PA speakers, strobes and PIR's for video alarm activation,” continued Wright. “Within two weeks of deployment, several youths had already been apprehended for various crimes. Local security patrols had failed for years to catch these criminals, whereas the video monitoring service worked immediately. Teaming this service up with live and pre-recorded audio announcements has meant that the system helps prevent crime by alerting people that they are entering a monitored area.”

The ability to transmit and receive synchronized full-duplex, high-fidelity audio alongside the video over the network was another feature that attracted Naskam to IndigoVision’s solution. Built-in PA facilities allow operators to broadcast audio announcements through speakers connected to the IP Video transmitters. Similarly microphones can be installed locally to capture audio recordings or enable two-way conversations.

IndigoVision’s advanced analytics and alarm management capabilities are used extensively by Naskam to help automate the monitoring process and improve incident response. Analytics functions such as virtual tripwire, congestion, motion detection and counterflow are used to trigger alarms. These alarms automatically alert operators to the potential incident and can trigger actions such as panning a remote camera to a pre-configured position. They also use the Alarm Preview feature, which automatically displays the previous 10 seconds of recorded video prior to the alarm activation, helping operators to quickly assess the situation. Through the use of I/O built into IndigoVision transmitter modules, discrete signals from other security systems can also be monitored and used to trigger alarms.

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26 May 2010 - Police Department Embraces IP Video to Revolutionize City Wide Surveillance

IndigoVision’s distributed IP Video solution is at the heart of a revolutionary surveillance system that has had a major impact on the policing of the City of Lansing, Michigan’s State Capital. Embracing IP Video technology has allowed the Police Department to develop a fully integrated Public Video Surveillance System (PVS) that has a vast reach across the city.

The system was jointly designed and installed by IndigoVision’s Authorized Partner Vidcom Solutions, the City of Lansing’s Electronic Equipment Maintenance Unit, and ACD.net and has enabled the city to integrate a number of existing analog camera systems as well as deploy numerous new cameras. Both 911 dispatchers and police vehicles use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to access live and recorded video. The Police Department’s 60 vehicles each have a laptop with high speed broadband 3G technology that allows officers to view and control any camera in the system.

“We're always looking for ways to free up patrol time for our officers, we decided that we were going to take an aggressive approach and get the equipment out there to our officers so they can be more effective and efficient,” said Lansing Police Chief, Mark Alley.

Having access to live video is a major benefit for the 911 emergency dispatchers, allowing them to respond more effectively to incidents. For example, following a call about a fight, the dispatcher can view the nearest camera and see how many people are involved and whether weapons are being used. This allows the response to be more tailored to the incident. Police officers in the two precinct headquarters also have access to the video using ‘Control Center’ workstations.

The City of Lansing Police Department has 250 sworn officers and over 90 civilians serving a community of 120,000 residents across an area of 33 square miles. As with many urban areas, Lansing faces a tough policing environment, with crime reduction and public safety at the forefront. The decision to deploy city-wide video surveillance in 2007 was driven by the need to clean up a number of known crime areas.

The final IP Video solution was chosen following a side-by-side comparison, at full framerate, of systems from different vendors. Commenting on the outcome of these tests, Jeff Kludy, Chief Technology Administrator for the City of Lansing said, “With so many varying network conditions throughout our system, achieving optimal video quality and compression at 30fps were key to us choosing IndigoVision over other IP Video solutions. Another critical factor was having a ‘distributed’ architecture that didn’t allow for a single point of failure. This was a significant advantage over other systems that rely on a single ‘centralized’ server to run all of the cameras and recorders.”

IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology is behind much of what Lansing has achieved with its surveillance operation. The ability to deliver very high quality video with low bandwidth requirement allows camera footage to be efficiently streamed across various network technologies including ShDSL’s, fiber, mesh wireless and mobile 3G broadband. IndigoVision’s unique licensing has also delivered huge cost benefits for the city. ‘Control Center’ software is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision’s hardware. This has allowed the Police Department to deploy numerous copies of the software, both in Police buildings and in their vehicles, for no additional cost.

The distributed architecture of the IP Video system has provided immense flexibility and integrated capability. A number of existing analog installations across the city have been interfaced to the PVS including public schools and cameras from the Capital Area Transportation Authority. IndigoVision’s authorized Partner Data Consultants has also just won the contract to convert the 60 camera system in the city’s correctional facility from a traditional analog/DVR to IP Video using all IndigoVision IP cameras and the new NVR-AS 3000 Network Video Recorders (NVRs).

This flexibility means that a camera can be added anywhere on the network allowing the Police to target particular areas. This was used to good effect when a camera was installed to monitor a particular nightclub that was known to cause problems with drunkenness and disorder around the local area. Police and dispatchers can now proactively monitor the area which has resulted in a more effective police response as well as a reduction in the amount of incidents.

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19 May 2010 - China’s Newest Theme Park puts Trust in IndigoVision IP Video Surveillance Technology

As with any large visitor attraction, OCT East, China’s newest resort and theme park, relies heavily on high-quality video surveillance to ensure its staff and visitors are safe and secure. That’s why the resort has invested in IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video technology to deliver its site-wide surveillance.

The first phase of the resort opened in 2007 and now boasts two theme parks, three scenic towns, four resort hotels, two 18-hole golf courses, Hua Xing Temple and Tianlu mansion. The resort located near Shenzhen, covers an impressive 3.5 square miles and represents an investment of $450m by the OCT Group. IndigoVision’s approved partner China Com designed, installed and commissioned the 360 camera surveillance solution.

“With a resort the size of OCT East it was vitally important that we chose a surveillance system that could easily expand as the development grew,” commented Lianbing Deng, OCT East Director. “IndigoVision provided us with a scalable platform to achieve this and one that allowed different departments and agencies to access the video all around the site.”

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is truly distributed, with no centralized server, allowing cameras, recorders and video management workstations to be located anywhere on the network. Operators using workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software (SMS), are situated throughout the resort. They use both live and recorded video to ensure the resort is safe, secure and operating correctly. Departments using the surveillance system include security, tourist guides, maintenance and the OCT East management. Uniquely, ‘Control Center’ software is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware, allowing OCT East to deploy any number of video workstations for no more than the cost of the PCs – a significant saving for the resort.

“The functionality and video quality delivered by IndigoVision’s software is excellent,” added Deng. “It allows our teams to analyze incidents and problems quickly and ensures our response is effective, helping to improve our security and customer service.”

‘Control Center’ provides a range of analytics and tools for post event analysis on recoded video. The thumbnail feature allows 24 hours of video to be searched in a matter of seconds and video can be bookmarked manually or automatically via alarms during an incident, allowing easy retrieval in the future. Evidential quality video can be exported for use by the Police.

Different analog cameras, situated at key points around the resort, are connected to IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver modules, which convert and stream the video onto the network. Due to the advanced compression technology deployed in IndigoVision’s system, latency is minimized allowing smooth and complete control over PTZ cameras even across long distances. IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs) located in the main security room record video directly from the network, providing a continuous 15 day archive for all cameras.

