Cisco and Thales Target Global Security and Defense Market

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Cisco Systems | Updated: 7/26/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

Cisco and Thales, a global technology leader with a unique capability to provide equipment, systems solutions and services that meet the most complex security requirements for defense and security, aerospace and transportation markets, today announced a new partnership to address the global defense and security market.

The new agreement will combine Thales' global industry expertise with Cisco networking and communications innovations, expand the collaboration globally and accelerate joint go-to-market activities and solution development. The expanded collaboration is built on a long-standing relationship between the two companies in the European market.

The Cisco-Thales collaboration will encompass a number of strategic initiatives, including:
- Development of Thales solutions based on a range of Cisco technologies
- Jointly addressing key defense and security market opportunities such as mobile routing or broadband evolution of radio networks
- Joint go-to-market activities, closely coordinated at both global and country level

Highlights:
- Cisco will provide Thales with an extensive range of standard networking equipment and infrastructure, complemented by industry leading networking design and engineering expertise from Cisco Services.
- Cisco will also utilize its rigorous sales and technology training programs, such as Cisco Sales Expert and Cisco Vertical Solutions Architect, to enable Thales global sales and engineering teams.
- Thales will become a Cisco Global Specialty Integrator, allowing Thales to embed Cisco technologies into its own systems and solutions in all geographies, where a strong resilience and high quality of networking services is required.
- The designation will also enable Thales to partner directly with Cisco globally and resell select networking technology and collaborate in the development of new solutions.

Bosch Integrates MIC Series With MG Squared Lowering System

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 7/24/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Bosch Security Systems has announced the successful integration of its MIC Series 550 high-speed pan-tilt-zoom cameras with MG Squared's Lowering System – a device used frequently in intelligent transportation system and secure perimeter installations. The combination makes it even easier and safer to install and maintain pole-mounted MIC Series 550 cameras in these settings.

“With their rugged design, MIC Series 550 cameras are rapidly gaining popularity for monitoring roadways around the world,” said Willem Ryan, senior product marketing manager, Bosch Security Systems. “MG Squared's advanced technology provides customers with the ability to mount our equipment at the best heights and locations for their traffic surveillance requirements while providing easier and safer access to the cameras for any future maintenance needs.”

MIC Series cameras provide 550 TVL resolution with 36x or 28x optical zoom for sharp images even at great distances. The flat window with a long-life silicone wiper and optional washer system enables customers to capture images that are free from distortion in dry and wet conditions.

Built to survive harsh environments, MIC Series cameras feature an IP 68/NEMA 6P-rated housing to ensure complete protection against dust and water ingress without the need for pressurization. And, for reliable operation in tough roadway applications, the cameras can withstand 130 mile (209 kilometer) per hour sustained winds and gusts up to 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour, as well as shock and vibration up to 20g and 2.0g respectively.

With a Lowering System from MG Squared, MIC Series camera installation and maintenance can be performed on the ground by one technician, eliminating the need for bucket trucks, cone crews or lane closures. This provides tremendous cost savings as well as a more efficient and safer work process. It also frees design engineers from previous limitations on mounting heights, since pole and camera locations are no longer determined by where or how high a bucket truck can reach.

“Independent studies and reports have shown an estimated 80 to 92 percent life cycle savings in video surveillance maintenance costs when customers incorporate a lowering system,” says Martin Manners, III, vice president and general counsel, MG Squared. “Integration with the MIC Series 550 gives customers a rugged PTZ camera that will survive the most challenging conditions along the world's busiest highways and secure facilities.”

Basler Adds Eyes to US School Buses

Editor / Provider: Basler | Updated: 7/20/2012 | Article type: Education

Redflex Traffic Systems, a leader in road safety technology, has chosen Basler IP Cameras for their new Student Guardian system protecting children around school buses. The system is intended to deter drivers in the United States from illegally passing stopped school buses, or to hold them accountable if they do.

