Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/229956
INNOVATION AWARD WINNER: BRONZE Early successes earn high praise Although still new, the system has already proved an effective management tool. It provides a broad view of the entire Statue of Liberty National Park operation that enables real-time decision making. Below are examples of use cases: Ferry traffic and cross-management. The Park's main dock was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and is still not fully operational. When reopening on the Fourth of July weekend, Park staff faced crowding problems as the temporary dock was unable to support all of the two-way traffic of people entering and exiting Liberty Island. Ferries were backed up two and three deep, waiting to offload passengers. Using the Milestone XProtect VMS to view the situation over 30 live cameras displayed on the massive video wall powered by RGB Spectrum, Park staff determined that another temporary dock on the opposite side of the island was underutilized and decided on the spot to reroute traffic and alleviate congestion on the main dock. Incident investigation (evidence retrieval). To investigate a recent incident in which a ferry crashed into a work dock, BriefCam software embedded in the XProtect VMS was used to review hours of video footage in a matter of minutes and locate the relevant data quickly. NPS staff was able to simultaneously locate the incident captured on multiple cameras, view all angles on different monitors and see the incident unfold from different viewpoints – all at the same time in playback. Park investigators were then able to examine the ferry's propulsion, identify the moment that water washed out from the center of the boat and reach a hypothesis as to when exactly the boat lost power and got into trouble. This data became part of the USCG investigation in order to help determine contributing factors to the ferry crash. Accident damage (time unknown). In another case, a truck was damaged by a piece of heavy equipment. The location of the incident was known but not the time at which it occurred – a period of several days. Using BriefCam's Area of Interest/Exclusion function, Park investigators were able to hone in on all activity occurring in the one specific area and quickly pinpoint the exact time of the accident. Once discovered, the original video was accessed and bookmarked in Milestone XProtect VMS for further investigation. Missing person. A woman notified Park staff that she had not seen her husband in over two hours. The command center reviewed video and located a man fitting the description pacing back and forth. XProtect's synchronized playback feature for multiple cameras was used to track the man as he moved from IP camera to IP camera – something that would have been impossible with the previous analog system. NPS personnel was able to discover that he had boarded the wrong boat and left the island. The couple was happily reunited. Unscheduled visitors/interlopers. Liberty Island is subject to unauthorized nighttime visits by private vessels entering the security zone. Scallop Imaging low-light cameras coupled with motion detection software within the Milestone XProtect VMS sent an alert to the staff about a particular zone. With the combination of Axis and Scallop Imaging cameras, we were able to pinpoint the location of an unauthorized vessel and take action as needed. 30 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • November/December 2013 panoramic view monitoring the island's perimeter. Like a team on the front lines, the Scallop cameras work in tandem with a low light, megapixel, controllable Axis PTZ camera to zoom in on details when necessary. Although the system only went live shortly before Independence Day, the NPS has already seen a marked difference in image quality. With the new cameras and a mix of fiber and wireless connections, the NPS and U.S. Park Police can cover areas with video surveillance that could not be reached before, such as the critical security screening facilities. System integration streamlines security operations In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, it was decided to move the central command center to a remote location well above f lood elevation. The new intelligent and ultra-modern command center was built to support the new technology and was designed with the flexibility to scale up and double in size to accommodate outside agencies in cases of a multi-agency operation. The streamlined command center features ergonomically designed consoles by Winsted Corporation that allow operators to be as efficient and comfortable as possible in a high-stress environment. To further improve the viewing experience, a massive video wall powered by RGB Spectrum's MediaWall 2900 display processor was installed to accommodate multi-camera viewing. One of the key benefits of the new IP-based system has been the seamless integration of the many technologies. While there are a lot of capabilities, everything runs off Milestone's single integrated platform XProtect corporate video management software (VMS). Chosen for its flexibility and scalability, Milestone XProtect can grow consistently with the needs of the Park Service and its partners. www.SecurityInfoWatch.com