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12 May 2010 - Finnish Rail Chooses IndigoVision for Pilot IP Video Surveillance Project

The Finnish Transport Agency for Rail, Maritime and Road Administration, has announced that the pilot project for evaluating an advanced IP-based surveillance system for 11 train stations, was awarded to IndigoVision’s Authorized Finnish Partner, Taitotekniikka (Kauppahuone Taito Oy).

The pilot project, which will start this spring, will cover some 12 sites, of which 11 are rail stations. The Central Station in Helsinki is already using IndigoVision’s end-to-end IP Video security solution for its station-wide surveillance. The station’s existing security control room will also monitor the 12 sites of the pilot project, through more than 250 new IP cameras. In addition 2 new surveillance centers will be connected to the IP network, creating a distributed and redundant remote monitoring capability for the Central Station and the pilot sites. The pilot project will be rolled out during the summer of 2010.

The Finnish Transport Agency intends to build one of the world’s most advanced distributed IP Video systems for rail surveillance, where the final goal is to have a nationwide system covering all stations with a network expected to monitor some 5,000 IP cameras in total. The plan is to record video 24/7 from all cameras on to distributed Network Video Recorders (NVRs), fully managed by remote surveillance centers.

IndigoVision’s class-leading H.264 compression technology allows high-quality video to be transmitted across long distances with minimum bandwidth and latency. This was regarded as vital for designing the new pilot system. Special software such as Bandwidth Manager and a server-less decentralized configuration of the planned network of 5,000 IP endpoints, will also be key features in building a reliable distributed IP Video system with no single point of failure. The solution will use IndigoVision’s advanced features for creating a resilient, fault-tolerant system, allowing the end user to take advantage of redundant networks, redundant power supplies and redundant distributed NVRs.

All cameras on the network will record on a 24/7 basis, using a mixture of IndigoVision’s dedicated standalone Linux-based NVRs and PC’s running Windows-based NVR software. According to Taitotekniikka, the number of operators able to see live and recorded video from all of the cameras can be several hundred. The operators will use PC workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software.

The pilot system is designed to handle both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) cameras side by side, enabling H.264 and MPEG4-based equipment to coexist on the same network. Future releases of ‘Control Center’ software will also allow ONVIF-compliant IP cameras to be used at any point on the network.

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5 May 2010 - IndigoVision’s Latest HD IP Camera Guarantees Never to Drop a Frame

The 11000 High-Definition (HD) fixed IP camera is the latest addition to IndigoVision’s range of Standard and High Definition IP cameras. The one-megapixel full-framerate day/night camera is guaranteed to never drop a frame, under any circumstances, an assurance that applies to all of the company’s cameras. This guarantee is vitally important for critical evidential video in both law enforcement applications and commercial surveillance projects such as casinos.

The combination of direct sensor to network hardware encoding and advanced H.264 compression technology allows IndigoVision to offer this unique guarantee and deliver outstanding video quality at extremely low bit rates. This both reduces the network bandwidth and video archive storage and allows HD cameras to be used on everyday surveillance applications. The 11000 IP camera can stream high-definition video at full-framerate (25/30 fps) and be recorded for 30 days using just 1TB of disk storage.

The camera is available with a number of different lens options including a unique distortion-free wide-angle lens that allows the camera to capture megapixel high-definition images without the fish-eye barrel distortion associated with traditional very wide-angle optics.

The 11000 can be ceiling or wall mounted and uses a 1/3” progressive scan HD sensor, ensuring excellent performance. Built-in Power-over-Ethernet support allows the camera to be powered directly from the network, reducing installation costs.

Optional full-duplex audio capability is also available, which allows high-fidelity audio to be streamed alongside the video over the network. A camera mounted microphone can capture sound and be recorded alongside the video in full synchronization. This, for example, ensures there is no lip-sync delay when playing back police interviews; a fundamental requirement for evidential clips used in court. Conversely, security control room staff can broadcast messages via camera mounted speakers to warn people of their actions, in response to a viewed incident.

IndigoVision’s HD IP cameras can be used alongside its current 4SIF resolution IP cameras, which use MPEG-4 and H.264 compression, providing the end-user with a truly flexible solution and a wide spectrum of IP camera price/performance from which to choose. The fixed HD cameras are now being used in a number of different surveillance applications in projects around the world, including 500 cameras that are monitoring customs operations at USA-Canadian border crossings and at Vancouver airport for the CBSA in Canada. This is believed to be the largest ever HD IP Video surveillance project.

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28 April 2010 - New Resort Casino Hits Jackpot with IndigoVision Surveillance

The new Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino has deployed an integrated surveillance system from IndigoVision, the leading supplier of end-to-end IP Video security solutions. IndigoVision’s Certified Partner, Reliable Security, Sound & Data in partnership with gaming industry consultants The Talisman Group, designed and installed the system in full compliance with the local gaming authority. Interlink Group is the developer and managing partner of the resort.

Commenting on the project’s achievements, Robin Powell, Principal of The Talisman Group said, “With the strict gaming regulations in Puerto Rico, we were extremely pleased to have exceeded the Gaming Board’s demanding requirements. To reflect the stellar status of the resort complex it was important to specify a state-of-the-art surveillance solution that could meet the demanding requirements of casino security.”

Situated in the midst of the Puerto Rico Convention Center District in the port city of San Juan, the 503-room Hotel and Casino opened in November 2009 and is considered a showcase property for the region, having recently won the prestigious Puerto Rico ‘Development of the Year’ award. ‘Casino Metro’, the resort’s gaming operation, is also the largest casino in San Juan. The surveillance system has been predominantly deployed in the casino, which as with any gaming business is an extremely demanding 24/7 security environment, having to meet the potential challenges of cheating, theft, fraud and ensuring the safety of staff and customers.

“We recognized early on in the design process that building an advanced surveillance solution would require a digital IP network platform,” continued Powell. “Following a year-long evaluation we chose IndigoVision for its superb video quality, excellent compression and its intuitive Security Management Software. IndigoVision’s successful track record of casino installations throughout North America also helped with our decision.”

The Casino’s control room operators use workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to view live and recorded video. Full framerate video from all of the cameras is continuously archived for 14 days to a video server running IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video (NVR) Software. Evidential quality video can be exported for the police in the event of an incident.

“The IndigoVision system has allowed us to implement a comprehensive surveillance operation with minimum manpower,” added Powell. “Features in the ‘Control Center’ software allow a few operators to efficiently monitor all areas of the casino. The high-quality video enables easy face recognition and detail on the gaming tables. All of this and excellent analysis tools leads to fast dispute resolution, which is good for our patrons and the casino.”

The Casino’s access control system and panic alarms are also integrated into the IP Video system, providing operators with a powerful tool for incident response. For example, if an alarm is raised from an illegal door entry, the video operators are immediately notified on their ‘Control Center’ workstation. Video from the nearest camera is automatically displayed, together with it’s location on an interactive map, allowing an instant response. PTZ cameras can also be panned to a preset position on an alarm. This allows the operators to concentrate on the more important gaming environment.

