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Euroma2 selects Honeywell

Shopping centre Euroma2 selects Honeywell digital video surveillance with Fusion digital video recorder.

Euroma2, the biggest shopping centre in Europe, was opened to the public on 23 June 2008. Situated in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Rome called Castellaccio, it has five floors, two of which are underground parking. The interior architecture has many domes and columns which imitate historical monuments and are made of marble, stucco and gold finished materials. The mall comprises clothes shops, electronic, sports, beauty and jewellery stores as well as other services such as dry cleaning and hair and beauty salons.

In 2007, SCCI launched the project tender and asked various security installers to design a complete security system for the centre. The property owners had a key requirement – a digital platform with the very latest technology based on a sole brand that could provide an integrated security system including video, access and intrusion detection.

Shopping centres are regarded as high-risk security environments due to the size of the sites, the vast crowds, the numerous entrances and exits, and the fact that there are many retail outlets within them. An effective digital video management system is essential to ensure that the site, including all its different areas such as restaurants, retail outlets and visitors, are kept safe and secure. All the entrances and exits of the parking areas are also monitored. In this way, the security guards in charge of surveillance can monitor all the areas where cars transit without additional cost or inefficient use of the security guards.

The solution

The centre has installed more than 280 interior and exterior cameras and implemented innovative video solutions in terms of technology and resolution. It has selected the following Honeywell cameras – PTZ ACUIX with Day/Night technology and Wide Dynamic Range, rugged domes to prevent exterior vandalism and vandal-proof mini-domes for interior applications with a discrete design to match the interior decoration and style of the shopping centre. The cameras are linked by an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) to 16 channel Fusion III digital video recorders (DVRs), 20 of which have been installed in different technical rooms. The technical rooms and the control room are connected via a 1 Gbps Ethernet network over optical fibre. In the control room there are two PC work stations which enable the technicians to visualise, reproduce or save any video source from the system by means of the Honeywell Fusion Video Management System (HFVMS) software. There is also an access control system to manage access to the entrances of the shopping centre as well as two Galaxy intruder panels.

Unfortunately, there is a relatively high incidence of theft and attempted theft due to the crowds that flock to the shopping centre, especially at weekends. The shopping centre security team relies heavily on the video systems to capture incidents and the video footage also helps trace and manage anti-social behaviour. It is also extremely important to monitor all the exterior and parking areas to prevent suspicious or delinquent behaviour.

At the initial design stages of the CCTV security system, the installer, Vailati and Honeywell had to consider whether to continue along the path of analogue systems that require the installation of a video matrix and the centralisation of all the video signals to the control room. Or, alternatively, to opt for a digital solution which would allow a decentralised installation of the equipment by means of a simple and scalable Ethernet TCP/IP network. The digital solution was adopted enabling Euroma2 to connect new IP cameras to the system. In this way the security system is always up to date and aligned with the latest technology.

The Honeywell Fusion DVR Series was chosen because it offers more than a traditional analogue DVR. It is a hybrid digital recording system that bridges the gap between digital video recorders and network video recorders. The Honeywell digital DVR Fusion III system includes a software platform that can share and process video signals for other Honeywell solutions such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and intelligent video analytics that analyses and tracks people, objects and vehicles.

The benefits

Since the Honeywell Fusion DVRs have been installed, Euroma2 has reported savings in time and resources. The security operators are now able to instantly review a recording of an incident and high resolution images can be produced. This can help security staff to locate and apprehend a suspected thief or vandal.

The RAID storage units allow the team to store more footage over a longer period of time. The information is more easily accessible than using VHS tapes. Ultimately this helps police and the legal process if charges are pressed. Overall, the operation has become more effective and efficient.

“We are very satisfied with the new Honeywell Fusion III DVR,” said Attilio de Micheli, security manager, Euroma2. “We are much better equipped to handle video incidents. The management of the shopping centre security systems is a lot easier and efficient. The new Fusion III DVR system has enabled us to act more quickly to deal with incidents of theft, vandalism or anti-social behaviour.”

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