FEATURE PARKING TECHNOLOGY
imperative to improve the safety of its customers. BCC gave ATEC Security the task of installing and integrating security monitoring systems in three of the city’s main car parks. Now with fully integrated and robust security systems beaming images to the Lancaster Circus control room in the heart of Birmingham, the car parks are monitored and recorded 24/7. Previously having no
surveillance other than manned patrols, Moat Lane, Pershore Street and Livery Street car parks were identified by BCC as being in need of security upgrades. BCC approached integration specialists ATEC to install a robust, high-quality CCTV infrastructure, including help points, all to be linked to the BCC CCTV control room in Lancaster Circus. ATEC’s first major task was to install a brand new cable containment infrastructure throughout each car park. High bandwidth wireless Ethernet links (108Mbps) were then installed to connect the Moat Lane and Pershore Street sites together, and a further 150Mbps link connects Moat Lane to Lancaster Circus. Separate wireless links were installed for the Livery Street car park using the same principles and equipment. High-quality real-time (25 frames per second) images are transmitted to the Lancaster Circus
31 days. Tis is achieved using ATEC’s cost-effective, high capacity RAID storage servers, which come with full ‘lights-out’ remote management. Rated up to 50⁰C, they don’t require an air-conditioned environment for reliable operation. Te servers also support a full evidence seizure for major incidents. ATEC also installed help points
into every entrance and exit of each car park. If a help point is activated, the best-placed CCTV unit will automatically locate and focus on the area, recording the activation. All help point intercom communications are also recorded with equipment from Complus Teltronic. ATEC provided live monitoring and review
facilities at Lancaster Circus using IndigoVision’s Control Center software. Te wireless
network supports the review of images from multiple cameras and car parks simultaneously, as well as the downloading of evidential quality footage. ATEC produced
Big Brother or benevolent uncle? CCTV can provide safety for customers as well as identify parking malpractice
detailed maps of the car parks, enabling operators to navigate between cameras efficiently. Te security specialist is also pleased with the way
blue screen technology has been deployed in the Birmingham car parks. Tis equipment uses video analytics to detect motion. Simon Adcock, managing director at ATEC
Customers can access information on a car park’s precise location, opening hours, tariff and facilities at the touch of the button
control room where BCC’s experienced CCTV operators monitor them live. ATEC installed about 90 high-resolution CCTV
cameras to the three car parks, ranging from static vandal-resistant units in stairwells to fully functional dome cameras to monitor the parking decks. Analogue cameras were used for their superior performance in low light and/or high contrast. Tese are connected to rack-mounted IndigoVision IP transmitters, which encode the images into IP streams for transmission and recording.
Easy maintenance Te images are recorded in secure locations in the car parks at 6.25 images per second and retained for
34 AUGUST 2010
Security, believes this is a particularly innovative use of CCTV. ‘Multi-storey car parks are generally quiet places,’ explained Adcock. But he said that when there is activity, ATEC Security’s cameras can detect motion and only need to alert a CCTV operative when necessary. Tis approach saves wasting a CCTV operative’s time. Tis can be done using blue screen monitoring.
Tis technology works by dividing the cameras into 16 segments. Te top layer of the screen presents information only when there is motion. Adcock said that his firm did not want to appear
‘too Big Brother’, but he believes that it is worth recording and looking for patterns of behaviour. Suspicious ones can then be investigated. Te greater use of clever, closed-circuit television
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Osborne is a freelance industrial journalist. Email: johnosbornejournalist@
btconnect.com
cameras is likely to make car parks safer. Tis is necessary if operators are to succeed in attracting drivers of the more expensive models, where most telematics equipment is currently being fitted. Frost and Sullivan is embarking on a study of
telematics and parking. Tis may uncover other opportunities to help maximise parking revenues.
www.britishparking.co.uk
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