Student Guardian uses two cameras per school bus, one on the front and one on the rear driver's side, to monitor traffic while the stop arm of the bus is deployed. Whenever cars illegally pass a school bus, the cameras capture high-definition video and high-resolution images of license plates and drivers. With a resolution of five megapixels, the Basler BIP2-2500c-dn IP cameras used can easily monitor three lanes so that no violation goes unnoticed. The captured image data is then submitted to local law enforcement to determine whether a citation is warranted.

"Intelligent Transportation Systems strive to make all of our lives safer," says Enzio Schneider, Product Line Manager ITS at Basler. "This project safeguards those who need our protection most: our children – and we are pleased to contribute to this cause."

Several pilot programs utilizing Student Guardian are already underway. According to Redflex, Student Guardian can be operated with no upfront capital investment for cities and districts. The program can be fully funded by fines collected for violations.

Vivotek Secures Largest Transport Company in Queensland

Editor / Provider: Vivotek | Updated: 7/18/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Background
Named in honour of Queen Victoria, Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state of Australia. Transit Australia Group is the largest privately owned public transport company in Queensland, Australia. From bus manufacturing through to the delivery of scheduled, school and chartered services, the company delivers transport products and services to the government, the industry and various communities of Queensland. Sunbus is one of the bus production entities owned by Transit Australia Group, carrying residents of Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Townsville, Magnetic Island and Cairns. Additional similar organizations under Transit Australia Group oversee other neighbourhoods, such as Gold Coast and Tweed Shire. Recently Sunbus embarked on a first and foremost surveillance system establishment throughout the facilities.

As this is a depot surveillance project, there are various sections on the premise that need to be covered. ADI was the distributor. After consulting with Kraut Enterprises, VIVOTEK‘s highly valued system integrator partner in Australia, it was decided that the cameras would be placed at the repair centre, the factory, the office building and the entire depot from an aerial view. VIVOTEK IP7361, FD8361, MD7560 and SD7323 were the chosen solutions.

Solution
VIVOTEK IP7361, a 2-Megapixel bullet designed with various outdoor-specific features, such as concealed wiring and tamper detection, was installed at the bus repair and services centre. At the centre, employee safety was the greatest pressing concern. Workers test run the buses on the brake pit. The buses are driven on the pit, so that they can have the brakes tested on them. According to Andrew Kraut, ICT Systems Administrator from Kraut Enterprises, the users found the IP7361 particularly impressive because it offers so much more than he could bargain for. It was affordable, cost-effective and high-performance. Also, with advanced features like multiple streams, ePTZ function, PoE compliance, on-board storage, two-way audio and many more, the IP7361 is an all-in-one, highly versatile monitoring device. As of Q3 2012, VIVOTEK IP7361 will have experienced an upgrade and been replaced with the IP8361, its second-generation model with enhanced features and higher performances.

Inside the factory, Kraut chose the 2-Megapixel, bandwidth-efficient VIVOTEK FD8361 to take on the role of supervising the labourers and the assembly line. Designed for highly professional applications, the FD8361 delivers impeccable image quality with the finest details. In this particular environment, where fast motions and activities are constantly taking place, users would often demand that the camera is capable of capturing as many movements as possible during work hours. However, after work hours, suspicious behaviours and potential criminal activities would be the priority. The FD8361 is equipped with activity adaptive streaming for dynamic frame rate control, which meets the needs of many industrial end-users. For a camera suitable for the industrial vertical market, it also needs to be easily installed at any corner and spot in the factory for easy viewing of the entire scene from every possible angle. The 3-axis mechanical design makes the device perfect for ceiling or wall mount installation. The FD8361 also comes with a vari-focal lens (3 ~ 9 mm), which allows for versatile applications in various types of environments.

