printer friendly version

Pulling it all together

A plethora of video surveillance products is currently flooding the South African security market. Added to this are access control systems, fire control systems, perimeter detection systems and many other security systems.

A plethora of video surveillance products is currently flooding the South African security market. Added to this are access control systems, fire control systems, perimeter detection systems and many other security systems.

The market is desperately looking for a security solution that will bring together all the security information systems into a single system, capable of producing well-presented information sets upon which security personnel can act and manage incidents. In addition, the need to offer security personnel a unified front end, capable of seeing and controlling all their systems from a single screen, is long overdue. Protoclea Advanced Image Engineering's Argus offers a full integration platform, allowing digital video recorders (DVRs), access control, perimeter alarm systems, fire systems and many others to be integrated into a single security solution. Within limits, Argus can integrate the different matrix switches and DVRs of various manufacturers into a security information system of great benefit to security managers.

The front end of the system has been meticulously planned to present the security operator with what he needs most: visual images of the unfolding events, location maps showing actual location as well as direct command and control capability over the situation. Actual hardware and connections are hidden from the operator so that a single system is seen, irrespective of whether there are eight or 800 cameras in the system.

Naturally, multiple workstations can be connected to ensure sufficient human effort per event or events. This distributed facility also allows users to be spatially distributed.

Event management

The script-based event handling capability of Argus allows the designer to set up any course of action following an event. Therefore an event such as a fire in a bank immediately brings up the building layout to the in-house operator, showing visual images of the fire, the exit routes, the location of emergency support in the building and other critical information. At the same time it will support the security manager in a pre-programmed manner and present guidance text on how to deal with the situation. Information can also be sent to the access control system to unlock certain access points.

Simultaneously, an alarm in a central control room in the vicinity will also show the fire but this operator will be presented with street maps, location of fire stations and hospitals to hasten and streamline external support to the emergency. Such support could even include tracking the physical location of response personnel such as police, ambulance or fire and the location of their vehicles.

In a shopping centre, proper programming can integrate building functions such as escalator or elevator problems with the surveillance system, giving operators information about the people who entered the lift and are now stuck. More importantly, the system can be configured to detect whether such events are distractions for other serious security breaches elsewhere.

Incident management

Many applications require realtime incident management. The Argus system offers an integrated scenario display tool that places the incident manager within his incident. Multiple views of relevant cameras are presented in variable sizes, indicating importance. Direct visuals of terrain together with the position of support services allow the manager to make accurate assessments and, therefore, better decisions. The Command and Control feature allows the manager to be in touch with on-the-ground personnel, both with voice communications, or through the transmission of visual images.

Full control over cameras for spot viewing also assists in this task and direct retrieval of recorded material allows the incident manager to review information as the incident unfolds. All of the activity can be recorded in the form of both the video and audio material.

Quality control

In addition to the incident management tools that Argus offers, there is also a full suite of quality control auditing tools of operator actions to ensure high standards of operation. These can be used to monitor performance and, more importantly, to streamline procedures and training.

Applications

There are wide-ranging applications for this technology but the most obvious include: shopping centres, control rooms (both joint and specific), street surveillance, airports, railway stations and other public facilities as well as distributed systems.

Share this article:

Further reading: