ALPHA TECHNOLOGY: Much more then a video security system.

With the creation of the IMO’s International Ship & Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, along with the US codification of the Code, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA), it became mandatory that all seaports and ship engaged in international trade undergo a threat and vulnerability assessment and a follow-on security plan.

The ISPS Code contains a set of maritime and port security regulations applicable to vessels used for international voyages, covering passenger ships, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnages and above, mobile offshore drilling units, and port facilities serving such ships.

 

 

Many seaports and shipping companies are now evaluating the possibility to rely upon Digital Video Security to perform these services in complete compliance with international and national regulatory requirements.

 

The Maritimes Port Authorities of Singapore are now applying this ISPS code and have decided to deploy a Digital Video Security Solution based on Fast Video Security ALPHA TECHNOLOGY concept. This concept provides a solution perfectly suitable for projects requiring:

 

·          Network-ability: The technology allows the possibility to stream over TCP/IP networks video image and audio information with very high speed and quality.

·          Decentralized architecture particularly adapted to large projects or large areas.

·          Stand alone architecture adapted for small to middle size projects.

·          Very flexible and scalable configuration, allowing to mix together digital audio and video single or multiple (up to 8 channels) encoders and decoders, with powerful digital video recorders (up to 32 channels full resolution and full frame rate), digital video server of recording (up to 96 channels) with Viewing (live and replay) Stations and to run up to 5 simultaneous operations (PENTAPLEX: record, view, playback, export and PTZ control).

·          Excellent video image quality (based on MPEG2 and MPEG4 video compression standards), allowing the possibility to stream over network with a very low bandwidth and display ‘live” in control rooms by using MPEG4, and to record with an excellent image quality (full resolution and full frame rate per video camera) by using MPEG2 (don’t forget that the recorded video is the one you will have to re-play and analyze in case of incident !! the MPEG2 video still offers the best image quality actually available on the market !!

·          Excellent audio communication quality (stereo) possibility for public information or audio communication between sites, - Customization of the graphic interface, thanks to the

·          Software Development Kit, allowing a complete integration and communication of the video management system and third part equipments.

·          Integration of intelligent software able to provide information directly extracted from the images (crowd density, unattended object detection, smoke detection, and car and truck plate number reading…) while always monitoring the video integrity (thanks to the “Video Input Protection” features).

·          Guarantee of the image integrity certified by an international video laboratory (KALAGATE) allowing the use of recorded video as evidence in front of the British and European court of laws.

 

A port video security system must be able to manage simultaneously large quantities of audio and video information, even on a wide area (with possibility of multiple control rooms) and must offer hardware and software solutions perfectly adapted to an environment requiring very high image quality, real time transmission, and able to provide specific video features. In a port environment, it is necessary to be able to monitor with efficiency days and nights large merchandise or cruise ships, quays, hangars, loading un-loading equipment stations, container stock, passenger terminals …

 

Considering the wide size of a port area it is fundamental to select a technology offering full network-ability allowing open ended video systems at reasonable cost and offering the possibility to share the infrastructure with other centralized network-able systems: Access control, Telephony, Data transmission… and then drastically reduce the installation cost. Further more, the network architecture will allow the video or data information exchange with other security systems (Access control, Fire detection, Security Management…) and offer the possibility to multiply the remote monitoring stations (police, customs, immigration, fire, production..).

 

 

Today, telecommunication features allowing the exchange of information with other security equipment are fundamental in a professional video management system. Mainly done through the network, the information exchange is generally possible through the use of a “Software Development Kit” tool. Such a tool enables the development and integration of communication procedures with external equipment and offers the possibility to develop a customized graphical interface

 

Professional video security systems must as well offer the possibility to integrate third part software providing dedicated image analyze features. Today a video security system must offer much more than only video streaming and storage capabilities, it must be able to integrate “intelligent software” and manage information directly extracted from a video image. In fact the software is able to detect and treat very specific information of one or several image parts. The result of the image analysis will generate a digital signal (true or false) which after logical treatment, might generate an alarm.

 

 

For example: An area is monitored with a video camera including an image software for “smoke detection” is analyzing the image from the monitored area and will detect automatically any smoke inside this area. More and more image analysis software is available on the market:

 

Video Image protection (camera occlusion, blur effect, camera skewing,..) object detection, object (people, boats..) counting, object tracking, number plate recognition (boat registration number), smoke detection, container number reading …).

 

So called “plug in” image analyze software are mainly available for systems based on standardized video technology (MPEG2, MPEG4) offering easy system integration. These interesting features are only useful if used with excellent image quality since otherwise the false alarm rate will defeat the purpose of the system. Consequently, the most important feature of a video security system remains the digitized image

 

Alpha Technology offers many interesting key features for a port video security system and is one of the most reliable and user-friendly Video Security System currently available on the market

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Benedikt Schwartz

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Benedikt Schwartz,
Director Sales & Marketing, FAST Video Security AG

FAST Video Security AG
Benedikt Schwartz, Director Sales & Marketing and Member of the Board, in charge of global sales strategy and operational sales in America and the Asia Pacifics. Benedikt previously worked in several senior management positions of international companies in the IT and machinery industry. He graduated as a mechanical engineer and holds both an M.Sc. from the EPF/ETH in Zürich and an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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