VIVOTEK MD7560 was chosen to monitor the traffic in the area of reception and employees or visitors entering and existing the building. With such elegant design, this compact, 2-Megapixel MD7560 does not give out an intriguing vibe to those coming in and out of the premises. The device is also vandal-proof and comes with the tamper detection function, perfect for building surveillance. On the other hand, many system integrators working with VIVOTEK choose the MD7560 and other mobile dome models for various transportation projects, showing strong confidence in the brand and proving the positive reputation of the products.

As for the entire depot, including the parking lot, VIVOTEK SD7323 is set up in the control room for staff to zoom in on passing and parked vehicles in the yard. It is imperative that the users can clearly see and make out the identification numbers on the vehicles in order to be aware of what vehicles they have available for use with their bus routes. The feature of 360 degrees continuous pan and 90 degrees tilt makes the monitoring process smooth and effective. Also, the two-way audio function allows for instant communications between a vehicle operator and an employee in case of an incident. Designed for demanding outdoor surveillance applications and with IP66-rated housing, the speed dome meets the users‘ requirement for being able to identify close-up images of distant objects and withstand challenging weather conditions.

Customer Feedback
Andrew is extremely pleased with the performances of the VIVOTEK cameras. According to him, the image quality is impeccable and the technologies implemented on the products are highly advanced and suitable for professional projects as such. "I would definitely recommend VIVOTEK cameras to all other members of the security industry," said Kraut.

Stacey Lien, Chief Regional Sales Manager for Australia, also pointed out that VIVOTEK highly values the Australian market and is investing more in this territory. "We look forward to working closely with our partners in Australia and continuing to deliver effective solutions to all members of the surveillance industry."

Promising Verticals Fuel Bullish Growth in Turkey

Editor / Provider: a&s Turkiye | Updated: 7/19/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

Vibrant Verticals
The pick-up in the construction sector accelerated growth in the private sector with new residential, retail and health care projects. There were also many security projects in finance and education.

However, the largest budgets this year came from the public sector. Projects at the fore were city surveillance, transportation projects (airports, undergrounds, tunnels, et cetera.) and public buildings.

Major Projects
The most attractive projects of 2011 were for Turk Telekom, Zorlu Center, Sabiha Goksen Airport, and the National Archives.

In addition to the large projects, there were also many medium scale projects, which were mostly integrated projects that include fire detection and extinguishing systems, video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection.

In 2011, an increased number of projects required IP-based HD video surveillance systems and card access systems, and demanded integration between the systems, said Bilgecanan Bilgis, Marketing Manager at Ateksis. “Antalya Airport, Medipol Hospital, Bursa Hilton and Hampton by Hilton, and Fenerbah?e Ulker Arena are projects in Turkey which we would like to be part of and concentrate on, and Malabo Congress Center Haydar Aliyev Center abroad.”

Levent Yildir?m, Director of Siemens Substructure and Cities Sector Building Technologies, said that Siemens surpassed their goals in 2011, citing numerous projects that are worth more than $100,000 in value: Buyaka Complex (shopping center, residence, office), Hilton Hotels, Erdemir, Sandoz, Magnesia Shopping Center, Tarsu Shopping Center, Habom (Aviation Maintenance Center), Marmara Park, Zorlu, Safir, Aliaga Prison, Bodrum Airport, Izmir Special Provincial Directorate of Administration KGM. He also stresses the contributed part of the accomplishment to foreign projects, most of which are located in neighboring countries like Iraq, Russia, Algeria, et cetera.

Gurani Kilic, Country Sales Director for Bosch Security Systems, mentions projects that were conducted in collaboration with their partners and are worth more than $500,000 in value: Sorgun, Soke, Didim Surveillance Cameras Projects, Highway Tunnels Projects, Turkiye, Kirazli – Olimpiyatkoy Subway Line Project, Istanbul, Antalya Airport Domestic and International Lines Terminal 2.Section, Antalya, Republic of Turkiye Central Bank, Bursa, BSH Factory, Istanbul, Bagc?lar Medipol Hospital, Istanbul, Hilton Hotel, Bursa, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Archaeology Museum, Hatay, Ma?ka Residence, Istanbul, European Residences, Istanbul, Terrcity Shopping Center, Antalya.