IndigoVision is unique in offering a guarantee that delivers high-quality, full framerate video without dropping a frame, under any conditions. This is fundamental to ensure that any fraudulent activity on the gaming floor is detected and resolved without contention. This level of performance coupled with excellent video quality has made IndigoVision the market leader for complete digital CCTV solutions in the gaming sector, with 36 casinos worldwide having chosen IndigoVision.

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21 April 2010 - IndigoVision Opens New North American Headquarters

IndigoVision, the leading provider of IP Video security solutions, celebrated the official opening of its new North American headquarters in the Raritan Center area of Edison, NJ. At a reception held on April 15th, Edison Mayor, Antonia Ricigliano, officiated over a ribbon cutting ceremony with IndigoVision SVP of North America, Bill McQuade. The ceremony was followed by tours for guests and a hosted cocktail reception. Attendees consisted of IndigoVision customers and partners, including representatives from The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, New York Transit Authority as well as Diebold and ADT Advanced Integration. The new Edison location boasts an expanded warehouse, state-of-the-art demo room as well as a dedicated training facility.

The decision to move to a larger facility follows on the heels of last year’s North American expansion project and the development of a dedicated North American operations team. This included the appointment of a North American Marketing Manager last fall, as well as additions to the regional sales and support teams in the US and Canada. This growth has since continued with the recent addition of expanded technical support in Toronto as well as additional sales for the North East and West Coast regions.

IndigoVision Certified Partner, Bill Miller of Reliable Security, Sound and Data commented, “It is evident with the opening of this facility that IndigoVision is taking its dedication to North America seriously. I look forward to bringing my customers and prospects here.”

The new facility contains a fully equipped IP Video demo room, which is designed to mimic a surveillance command center. Classes in the new training center will be commencing in May.

"We are extremely excited to reach this important milestone in our North American expansion," said Oliver Vellacott, CEO of IndigoVision. “As a global organization, we recognize the important market share that North America holds for us, especially in the Mid Atlantic and North Eastern regions.”

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19 April 2010 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Chosen for New Terminal at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport

IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is at the heart of a fully integrated security solution for the new passenger terminal at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The airport has undergone a major expansion with a new runway and 250,000 m2 terminal building, which has just opened ahead of the of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in May.

The surveillance system, which was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s local partner Shanghai Baosight Software Co., Ltd, consists of 1880 fixed and PTZ cameras and is integrated with access control, fire detection and other airport systems. IndigoVision’s distributed architecture delivers high-quality video to multiple users located throughout the terminal building.

Commenting on the security system, Mr Qi Zhimin, Project Director of Intelligence Business Group for Baosight, said “With the demanding homeland security and operational environment in the new terminal the Airport needed an IP-networked surveillance system that was fully distributed and delivered high-quality images at minimum bandwidth. IndigoVision’s system fully meets this requirement. They are also the only vendor that guarantees no-dropped frames, under any conditions, when transmitting full frame-rate video. This is a very important consideration for a high-security operation like an airport.”

Over 50 video management workstations running IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ software are installed at different locations around the terminal, allowing operators to monitor the terminal operation, aircraft parking apron and perimeter fencing. As well as the main security control room, live and recorded video is available to users in different departments of the airport as well as a number of law enforcement agencies. Advanced user management facilities in ‘Control Center’ ensure only users with the correct permissions can access their own department’s video. ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware, allowing multiple workstation’s to be deployed for no more than the cost of the PC hardware, significantly reducing the overall project costs.

The surveillance system is fully integrated with the access control and fire systems, as well as with the luggage handling system. Alarms or events from any of these systems can be configured to automatically pan a camera to a pre-selected position, giving the operators an instant view of the incident.

“The powerful video recording capability was another reason the Airport chose the IndigoVision solution”, added Zhimin. “Redundant recording configurations have been setup that allows cameras to be automatically recorded on a backup recorder in the event of a failure. Data security is vitally important to ensure integrity during post-event analysis.”

Forty-seven servers running IndigoVision’s Windows-based Network Video Recorder (NVR) software with a total of 600TB of RAID-5 storage provide the recording solution. A number of these servers are allocated for failover backups. This allows the airport to record all 1880 cameras continuously for 7 to 14 days.

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12 April 2010 - IndigoVision Adds to Integration Capability for Retail Security Applications

IndigoVision has added to its powerful suite of integration modules with the addition of Shop Alert, a retail staff information system. IndigoVision’s integration modules allow its complete IP Video surveillance system to seamlessly interface with third party systems to create a truly integrated security solution – across an IP network. With the ability to integrate with access control, intruder detection, building management and Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems, IndigoVision can deliver a compelling solution for total retail security. The addition of Shop Alert takes the total number of integration modules available to 22.

Through the use of Shop Alert’s Tenant Alert Pad, two-way communication between the shopping centre security staff and retailers can be initiated through a series of messages, alerts and alarms. Using the new integration module, these events can be bookmarked alongside the recorded surveillance video, allowing operators to quickly retrieve footage from any camera associated with the incident. Evidential quality video clips can be exported for use by the Police if required. The integrated alarm environment is managed by ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software.

It is the ability to alert security video operators to alarms or events from other security systems and to bookmark the video that makes integration such a powerful tool. Actions can be triggered in one system from events generated in another. For example, an alarm generated by a forced door can trigger an alarm in ‘Control Center’ which in turn automatically moves a PTZ camera to a pre-programmed position, displays the video of the incident and indicates the location on a schematic map. Some of the integration modules allow 2-way operation, allowing for instance, an analytics motion detection event generated in a camera to lock doors and trigger a local alarm.

Another powerful use of integration in a retail environment is when EPOS information is made available to the IP Video system. Data sent from an EPOS system can be overlaid on a live video display, allowing operators to view the camera feed and till transaction simultaneously. The transaction information generated by the EPOS system is also bookmarked with the video. This facilitates visual identification of an incident in both real time and through post-event analysis. EPOS alarms such as ‘till left open’, ‘refund’, or ‘large note deposit’ can automatically trigger events within ‘Control Center’.

Alarms from non-security systems such as building management and plant monitoring can also easily be integrated into the system and benefit retail applications, such as alerting staff when a freezer fails or a door is left open. Digital inputs and outputs are available on IndigoVision’s IP cameras and transmitter modules and through a dedicated IP Alarm Panel, which facilitates discrete interface with these types of system.

In an integrated security environment the most used interface is normally the video surveillance system. This coupled with IndigoVision’s sophisticated alarm handling capabilities makes ‘Control Center’ the obvious place to consolidate alarms from all the systems. These advanced alarm features allow ‘Control Center’ to operate in what is known as a ‘black’ or ‘dark’ screen monitoring mode, where video is only displayed on alarm. This method of operation is recognized as providing a more efficient operator environment that leads to quicker incident response.

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6 April 2010 - IndigoVision Paints a Secure Picture for Moroccan Business

Prodec, the Moroccan manufacturer and distributor of paint, has deployed an IndigoVision distributed IP Video system to monitor its factory and HQ in Casablanca and its branch network throughout Morocco.

