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Phoenix installs Vivotek

Phoenix, Arizona, the USA’s sixth-largest city, has a total of 1097 intersections with traffic signals and growing. With 96 of these signalised intersections using closed circuit surveillance cameras installed to monitor traffic, Vivotek cameras account for 88 of the intersections with the completion of a project in October 2011.

The City of Phoenix selected electrical contractor AJP Electric to supply and install cameras for the project, as well as provide system integration services. After AJP Electric proposed the Vivotek SD8313E, it was evaluated and selected as best meeting the project’s requirements. This camera, according to AJP Electric’s project manager Michael Paganik, offered the best set of features at the target price point.

City solution

The SD8313E is a high-performance speed dome network camera designed for demanding outdoor surveillance applications. To cope with difficult high-contrast lighting and ensure clear footage 24-hours per day, the Vivotek camera incorporates Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) Pro technology, delivering image quality similar to that produced by the human eye under similar conditions. To enable the broadest possible field of view, the SD8313E offers continuous 360-degree pan and 90-degree tilt, while 36X zoom is available for close-ups on subjects of interest.

Due to Phoenix‘s harsh climate, one of the city’s most important requirements is that the camera be able to operate smoothly even under adverse environments. As it turns out, Vivotek SD8313E fits the bill. Not only is its IP66-rated weatherproof housing sealed to prevent water and dust ingress, but with its operating temperature range of –40°C to 55°C, the SD8313E can perform reliably during Phoenix’s famously torrid summers.

AJP Electric, the programmer/installer of this project, chose Luxriot, an open architecture video managing software (VMS), as the traffic monitoring platform. Luxriot accepts MJPEG, MPEG4 and H.264 as well as HD and megapixel video streams from network cameras, encoders and video capture boards. Luxriot was compatible with Vivotek cameras and very user friendly. According to AJP, Vivotek and Luxriot were very cost-effective and met the customer‘s demands. Both parties provided excellent customer services and worked diligently on the firmware in Luxriot for Vivotek SD8313.

Customer feedback

Both AJP Electric and the City of Phoenix would highly recommend Vivotek cameras. “We have had great success with this project and greatly appreciate the customer service that Vivotek has offered,” said Paganik. “The shipment was quick and arrived sooner than expected. The support provided by our contacts at Vivotek USA throughout the project was great. We were extremely pleased with the solutions that were engineered, which met our needs very well.”

Vivotek engineers also worked closely with AJP Electric and the City of Phoenix to quickly implement new firmware modifications requested by the city. “This level of service was greatly appreciated,” reports Paganik. After the firmware was finalised and the aforementioned field testing completed, the SD8318E was approved for use by the city.

Paganik reports that the Vivotek SD8313E has performed exceptionally well, reliably delivering remarkably clear video footage of traffic at 88 of Phoenix‘s busiest intersections around the clock. Furthermore, the city is looking to install additional Vivotek cameras at other intersections. Besides the excellent results of the initial project, a key reason for the city’s enthusiasm for Vivotek is service, says Paganik: “The support provided by our contacts at Vivotek USA throughout the project was great. We were extremely pleased with the solutions that were engineered, which met our needs very well.”

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