Bulent Cobanoglu, GM of Senkron Guvenlik, mentioned two important bank projects by Honeywell: Standardizing systems for the merged Fortis and Turkiye Ekonomi Bank, as well as a card access system for Garanti Bank that covered 50 management buildings.

2012 and Crystal Ball
Although 2012 will be a difficult year, the consensus is that growth in the security industry will continue despite the economic slowdown, said Tarkan Tuncel, GM of Kekova.

The recession prospect in the world economy in 2012 weakens the prospect for growth in Turkey, Kilic said. “In 2012, there is a 4-5 percent growth prospect in the general economy and 6-7 percent in the construction sector. We can say that the security systems sector will indirectly be affected by this conjuncture in 2012."

“In addition, the pick-up in Libya and the neighboring countries in the last quarter of the year is good news for our sector,” Kilic continued, saying that the continuation of public investments and the mega projects into 2012 suggests that the security industry will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace.

Yusuf Ziya Oncel, Sales Manager at Pelco Turkey, predicts that 2012 will be a year when no one will be able to conduct aggressive enterprises, but that “we will keep a wary eye so that we can maintain our stability.” According to Oncel, the next 10 percent of growth will be achieved via digesting the growth that occurred in 2010 and 2011, while also stabilizing the total sales at the same levels.

Hidayet Yilmaz of NFS Guvenlik also agrees that the security market will continue growing in 2012, although at a slower pace. According to Yilmaz, the city transformation that will be carried out in 2012, especially in big cities, will have a positive impact on the market.

Cobanoglu shares the consensus. “If there is a crisis, we have to conduct business is different ways. We have to hold fairs and seminars to continue to educate the market. Otherwise, it is hard to hold on.”

In terms of products, industry experts agree that sales for IP-based systems and megapixel cameras will continue to grow. Yildiz has high hopes for network cameras and regularly expands their IP-based product groups. IR cameras and mobile DVR's also show similar potential.

Green buildings will play a key role for the security industry in 2012. Green buildings make extensive use of automation technologies to make them easily manageable, traceable and intelligent, and are great investments in terms of ROI. Especially big cities, green buildings will begin to flourish and; companies that operate and develop products in this field will be able to perform well even in bad economies, according to Kilic."

Additionally, Profilo Security Systems Sales Manager, Ertan Gedik predicts that the alarm system projects will increase for gas leak, fire and flood detection.

Lingering Problems
Although 2011 evaluations and 2012 predictions point to growth and development for the security industry, there are a few problems that need to be solved.

Products and companies must form and adhere to standards. “Although Turkey is among the few countries that will grow, compared to other nations in Europe and the Middle East, regulations and standards are still not what they should be,” Ozan Demirel, Region Manager, Controls and Security Systems, UTC Climatel said.

Cobanoglu believes that the lack of certification for security companies is a problem, saying that there is no selection process or evaluation even though there are more and more companies entering the market.

Cobanoglu continues to talk about another issue: there is no specialty customs for the security sector in Turkey. “Unfortunately, we still pay Special Consumption Tax (SCT). Video surveillance cameras are taxed as luxury items, following the footsteps of the digital camera found in everyone's pocket. However, these systems are not luxury — they are a necessity. Cancelling the SCT and lowering VAT would directly affect the end user and increase our sale, while also preventing illegal activities regarding security equipment, such as counterfeiting and bootlegging."

Mobile DVR Breaks the Bottlenecks to Highlight the Quality

Editor / Provider: a&s China Best Buys | Updated: 7/10/2012 | Article type: China Corner

Public transportation is vulnerable to threats and attacks. Governments around the world are investing more in transportation safety, which in turn increases demand for mobile surveillance solutions. According to research, the mobile video surveillance market will be US$1.55 billion by 2015, at a CAGR of 13.7 percent over 2008 to 2015. The potential lies in not only tightened security for drivers and passengers, but also huge gains in operational efficiency for fleet managers.