The networked surveillance system allows Prodec’s security team to centrally monitor a wide range of activities to ensure their business is safe, secure and well managed. The manufacture and distribution of paint creates a demanding surveillance environment, requiring high-quality video to be delivered from multiple sites across large distances. Due to the flammability of paint, safety is of paramount concern, both in the manufacturing process and when stored and sold in their branch network. IndigoVision’s system has therefore allowed Prodec to carefully monitor safety, highlight and deter security issues such as theft and to examine at first hand their customer service in each branch.

In addition to multiple cameras located in the factory and HQ, PTZ domes are installed in each of the branches. Due to IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology, high-quality video can be streamed across Prodec’s corporate network with minimum bandwidth and latency. This means the security team located at HQ can smoothly control the PTZ cameras over long distances, giving them clear visibility of the activities in each branch. The system was supplied by IndigoVision’s distributor Ithaca and installed by systems integrator, Resource Management Solutions (RMS).

“We were very impressed with the image quality delivered by the IndigoVision solution, considering the low bandwidth usage,” said Karim Elibrahimi, CEO of RMS. “The ease of installation and commissioning of the IndigoVision system was very important to us, as is the ability to integrate with third-party access control systems, which allows us to offer complete integrated solutions.”

IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ Security Management Software is used throughout the business to monitor live and recorded images, which have been archived on an IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR) located in the HQ. ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of the IndigoVision hardware, allowing Prodec to deploy ‘Control Center’ workstations anywhere on the network for no more than a cost of an entry-level PC. Prodec has taken advantage of this by deploying workstations, not only in the HQ and factory, but also in each branch.

‘Control Center’ supports advanced Identity Authentication Management (IAM), which ensures users only gain access to video that is relevant to their part of the business. The ability to distribute low cost workstations around the network has allowed local operators to monitor their own operation and for the company to keep an overall watch on the entire business for security, safety and quality issues. An operator with the correct permissions can access live or recorded video from any camera, from any workstation, giving supervisors and managers considerable flexibility.

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24 March 2010 - First Canadian Mall to go 100% with IP Cameras

Vancouver Island’s leading fashion focused shopping destination has invested in an IndigoVision integrated IP Video security system, in what is believed to be the first mall in Canada to deploy a surveillance solution with 100% IP cameras. The 93-camera system, which covers the public areas inside the mall as well as the parking lots and surrounding areas, was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s Approved Partner Laser Star Systems Ltd in partnership with Hoffman & Company Security Management Consultants Inc.

“One of the benefits of the new surveillance system is that it has helped us create an excellent partnership with local law enforcement,” explains Barry Greening, the centre’s Operations Manager. “Due to the exceptional quality and easy accessibility of the video, the local police force has shown an increasing interest in recorded footage from the system. They often analyse the system to see if ‘known individuals’ have been in and around the mall and have used exported evidential video in a number of investigations.”

When planning for the new surveillance system the shopping centre realized that an IP networked solution was the future of video security and ensured budget was made available for IT projects that would support the required network infrastructure. This forward thinking in combination with IndigoVision’s low-bandwidth technology allows the IP Video system to share network resources with access control, HVAC, Voice-over-IP and general IT traffic.

One workstation with four monitors running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, is used in the central control room to monitor and analyze live and recorded video. Commenting on its use Greening said, “It is remarkably good and inherently intuitive. The site plan is amazingly simple and easy to use and you can just drag and drop cameras into view. The ability to synchronize cameras and quickly access historical video is invaluable to us and the local police. IndigoVision also took on board our ideas for new features and included them in a future release of the software free-of-charge!”

All cameras are continuously recorded for a minimum of 30 days using IndigoVision’s Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR) software running on a custom built iSCSI server with 26TB of Raid 6 storage. IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology in combination with a unique feature called Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) helps reduce the overall storage requirement. ACF, which is built into IndigoVision’s IP cameras, has been deployed on a number of cameras located in hallways and storage areas. When the scene is inactive the camera streams video at a lower framerate and instantaneously ramps to maximum configured framerate when motion is detected. This feature is also enabled on many cameras based on time of day, e.g. when the centre is closed.

A combination of 26 PTZ and 67 fixed IndigoVision IP cameras were installed inside and outside the mall. The fixed cameras are Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) compliant allowing them to be powered from the network. This helped reduce the overall installation costs as only a single CAT-6 cable was required to connect the camera to the network.

Mayfair is now considering using the surveillance system for more than just security. Retailers are increasingly harnessing the power of high-quality video for marketing purposes. This can be an invaluable tool for analyzing merchandising and promotions and monitoring the total number and movement of customers visiting the centre and individual stores.

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12 March 2010 - IndigoVision Posts Strong Financial Results and Boosts R&D Investment

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of complete IP Video security solutions, has announced its half year financial results. The company reported an increase in sales revenues of 12% to £12.0m ($18.0m) for the 6-month period ending 31 January 2010, with operating profits of £1.2M ($1.8m). 

Commenting on the results Oliver Vellacott, IndigoVision's CEO said “These results are encouraging in a challenging economic climate, with sales comfortably ahead of last year and the second quarter stronger than the first. Whilst business and economic risks remain in the short term, we continue to have a high level of confidence in the long term future of IndigoVision.”

IndigoVision has continued to focus on R&D with a 30% increase in engineering spend in the current financial year. This has resulted in the development of a number of new products, including the addition of a high-performance PTZ dome; High-Definition (HD) IP camera range; and a family of standalone ‘Green’ Network Video Recorders (NVRs), which deliver much lower costs per Terabyte of storage than centralized recording servers. The company recently unveiled a technology preview of ‘Control Center’, its Security Management Software, displaying live video from ONVIF-compliant IP cameras. IndigoVision are active members on a number of the ONVIF working groups and are totally committed to providing a complete standards-compliant end-to-end IP security solution.

IndigoVision systems are employed across 20 different market sectors, with strong presence in casinos, rail, government, retail and city-wide surveillance. The transport sector has been particularly strong for the company with major wins in both rail and airports. These include the 775 camera system for the Santiago Metro in Chile, a surveillance upgrade to Eurotunnel’s French passenger terminal and the 2,800 camera solution at Delhi Airport’s new terminal 3. March 16th will see the official opening of the new 250,000 m2 passenger terminal at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport, ahead of the World Expo in May. The terminal is being protected by a 1,880 camera IndigoVision system that is fully integrated with other security and airport systems.

IndigoVision’s route to market is through its local partners – systems integrators and installers – who receive comprehensive training from IndigoVision and who provide local system design, installation and support. IndigoVision continues to widen its channel to market with over 373 partners now authorized in over 76 countries. The company completely develops its technology in-house, including a rich suite of hardware products and 'Control Center' its flagship Security Management Software.

The full results statement is available from www.indigovision.com/investors_financeinfo.php

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3 March 2010 - Czech Themed Shopping Complex Invests in IndigoVision for Surveillance Upgrade

Excalibur City, a themed shopping and entertainment complex in the Czech Republic, has deployed IndigoVision’s complete IP-CCTV solution to enhance the security for its customers and staff. The new upgrade has transformed the surveillance operation, having replaced poor-performing analog/DVR equipment with a distributed network-based digital video system.

