One of the UK’s largest video surveillance projects in recent years involving the deployment of 845 Wisenet cameras manufactured by Hanwha Techwin, is nearing completion.
The video surveillance system, which is designed to play an important role in helping ensure the safe and reliable delivery of public transport across the West Midlands, is being used to monitor activity at over 50 railway stations, 11 bus stations, 3 Midland Metro park and ride sites, as well as the main Number 11 bus route around the City of Birmingham.
The project which is targeted for completion in July 2018 has so far seen approximately 845 Wisenet cameras installed by Total Integrated Solutions (TIS) on behalf of Transport for West Midlands which was set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to co-ordinate investment needed to improve the region’s transport infrastructure. The remaining work includes the deployment of Wisenet high definition IP cameras at a number of car parks, together with camera upgrades in Walsall and Solihull, two of four Local Authority public space CCTV systems already monitored by WMCA.
Live and recorded images from all the cameras are being monitored at a £1.2M control room located in central Birmingham.
“Our approach to this very large, complex project was not simply one of agreeing to meet exacting KPI’s from a performance perspective,” said Eamonn Murphy, Coleshill based TIS’s key account manager. “We felt the route to success would be to adopt a more partnership type approach, where we were not only the provider of technical solutions but were also involved at a strategic level in identifying with Transport for West Midlands a pathway of system upgrade, improved efficiency, cost reduction, innovation and utilising latest technology such as video analytics to the best advantage.”
Hanwha Techwin’s working relationship with technology partner Veracity meant there was seamless integration between Wisenet cameras and the Veracity Coldstore ‘direct to storage’ solution. This negated the need for Network Video Recorders (NVRs) and thereby reduced capital costs, as well as minimising setup and maintenance requirements.
A large percentage of the cameras installed are Wisenet SNP-6320H 2 Megapixel Full HD network PTZ dome cameras with 32 x zoom capability enabling operators to observe the close-up detail of any activity. Other Wisenet cameras deployed as part of the project include the SNV-6084R vandal-resistant IR dome and the SNB-6004 fixed camera, both of which are able to capture Full HD 2 Megapixel images.