Market Demand
Mobile DVR is an important device within the vehicles. According to the ranking of bus and taxi in some principal cities of 2011 in China, the total amount of the public vehicles in the front 27 cities reaches 174,559. Apparently, there is a large demand for the mobile DVR.

From the year of 2011, the Chinese government has released a series of policies which indicated great concern for the public security, which will definitely boost the mobile surveillance market.

With the increasing living standard and ever complex social environment, mobile surveillance gradually come into view and become a necessity. It will replace the manual work and enhance the surveillance efficiency and the investment will thus keep growing.

Generally, the law enforcement cars require the most rapid and effective tracking and recording while the transport vehicle concentrates on the interior room with easier application environment. Mobile DVR will meet a huge market where the applications see possibilities in logistics and financial convoy.

“Customers may have very personalized demand sometimes, manufacturers need to face the contradiction between mass production and customized service,” said Joe Qiu, Overseas Business Director of TVT. “Nearly all the relevant laws and regulations demand the mature technical solutions, which can be realized with controllable cost.”

Multiple Functions
Generally, mobile DVR is a professional product applying the embedded DVR backed by the digital video and audio coding technology. It adopts the embedded processor and operation system, combining compression and decompression IT technology with GPS and 3G wireless telecommunication as well as the mobile power administration technology.

As a niche market of traditional embedded DVR, mobile DVR is an emerging professional product for the application of audio and video coding technology in the vehicle, incorporating GPS, 3G wireless and USB telecommunication, power management system, all of which could be applied in surveillance of vehicles all day along.

Mobile DVR can be divided into three catalogues according to the functions: traditional DVR which can only realize the local storage; multimedia one that incorporate with entertainment and advertising footages ; advanced DVR refers to the product owning various function such as GPS, driving recording, wireless transmission etc.

Obstacles
Following the irreversible trend of the security industry, networking and intellectualization will be the general direction. Mobile DVR owns a bright future while some bottlenecks still need prompt solution.

Wide Voltage
It is known to all that the output voltage of the vehicle is unstable, about DC 12V or DC 24V, but the traditional DVR demand a steady and stable magnitude of voltage, otherwise, it may lead to the reset or going down of the computer. As a result, a power system that can stabilize the voltage is required between the vehicle output voltage and mobile DVR. Currently most of the manufacturers adopt the design of wide voltage ranging from 8 to 36V in order to adapt to the changeable working environment.

Wireless Transmission
Despite there being multiple technologies in terms of the wireless transmission, 3G finds hardly any room for living in the car as a result of the limited coverage of EDGE and the insufficient bandwidth of CDMA.”The limitation of 3G leads to some uncertain factors in viewing the real-time image, the effects can be probably affected,” said Song Linpeng, Mobile Product of Santachi.

Vibration
Due to the different situation of the vehicles and roads, the vibrationreduction technology becomes the basic requirement for mobile DVR such as the reduction of hard drive rack. “To tackle the vibration problem, we adopt comprehensive solutions based on mechanical, electronic and software parts,” added Song.

Therefore, reducing the vibration of hard disc is the priority among those procedures since this part is the most vulnerable to the damage and the occurrence will make it impossible to record the situation in the car. “We use G-sensor that can induct the vibration energy meanwhile automatically implement read and write administration for the hardware, the statistics can be switched between SD card and hardware, ensuring the safe storage,” said Qiu.

Future Trend
All the design of mobile DVR should coordinate software and hardware, which is the biggest difference from the traditional DVR. It can be seen from the market that mobile surveillance is moving forward into HD, Intellectualization, integration, and standardization.

High Definition
The traditional mobile surveillance industry mainly adopts the ordinary digital camera plus the analogue structure, cost-effective price is its advantage. However, with the upcoming trend of networking, the mobile surveillance industry is stretching into the high-end market?manual monitoring cannot meet the demand of the end users, instead they are looking forward to the intelligent surveillance. High definition has explicitly enhanced the image effects.