Excalibur City is situated near to Znojmo on the border between the Czech Republic and Austria and is home to specialized shops, restaurants, wellness centers, Children’s World and the duty-free outlet ‘EXCALIBUR Free Shop’. The project also includes the monitoring of a new satellite shopping centre located 18 miles away on a different border crossing. The 130 camera system was specified and installed by IndigoVision’s local approved Partner, KPZ electronics s.r.o.

“We set out very demanding requirements for the new CCTV system,” said Mr Dalibor Perinka, Facilities Manager at Excalibur City. “The original cameras were to be reused; the images had to be indistinguishable from high-quality analog pictures and be recorded for a minimum of 3 months; transmission from the satellite shopping centre was not to affect the picture quality or frame-rate; the operators interface had to be intuitive and simple to use and the system had be able to be easily and cost-effectively expanded in the future. Following a live demonstration from competing vendors, IndigoVision was chosen as they were the only company that could meet all of these essential requirements.”

Excalibur City faced many problems with their old CCTV system. The images were poor quality and recorded video held very little useful information. The DVR storage capacity was small and the control room equipment consisted of many different monitors and control units. However, one of their biggest problems was the cost and quality issues associated with relaying video from the new satellite centre 18 miles away, using a leased line. All of these issues have now been solved with the upgrade.

Operators use PC workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to view live and recorded video. These workstations have replaced all of the original outdated control room equipment and because the system is fully distributed, workstations are also located on the desks of the Facilities Manager and the Head of Security. IndigoVision’s advanced H.264 based compression technology allows high-quality video to be streamed across the network with minimal bandwidth requirement, allowing video from the satellite store to be displayed alongside the local cameras without any degradation. This also allowed the entire system to be implemented on the center’s existing IT network, eliminating the old coax cable and removing the need to install new wiring.

“The features offered by ‘Control Center’ have transformed the way we use the CCTV system,” added Perinka. “The use of an interactive map allows us to easily select the right cameras and we can quickly find clips from the recorded video using the advanced motion search facilities. In the event of an incident we can export evidential quality video for the police.”

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24 February 2010 - IndigoVision Secures French Eurotunnel Terminal

In a major CCTV upgrade, Eurotunnel’s French passenger terminal has deployed a widely distributed IP Video solution from IndigoVision. Used for security, traffic management and immigration control, the networked CCTV system has transformed Eurotunnel’s surveillance operation.

Eurotunnel manages the Channel Tunnel fixed link between the UK and France and operates the Shuttle service for tourist vehicles or trucks. It also shares the track with rail freight and passenger trains passing through the Tunnel. As with any major transport hub, Eurotunnel has a demanding and diverse environment for surveillance and security, requiring a distributed system that can deliver high-quality live and recorded video to many different users located throughout the site. The new 340-camera upgrade, which was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s approved Partner, ClearView Communications Ltd, monitors all areas of the operation including passenger terminal, parking areas, loading operation, ticket booths and offices.

“Recent changes in French regulations meant that we decided to upgrade our existing CCTV equipment to a higher specification,” said Sylvain Pamart, Chief Project Manager at Eurotunnel. “We knew we wanted to replace the analog system with a digital virtual matrix to give us the flexibility and scalability required for the new regulations and for future expansion.”

The existing analog system was replaced because it could only record 1fps, SIF resolution video for 3 days, considerably less than the new regulations require. The switching matrix also had little spare capacity and would have been very expensive to upgrade. Eurotunnel now has a surveillance system that can record 25fps at 4SIF for 31 days. In the future, cameras can easily be added at any point on the network, including the latest High-Definition (HD) IP cameras, which can be freely mixed with the existing standard resolution cameras. The hardware footprint has also been considerably reduced, freeing valuable space in the equipment room.

“One of the many reasons we chose IndigoVision was their flexible licensing and pricing model,” continued Pamart. “The company’s Security Management Software is free of charge for viewing camera feeds. We only pay for the channels we record based on the framerate and resolution. Eurotunnel only needs to record at 6fps/2SIF, thereby saving us money; however, should the regulations or our requirements change in the future we can increase this by simply changing the license.”

Operators located in multiple control rooms view live and recorded video using PC workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software. The wide distribution of the system allows these workstations to be located at any point on the network – a feature that Eurotunnel has used extensively. The various control rooms have combinations of standalone workstations with monitors and traditional video walls and are operated by the security and traffic management departments. With the correct permissions any operator can view any camera from any part of the system.

“The features and analysis tools offered by ‘Control Center’ are excellent,” added Pamart. “The user interface is very intuitive, which ensured the new system was quickly and easily adopted by the operators. ‘Control Center’ software also ensured that Eurotunnel surpassed the requirements of the new regulations, including a full operator audit trail and tamper-proof evidential video.”

Eurotunnel uses advanced analytics to aid their video analysis within ‘Control Center’. For example, analytics can be used to automatically detect vehicles moving in the opposite direction to the normal flow of traffic. These powerful functions allow operators to quickly identify relevant video clips following an incident.

It was very important for Eurotunnel’s IT department to manage a system that was easy to configure and maintain. Using a ‘Control Center’ workstation located in the maintenance office, the support team is instantly notified of a problem or fault with any component in the system. Video recording is achieved using IndigoVision’s standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs), which are rack mounted in the equipment room. Nineteen 1.5GB NVRs have been installed, together with an additional 3 that are used as backups.

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22 February 2010 - IndigoVision IP Video Transforms County Prosecutor’s Interview Recording

IndigoVision, the leading supplier of complete IP security solutions, has supplied an IP Video surveillance and recording system that has transformed the interview process of Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey.

The Prosecutor's Office currently has a staff in excess of 300 that includes assistant prosecutors, detectives, and clerical and support personnel. The investigative division of the office is supplemented by officers employed by the County Sheriff and the county's 12 municipalities. It is the second largest county prosecutor's office in the State of New Jersey.

The new IP Video system was installed by IndigoVision’s local approved partner ADT and replaced an analog/VCR system that was proving to be inadequate for the demanding application of recording law enforcement interviews. Officers could only view video from a small room adjacent to the interview room itself and longer interviews had to be interrupted to change tapes. IndigoVision’s distributed architecture now allows live and recorded video from any camera to be viewed from anywhere on the network. Redundant and fault tolerant Networked Video Recorders (NVRs) have replaced the unreliable VCRs and removed the need for tape changes. The ability for multiple users to view video over the network has also aided in the investigative process.

“Following an analysis of competing systems we chose IndigoVision’s solution because it delivered the highest quality video and the best audio and video synchronization,” explains Sergeant Gerald Dezenzo, Head of Computer Crimes. “It is vitally important when recording interviews that we have no delay between the audio and video, otherwise it could bring into question the validity of the interview.”

