In another example of technology convergence and dynamic ROSI (return on security investment) CCTV surveillance using IP Video technology is being made available to London’s schools via the London Grid for Learning’s (LGfL) existing IT network. The LGfL was established in June 2000 to provide capital-wide broadband internet services to London’s 33 Local Education Authorities (LEA). The network, supplied by Synetrix, went live in 2002 and now covers over 90% of schools in London. The IP Video technology will allow any participating school to be monitored 24-hours a day, via a central control room. On-site montitoring of the video, which will be stored on networked video recorders (NVR) will also be included in the system functionality.The systems include such features as virtual ‘trip wires’, which ignore passing cars outside a school. However, when a person crosses the ‘wire’ in to the school, an alarm is raised and that camera is monitored. An audio warning can be broadcast over the network to an intruder via on-site speakers using the high-quality audio available on every channel alongside the video. The analytics software runs at the camera, providing real time analysis of each scene. The system’s compression technology allows streaming of the digital video around the network at 12fps with minimal impact on the bandwidth. Each camera is connected to the IP network via 8000 transmitter/receiver modules, installed locally at the school. The 8000 units convert the analogue camera signal to MPEG-4 digital video for transmission over the network and recording on the NVRs.
How to select and use digital CCTV to create dynamic return on security investment is covered in the new Specifying Security Technology Course, 21 - 25 July 2008.