Apparently, HD mobile DVR will be definitely the mainstream of future market of intelligent surveillance, which can raise the standard the mobile surveillance industry and have a positive impact on this field. “Mobile solutions share the same basic principles with fixed security systems, but there are unique elements that must be considered for different applications. Take police vehicles. HD is the priority,” said James Wang, Overseas Product Manager at Dahua Technology.

Intelligent Functions
The advantage of intellectualization lies in the application with more added value that is catering to the particular demands of mobile surveillance, for example, when the enforcement cars is moving, the image will vibrate due to the bumping on the rough road.

However, The monitor technicians are likely to feel exhausted for vibrating?but intelligent image can solve this problem, especially in the public transportation, people counting, facial recognition, license recognition can render the better service for the background operations.

Furthermore, the intellectualization of mobile DVR plays an important role in attracting the end-users. As the traditional video surveillance system draw the valuable information on the basis of statistics storage, plus the large work load, which put the security administrators into a bit of bind.

Availability
With more and more users put much emphasis on the mobile surveillance system, it turns out to be the professional solutions from the unitary video surveillance. As one part of the entire operation in the public transportation, the mobile surveillance should coordinate with other devices such as GPS, electronic reporting, card reader, traffic radar in the unified system.

“Our products can read information that is triggered by the vehicle sensors such as the traffic direction. The driving speed can be monitored at any time through GPS and linked to Google Map as well as the video,” said Qiu.

“We have designed interface for the mobile DVR, in case that the new function can be added in such as the over-speed alarm and tire-pressure warning and etc,” said Song.

Standardization
So far, the hardware of security industry has been mature, but the construction of the software system still has long way to go. Different subsidiary system does not match very well as the standard is not unified. Promoting industry standardization demands the mutual effort of government and manufacturers.

Therefore, if mobile DVR can leverage on more intelligent functions, it can be not only bring about the ability of working automatically, but also to be incorporated simultaneously in the entire system. In this case, a huge shift will take place in mobile DVR that could usher in new mission.

Hikvision Unveils Newest Mobile DVR

Editor / Provider: Hikvision | Updated: 7/6/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Hikvision launched a new series of mobile DVR -- DS-8100HMFI-T to expand its transportation surveillance portfolio. With the capability of accommodating up to 12-channel video input as well as its advantages over constant vibration and unstable power supply etc, the DS-8100HMFI-T is suitably practical to install in trains and some other large vehicles. Additionally, it also offers users the benefit of 3G/WI-FI data transmission such as video, location, brake signals and speed etc at user's choice.

Since mobile DVR is installed in vehicle which is constantly in motion, how to maintain stable working performance is an important proposition. This product adopts patented hard-disk vibration reduction technology to effectively keep device running stably. As an advanced technology in the mobile surveillance industry, it conforms to ISO 16750 standard (Road vehicles -- Environmental conditions and testing for electrical and electronic equipment), and it can withstand acceleration shock value of 50G, which greatly demonstrates its superiority over other products in the same category. In this case, users do not need to worry about the constant vibration that causes damage to the device.

This product also embeds a built-in redundant power supply which starts whenever the external power supply stops, and allows the system to have sufficient time to shutdown normally thus to avoid data loss and damage to the disks. Moreover, dust prevention, humidity and heat dissipation are also well considered in designing since mobile DVRs are generally installed in confined spaces and compartments.

Besides, the DS-8100HMFI-T Mobile DVR supports two 2.5-inch pluggable SATA HDD/SSD disks with a capacity of 500GB each for long term recording. The H.264 video compression is available for each analog channel with 4CIF real time encoding which significantly enhances the image quality during viewing and playback. Dual stream is also supported, with the sub stream allowing remote preview and mobile phone monitoring via limited bandwidth.