The County Prosecutor’s Office currently work’s out of three buildings and has 25-30 users that monitor live and recorded video from 20 cameras installed in 4 interview rooms, cells and public waiting areas. The Task Force building is home to the Homicide Unit, Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Narcotics Task Force, each of which has its own interview and monitoring room. In addition the SVU also conducts interviews in the Hudson County Child Advocacy Center which is approximately 2 miles away. All of the buildings are connected via a LAN and video from any camera can be viewed from each location.

Officers use PC workstations running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software (SMS), to view live and recorded video. ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware so workstations can be deployed anywhere on the network for no more than the cost of a PC. The Prosecutor’s Office has capitalized on this by installing workstations not only adjacent to the interview rooms but also on the desks of shift supervisors, Chief and Deputy Chief. Officers can use ‘Control Center’ workstations on their desks to view cameras in the cells and waiting areas, allowing them to monitor prisoners and ensure potential witnesses are not being influenced by other individuals.

“Having a fully redundant recording solution for video and audio was an important consideration when choosing the system,” added Dezenzo. “IndigoVision’s NVRs have been configured to automatically record an interview onto two separate recorders for each room, thereby ensuring no part of the interview is lost in the event of a NVR failure.”

Officers in the interview room can initiate recording via a simple key switch with a red light that indicates recording has started. Fully synchronized audio and video is then recorded onto a number of IndigoVision’s standalone, fault-tolerant, NVRs. The video and audio from a specific interview is mirrored onto two NVRs to ensure full redundancy. All the NVRs are located in proximity to the interview room on a network rack and a hot spare can be brought quickly online in the event of a failure. At the end of each day the video from each NVR is archived over the LAN onto a server located in the Prosecutor’s Office data center. Evidential quality video clips can be exported and played back in court using IndigoVision’s Incident File Player.

Investigators are also using an IndigoVision 9000 H.264 transmitter/receiver unit inside a covert camera enclosure for field surveillance. IndigoVision’s class leading compression technology allows 30fps video to be viewed and recorded remotely from this camera via the internet. The camera PTZ can also be controlled remotely from the main office.

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17 February 2010 - IndigoVision IP Video Revolutionizes Surveillance at Casino Resort

Chinook Winds Casino Resort, Oregon is an excellent example of how a gaming surveillance operation has been transformed following the installation of a digital IP Video solution. The surveillance revolution was achieved when an end-to-end integrated 500-camera system from IndigoVision was deployed to replace the ageing analog/VCR equipment. The system was installed by IndigoVision’s Approved Partner, Southwest Surveillance Systems – a system integrator specializing in the gaming sector.

For nearly four years the Casino evaluated various IP Video systems before finally finding the right solution with IndigoVision. During the process the Casino discovered that they had drawn, as Abe Martin, Head of Surveillance at the Casino, describes “a Royal Flush of project challenges; budget, space, power, cooling and load limits, all of which hindered our progress.”

“Although some were skeptical when we started looking for a digital solution that would fit our needs, IndigoVision met the challenge head on and exceeded expectations,” added Martin. “This can be seen through the reduction in the overall equipment footprint from 18 racks to only 4, which addressed many of the project challenges.”

Chinook Winds Casino Resort consists of a 24/7 casino, 227-room beach front hotel, fitness center, 18-hole golf course and 6 food outlets across the resort. As with all casinos, Chinook Winds creates one of the most demanding security environments that require the very best surveillance tools, not least to satisfy the local Gaming Commission.

IndigoVision is unique in offering a guarantee that delivers high-quality, full framerate video without dropping a frame, under any conditions. This is fundamental to ensure that any fraudulent activity is detected and customer disputes are quickly resolved – an area in which the Casino has seen significant improvement.

“Inconclusive reviews have dropped by nearly 50% since installing the new surveillance system, helping us to save money and improve our customer service,” continued Martin. “In addition we have realized labor saving efficiencies gained through eliminating tape changes, improving incident response and lower maintenance.”

The Casino’s security team uses ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software to view live and recorded video from all the cameras. The software provides the operators with a range of tools to quickly locate and analyze relevant video clips, which helps improve incident response. One of the most significant benefits is the increase in the number of live views that can be displayed compared to the original system. ‘Control Center’ is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware, allowing the software to be deployed for no more than the cost of a PC. This resulted in a 30% increase in the number of workstations used throughout the Casino.

By installing IndigoVision transmitter/receiver modules, the Casino maintained much of its investment in the original analog cameras. An additional 55 IndigoVision IP PTZ domes were also installed to increase coverage. The new system now allows the Casino to record continuously on all the cameras, which was not possible with the old setup. Recording is achieved with IndigoVision Network Video Recorder (NVR) servers, which are configured with failover redundancy. The Casino’s active retention period has more than doubled with the new archive storage.

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10 February 2010 - Police Emergency Calls Integrate with IndigoVision IP-CCTV to Improve Response in Malaysian Township

Cyberjaya has become the first Malaysian township to deploy a system that allows local police to remotely monitor the location of an incident, immediately after receiving an emergency call. This is achieved by interfacing IndigoVision’s IP Video solution with the Malaysian Emergency Response Service (MERS) 999 system, which is part of the overall integrated CCTV surveillance system commissioned by IndigoVision’s local approved Partner, GTC Global Sdn Bhd.

Speaking at the launch of the integrated system at Cyberjaya Police Station, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said, “The MERS 999 provides a uniform platform for handling emergency calls from the Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Health Ministry and Civil Defense Department. This allows better coordination between the agencies especially after police are able to use CCTV to check on the type and seriousness of the emergency and assess the assistance that is needed.”

The ability for the police to assess a situation immediately and provide a fast response deters criminals and allows the authorities to provide the correct assistance for victims following an incident. Being able to check on the scene of an emergency also means that the police can identify crank calls. This improves efficiency and ensures resources are directed to dealing with actual emergencies.

Using a fiber network designed by GTC Global Sdn Bhd, a total of 30 IndigoVision series 9000 IP PTZ vandal-proof domes were installed at various high traffic and populated areas around the town. Loudspeakers were also fitted alongside many of the cameras allowing control room operators to broadcast warning or help messages using an integrated intercom system.

In the central control room operators use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software to view live camera feeds and analyze recorded video. Evidential quality video clips can be exported as evidence for use in court. When an emergency call is received, its location is displayed on the main GIS Map. The operator then displays the nearest camera and remotely controls its PTZ movement to view the incident. IndigoVision’s class-leading compression technology means that high-quality H.264 video can be streamed around the network with minimum bandwidth requirement. This ensures minimum latency, allowing operators to smoothly control the PTZ domes from long distances. This was one of the main reasons IndigoVision was chosen for this project.

Video is recorded on an IndigoVision Windows Network Video Recorder (NVR), with Raid 5 storage, providing a 30 day archive. The amount of storage required compared to comparable systems is significantly lower due to the efficiency of the compression technology and to advanced features such as Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF), which is used in the IP domes. ACF is a unique feature that reduces the framerate at which video is transmitted from the camera during periods of scene inactivity. As soon as the camera detects motion, the video is automatically streamed at maximum framerate. This can considerably reduce the amount of recorded video, particularly during the night or at quieter locations.

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3 February 2010 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Has Instant Impact on Crime for Polish City

The Polish city of Pleszew has seen a dramatic drop in crime since upgrading its analog CCTV with a complete IP Video surveillance solution from IndigoVision. The new system now gives the local police extended coverage, excellent evidential quality video and the ability to improve their incident response.

Speaking to a regional newspaper on the installation of the new surveillance system, Pleszew City Council spokesman, Marcin Konieczny said, “The new system fully meets the Council’s high expectations and the crime rate has dropped significantly since the moment it was installed. The City Council is now planning to expand the system with additional cameras by the end of the year.”

The challenge for the Council was to increase the coverage of the City’s surveillance, while at the same time improve the video quality. This was not possible with the original analog system. The evidential quality video delivered by IndigoVision’s system has enabled the police to identify people involved in criminal activity and parking infringements and has shortened the prosecution process, saving the authorities time and money. The Police have also noticed a dramatic drop in acts of vandalism and graffiti in the monitored areas.

The equipment and technical support for the project was supplied by IndigoVision’s Authorized Partner, MIWI-URMET Sp. z o.o., who used local systems integrator ABM Alarm for the installation. Twelve cameras were installed across the city on a dedicated fiber network. The cameras were mainly external PTZ models, with 4 cameras being used from the original system. IndigoVision’s advanced video compression ensures that minimum bandwidth is required to stream high-quality video across the network. This also means that latency is very low, allowing the PTZ cameras to be smoothly operated - even when controlling the furthest cameras, which are located 3 miles from the Police Station control room.

Police Officers use a dual monitor workstation running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to monitor the cameras and to view and analyze recorded video, which is archived on an IndigoVision Windows-based Network Video Recorder (NVR). The NVR has 2TB of storage providing the Police with 30 days of recordings.

The analog cameras are connected to the network using IndigoVision’s transmitter/receiver modules, which also incorporate hardware inputs that can monitor external equipment. In an innovative use of this feature, local peripherals such as network devices and power supplies are monitored for failure, through the digital input at each camera. In the event of a failure an alarm is raised in ‘Control Center’ that automatically drives the nearest PTZ to a preset position to view the equipment. This allows operators to check that the failure is not being caused through vandalism.

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27 January 2010 - IndigoVision IP Video Used for Casino Wide Integrated Security Solution

IndigoVision’s complete IP-CCTV solution is at the heart of a ground-breaking integrated IP-security system at the Mohican North Star Casino in Wisconsin. As part of a major security upgrade, IndigoVision’s partner Reliable Security Services has designed and installed a casino-wide solution that integrates CCTV, access control, intrusion detection and panic alarms over an IP network. The casino is also planning to integrate its point-of-sale equipment into the security system.

At the heart of the system is IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ IP Video and Alarm Management software, where alarms are consolidated to provide the operators with a universal interface for all CCTV and security systems. Four ‘Control Center’ workstations, each with three monitors, are located in the central surveillance room. From these the operators can view live and recorded video from any camera and manage alarms generated from any of the systems.  The advanced video review features in ‘Control Center’ ensure that the right video clip can easily be found following an incident and that dispute resolution is fast and accurate, to the benefit of the casino and its customers.

The installation of a distributed network-based surveillance and security system provided the casino with two major benefits. Firstly it replaced an ageing VCR analog-based CCTV system that was expensive and slow to operate and secondly it gave the casino a platform for easy expansion in the future.

The tight and seamless integration between ‘Control Center’ and the other security systems allow powerful cause-and-effects to be programmed. For example, an intrusion alarm can automatically display the nearest camera, pan a camera to a pre-programmed position, display the location of the alarm on a map of the casino and bookmark the video. This allows the security team to quickly manage events and improves overall operator efficiency and incident response. 50 card readers, numerous door contacts, panic alarms and intrusion detection alarms are all connected through the MAXxess access control system. Using an IndigoVision integration module, alarms are then passed to ‘Control Center’ from the MAXxess system. The panic alarms and door contacts are connected to the access control system via an Inovonics encrypted wireless network.

“The quality of IndigoVision’s product and technology was demonstrated in an unusual way during the project,” said Bill Miller, President of Reliable Security Services. “Due to an aggressive construction schedule, we only had 48 hours to fully test and commission the 450 camera system before handover. Amazingly, we succeeded!”

A combination of 450 fixed and PTZ cameras are connected to IndigoVision transmitters, which convert the analog feed to DVD-quality, 4SIF, 30fps digital video for transmission over the IP network. This is achieved without any frames being dropped, whatever the level of motion and activity in the camera scene. This is a fundamental requirement of the local gaming board and casino operator. Any dropped frames within a video clip could hide fraudulent or criminal activity and make any customer disputes more difficult to resolve. This level of performance coupled with excellent video quality has made IndigoVision the market leader for complete digital CCTV solutions in the gaming sector, with 27 casinos worldwide having chosen IndigoVision.

“The flexibility of IndigoVision’s IP Video solution enabled the casino to remain fully operational during the upgrade,” added Miller. “The casino cannot afford surveillance downtime at any time, including the loss of video recording.”

A fully redundant recording solution has been deployed using IndigoVision’s Windows-based Network Video Recorder (NVR) software. Video is recorded directly from the network onto 9 primary NVR servers with a total of 260TB of DAS storage, giving the casino 7 days of continuous recording at full frame rate from all cameras. An additional NVR server with 10TB of storage is used as a failover. If a primary NVR server fails or is removed for maintenance, the failover NVR automatically starts recording the appropriate camera streams.

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19 January 2010 - Aberdeen Harbor Upgrades CCTV Recording Capability with IndigoVision IP Video

The UK’s largest port serving the North Sea oil and gas industry has upgraded its CCTV recording capability with a future-proof solution from IndigoVision. Aberdeen Harbor in Scotland has replaced its existing DVR equipment with Network Video Recorders (NVRs) to create a hybrid CCTV system that delivers leading-edge video recording and archive analysis tools. The hybrid approach allows the Harbor to maintain its existing analog CCTV infrastructure, whilst accessing the advanced image quality and capability that an IP Video solution provides. When deciding to upgrade its system, the Harbor recognized the importance of archiving high-quality evidential video and having a CCTV platform that could easily be expanded in the future.

Commenting on the success of the project, Ken Reilly, Engineering Director of Aberdeen Harbor said, “We are delighted with the new IndigoVision recording solution. The system is a huge improvement on the previous equipment and has greatly enhanced our CCTV capability at the Harbor.”

Aberdeen Harbor handles around 5 million tons of cargo a year and is the centre of activity for the offshore oil and gas industry's marine support operations in North-West Europe. This creates a complex security environment, with the need to monitor staff and public safety, manage traffic and shipping movements, protect assets, detect criminal activity and combat terrorism. Advanced search and analysis of recorded video is therefore an essential tool for the Harbor and law enforcement agencies.

