printer friendly version

Surveillance protects $2 million assets

With a history dating back to the 1850s, the Sioux City Public Museum has evolved from its original focus on natural science to a broader emphasis on preserving the area’s heritage, offering a variety of educational programmes, events, and historical exhibitions valued at more than $2 million. Having outgrown its former location in a prominent Victorian-era mansion, the Museum moved to a new downtown site in April 2011 – a modern, open-concept building that has become known as one of the premier cultural destinations in Siouxland and beyond. With more than 5000 visitors each month, the Sioux City Public Museum has made public safety and asset protection top priorities. Chosen for its advanced management features, ease-of-use, and exceptional image clarity, the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system has played a key role in helping the Museum meet its security goals.

“Because of the size of the building, as well as its location in an area known for attracting a transient crowd, we wanted an advanced, high-definition surveillance system to monitor people coming and going from our facility around the clock,” explained Steven Hansen, museum director at the Sioux City Public Museum. “We use the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to deter criminal behaviour and to safeguard our valuable artefacts.”

Based on research and a strong recommendation from the City of Sioux City facilities manager, Hansen chose to work with Electric Innovations, a local provider of surveillance system design, installation, and service who installed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to monitor the entrances, permanent exhibition area, temporary exhibition area and loading dock.

Using Avigilon Control Centre

Staff at the Sioux City Public Museum manage the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Centre network video management software (NVMS), monitoring the system live throughout the day from their desktop computers.

A permanent monitor at the main reception observes visitors as they enter and exit the permanent exhibit space. The Museum installed 15 Avigilon HD 1 MP and 2 MP cameras in the main exhibit areas, hallways, key entry points, and the loading dock.

The surveillance system has played a critical role in helping the Museum ensure public safety and protect its valuable artefacts from damage and theft. The system delivers a lower total cost of ownership because it provides greater image quality and reliability, and requires less maintenance. The Museum has also been able to reduce insurance premiums, more effectively protect itself against false liability claims, and meet the security requirements set by travelling exhibits, attracting new audiences with the latest collections.

The Museum administration has noticed a marked reduction in trespassing activity since deploying the surveillance system.

A thousand percent better than analogue

Without a permanent security staff, the Museum’s administrators are responsible for the facility’s security in addition to all other operational responsibilities, so ease-of-use was a key requirement for the new system. “The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system is very simple to use, providing each of us with a variety of camera views right from our desktop, making it much easier and less time-consuming to monitor throughout the day,” said Deanna Mayo, administrative assistant at the Sioux City Public Museum. “Because each user can select relevant camera views from their own desktop, we can ensure broader coverage of the Museum at all times. While our needs are pretty basic, we can quickly and easily identify people and events because of Avigilon’s simple and intuitive user interface.”

Avigilon Control Centre provides full control over surveillance video playback, making it easy for users to quickly retrieve evidence and speed up response times. “The software is 1000% more effective than our previous analogue-based system,” added Hansen.

A successful deterrent

Hansen and Mayo have also been very impressed with Avigilon’s image quality, which makes it much easier to identify events with greater accuracy than before. “I recently spoke with the captain of the police force who is very pleased that we have invested in the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system,” noted Hansen. “We are located in an area that has caused concern for the police, and we have noticed a marked reduction in trespassing since deploying the surveillance system.”

The surveillance system has played a critical role in helping the Museum ensure public safety and protect its assets worth more than $2 million. “I am confident that the surveillance system will deliver a lower total cost of ownership than other solutions because it offers greater image quality and reliability, requires less maintenance, and will free up our time for other important tasks,” explained Hansen. By installing such an advanced surveillance system, Sioux City Public Museum will also be able to reduce its insurance costs and can more effectively protect itself against the threat of false liability claims. “Most travelling exhibits stipulate strict security guidelines before they can be displayed in a new location, commented Mayo.

With the knowledge that activity is being accurately captured around the clock by the surveillance system, Sioux City Public Museum administrators and patrons alike can enjoy a greater sense of security as they experience the region’s past at this leading cultural institution. “Avigilon has delivered the quality, reliability, and ease of use we need to help us deliver a safe, enjoyable, and educational experience,” concluded Hansen. “We have invested in the best quality and most reliable products in the industry.”

Share this article:

Further reading: