There is a variety of different CCTV systems that have been installed in stadia, parking areas, shopping malls and general public areas and it is surprising to find the number of these systems in which the playback quality is insufficient to identify a clear picture. What is the point of having a system if you cannot identify the culprits? The starting point of any successful security device is the quality of image being captured.
As we have seen with the recent London bombings, when we have a quality clear image we can identify the likely perpetrator. Action can then be taken using this quality information to track down and arrest the suspected person or group.
Key to this is acquiring the image at such resolution that it allows for a clear picture to be produced. It was found in London that of the more than 6000 hours captured on the bus mobile systems less than 1000 were of any use; but from these we saw the resultant single image identifying the alleged bomber. The reason for this lack of clarity of image is that only a certain amount of data can travel along a set sized pipe; this means that the higher the resolution of the picture (the better the quality the larger the likely frame size) the slower the frame rate and vice versa, the faster the frame rate the smaller the likely frame size, ie, the worse the resolution. Often people push for higher frame rates with the resultant loss of quality at a set limited price.
SentryScope offers a solution; a new generation of camera and software combination that captures a high-resolution image at 21 million pixels per frame. This is an ultra high-resolution camera which gives a 90° field of view out to distances of 500 m or more, enabling a live or recorded view of extremely high quality. Such is the clarity of the camera that one can zoom into full facial or full number plate identification - ideal for use in stadia, car parks, toll roads, airports, warehouses, public transport depots, town centres etc.
The camera uses mirrors and linescan technology to provide a clear definitive image. The camera is approximately 50 cm x 30 cm x 45 cm in size and weighs in at 12,5 kg. Using Cat5e for connectivity allows the location of each camera at up to 1 km distance from the server unit. The cameras have been integrated with RF technology to provide wireless connectivity for the more difficult sites where cabling is not an option.
Legendary soccer stadia such as West Ham, Feyenoord, Ajax and Basel have all made use of this camera with great success for crowd control and for capturing key incidents. One SentryScope camera is able to capture the complete extent of a terraced stand, zooming in at any one point while the whole original view is still being captured. Hard to believe, but until you have seen this incredible piece of technology you can only then see how this camera gives you the big picture and at the same time allowing you to zoom into absolute detail of the image. However, when you consider 21 million pixels per image from SentryScope, compared to a digital camera, which usually has 3,2 million pixels, it is not too difficult to comprehend this quality of image.
All SentryScope cameras can be remotely monitored and configured by SentryManager. This SentryManager software enables up to three cameras simultaneously to be monitored on a single screen. A simple mouse click changes the display to another set of three with virtually no limit to the number of cameras that can be viewed. The archive footage can be searched by motion, and if the image potential needs to be maximised, there is an audited trail of this image enhancement. If one already has CCTV and IP cameras going through to a central server, one can enhance this with a SentryScope which will give a 90° field of view (and we are presently working on expanding this to 180°).
At Amsterdam airport, SentryScope captures the main passenger and public transport drop off point through this one camera. The cars that are illegally bypassing the parking area pay point are easily identified by make, model and registration number. Likewise the complete departures drop off is covered allowing full backup confirmation to the normal CCTV cameras located there.
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