“The approach we took to upgrading the video recording solution ensured that there was minimal disruption to the CCTV operation,” said Liam Mowat, Engineering Manager of Scottish Communications, IndigoVision’s approved Partner who designed and installed the upgrade. “There was also no re-training required as the front end CCTV control room remained unchanged. Adding a networked-based IP Video solution to the existing equipment has given the Port a simple migration path to a fully distributed IP-CCTV solution for the future.”

IndigoVision’s 8000 series MPEG-4 transmitter modules are used to convert the analog camera feeds to DVD-quality video for streaming onto the network. The NVRs, which together with the 8000 modules are rack mounted in the Harbor’s IT suite, record video directly from the network. The NVRs provide a 31-day archive, recording all cameras at 4CIF/25fps. IndigoVision’s advanced compression technology ensures both the network bandwidth and recorder storage are minimized. This is further reduced by the use of IndigoVision’s unique Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) feature that is built-in to the 8000 modules. ACF reduces the amount of video that is transmitted from a camera during periods of scene inactivity. As soon as motion is detected, the 8000 automatically starts streaming video at the maximum configured framerate.

Operators in the IT suite use a workstation running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to review and analyze recorded video. Evidential video clips can be exported for use by the police and other agencies. Should the Harbor wish to expand the system in the future any component, such as cameras, NVRs or workstations, can be installed at any point on the network, creating a truly distributed system. Many ports around the world have invested in IndigoVision’s complete integrated IP Video solution for wide-area surveillance. The flexibility and distributed nature of the system allows a number of different agencies to monitor their own operations within the port. IndigoVision’s low-bandwidth technology also means that wireless networks can easily be deployed, an important consideration when monitoring the huge areas covered by port operations.

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13 January 2010 - IndigoVision’s HD IP Video Keeps Jordanian Logistics Village Secure

An IndigoVision High-Definition (HD) IP Video solution has been deployed to protect the Aqaba Logistics Village (ALV), which is a tax-free hub located in Aqaba, Jordan, adjacent to the country’s only container port. Both IndigoVision’s HD and standard 4SIF resolution IP cameras have been installed to provide blanket CCTV coverage with the minimum number of cameras – one of the many advantages of deploying megapixel HD cameras.

Aqaba is an important gateway for Jordan and neighboring Iraq and the addition of a state-of-the-art surveillance system allows ALV to provide a high-security solution for its many international clients. In addition to monitoring the security of the site, ALV now has a video record of the logistics transactions, providing an audit trail in the event of a customer dispute. The system was designed and installed by IndigoVision’s approved local Partner, Megatech.

“We chose IndigoVision for its superior High-Definition image quality and its user-friendly alarm and audio management capabilities”, said Nezar Al-Bkower, ALV’s General Manager. “Other key criteria were the ease of integration with third party systems and ability to scale up for our future expansion.”

The truly distributed architecture of IndigoVision’s system was a key factor in being chosen for the project. It provides ALV with a scalable platform for their expansion plans and allows them to easily monitor the two existing 100,000 square foot warehouses and site perimeter, which form the first phase of the Village. Additional warehouses, office space and a weighbridge are planned for the future.

Another advantage of the high-resolution and high-quality video that is delivered from the HD IP cameras is that operators can digitally zoom in on critical areas during an investigation, while the whole field of view of the camera is still recorded. Unlike a traditional zoom on a PTZ, none of the camera scene is lost. In fact several different zoom views can be setup from the same feed, providing the operator with a powerful monitoring facility all from a single HD camera.

At the heart of IndigoVision’s distributed IP Video solution is ‘Control Center’, the company’s Security Management Software. ‘Control Center’ workstations allow the security team to monitor live and recorded video from any camera. It provides a suite of features that enable operators to quickly analyze video and to interactively manage alarms, both of which help improve incident response. As with any component in the system, ‘Control Center’ workstations can be located any point on the network, in ALV’s case workstations are situated in the main security room and on the desks of the General Manager and IT Manager.

The majority of the IP cameras are POE-compliant and are powered directly from the network, minimizing demands on the site’s power infrastructure and reducing installation costs. IndigoVision’s class-leading H.264 compression technology means that video from both HD and 4SIF IP cameras can be streamed across the network with minimum bandwidth requirement. This allowed ALV to deploy the surveillance system on their existing network, which shares resources with other IT functions.

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6 January 2010 - IndigoVision IP-CCTV Helps Cut Crime in Grand Canyon West Resort

An innovative wireless surveillance system is helping to cut crime and provide a safe and secure environment for visitors to the Grand Canyon West Resort, Arizona. IndigoVision’s complete end-to-end IP Video system has been deployed at multiple sites, providing an integrated surveillance solution across a wide area. Grand Canyon West is a popular tourist destination on the west side of the Canyon owned and operated by the Hualapai tribe. The resort includes Skywalk, which allows visitors to ‘Walk the Sky’ on a horseshoe shaped glass bridge that overhangs the Grand Canyon.

“From a single location we can now monitor several remote locations that have no connectivity,” explains Robert Bravo, the Resort Security Manager. “The IndigoVision system has helped us to reduce crime, monitor inventory, resolve disputes and improve our customer service. These have always been a challenge for us due to the nature and location of our business.”

Several sites, including Eagle Point (home of the Skywalk), Guano Point, a hotel, fuel depot and airport, are all centrally monitored from the airport terminal building. The facilities are located several miles apart and are completely standalone with no cabling or infrastructure between them. All the sites are powered by their own generators. Each local IP network is interconnected using the HughesNet® satellite broadband network. There is also a secondary link to Peach Springs, the Hualapai Nation’s capital, which is over 60 miles away from the resort. Each of the remote locations can also be monitored from Peach Springs.

Bill Miller, President of Reliable Security, IndigoVision’s approved system integrator that designed and installed the system said, “IndigoVision is the only solution we know of that can broadcast the high-quality images required by the resort, with the very low bandwidth required by the satellite network. The company’s excellent compression technology also ensures that latency is kept to a minimum, allowing smooth PTZ camera control over long distances.”

A mixture of 57 IndigoVision fixed and PTZ series 9000 IP cameras are installed across the resort and airport. The 9000 series uses H.264 compression to dual stream video across the network. Each camera outputs two streams, one with a lower bitrate for transmission over the satellite network, and one with higher resolution for recording on IndigoVision standalone Network Video Recorders (NVRs), located locally at each site.

“Our security team at the airport terminal and Peach Springs use ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software, to view live and recorded video from each camera,” continued Bravo. “The software is very powerful and easy to use and allows us to view feeds from multiple sites on a single monitor.”

Bandwidth and storage requirements are further reduced by the use of an innovative feature called ACF – Activity Controlled Framerate. ACF is built into IndigoVision’s IP camera and effectively makes the camera act like an alarm motion detector. When no motion is detected in the scene the video is transmitted at a very low framerate. When motion is detected, the video is automatically transmitted at the maximum framerate configured. The resort uses this feature extensively when the facilities are non-operational. The ACF feature is automatically switched on when the resort operation is closed. This is achieved through a schedule configured in ‘Control Center’.

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