Compared to the former generation mobile DVRs, the DS-8100HMFI-T Mobile DVR utilize a brand new intuitive GUI for users to operate. The DS-8100HMFI-T Mobile DVR also provides various interfaces (eSATA/USB, SIM, RS232) for connecting external devices.

AMG Supplies Transmission Solution to Woodsville Tunnel in Singapore

Editor / Provider: AMG | Updated: 7/5/2012 | Article type: Infrastructure

AMG, the world leading manufacturer of transmission solutions, has supplied their AMG3700 series transmission solution for the integrated security & surveillance solution at the newly opened Woodsville Tunnel in Singapore. The solution has been implemented by Guthrie Engineering (S) PTE Ltd on behalf of the Land Transportation Authority. Guthrie is Singapore's oldest Engineering Company with a proud list of large references projects in Highways and Transportation.

AMG's International Sales & Marketing Director, Sara Bullock, says, “The CCTV surveillance solution for the tunnel complex is engineered to give maximum resilience and performance. The solution operates within a dual redundant configuration with video insertion points providing analogue video, data and Ethernet capability. The AMG's 3700 series solution has a proven record in tunnel implementations, such as the new Hindhead Tunnel in the UK. The solution operates with two singlemode fibres in ring configuration. The benefit of this system is that operations are robust and resilient and no signals are lost in case of a failure or a fibre breakage. All signals are routed to the Central Intelligent Transport System Centre (ITSC) Control Room as well as to the control room in the facility building on-site. Guthrie conducted vigorous factory testing and we understand they were delighted with the resilience the solution offered. They were also impressed with the extended MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) longevity results and the resilience to the environmental influences."

The Woodsville Tunnel is part of a massive SGD 130 million (approx. GBP 65 million) upgrading project for the Woodsville Interchange that began in 2008. It consists of 3 new road tunnels linking Upper Serangoon Road to Bendemeer Road, Serangoon Road to Upper Serangoon Road, and MacPherson Road to Bendemeer Road. The new tunnels are expected to decongest the affected roads and cut down commuter travel times. Motorists using the Woodsville Tunnel can expect smoother traffic flow and times savings, particularly during peak hours, due to the improved traffic flow. For example, a motorist travelling from Upper Serangoon Road to Bendemeer Road will have their travel time cut from 10 minutes to 4 minutes by using the new Woodsville Tunnel during peak hours. Woodsville Tunnel was opened for traffic at 9 a.m. on 28th January 2012.

Security Complications at Bustling Metro Stations

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang | Updated: 7/10/2012 | Article type: Infrastructure

Busy metro stations at prime locations attract retailers and other businesses. The increase in multipurpose metro stations has brought commercial opportunities, along with security/safety risks and management complexity.

Mass transit can be a complex scene. “As a fast moving and complex environment, a metro station retail area is difficult to monitor and almost impossible to assess for suspicious activity using security staff and surveillance alone,” said Skip Dunnett, Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Consultant at Digital Barriers.

Dunnett added. “Scene change analytics running over surveillance cameras could monitor routine patterns in and around retail outlets and assist security staff to identify areas and times where a threat might arise.” This analysis would be useful for station managers as they would be able to identify high-risk areas in the station more readily.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words
A regular program of updates on the threats and risks faced by the metro station will enforce a collective responsibility for security and encourage better practices. Centralized training and awareness briefings provided by the metro station security managers will help instill a sense of worth in the retail security staff who are often lowly paid and lack proper training, said Skip Dunnett, Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Consultant at Digital Barriers. “The coordination of all reports, be it electronic or verbal, is vital to the security within this multidimensional environment. Whenever possible, only one control room should exist, and this is also where all retail security reports and concerns should be directed to. This also helps enrich the threat and risk picture for the station as a whole.”

Integration and Configuration
Getting useful information to the right people in a timely manner is crucial for metro systems, especially with scores of fast moving passengers. “There is a strong pattern in integration. Cameras and surveillance intelligence are synchronized to ensure physical safety in unplanned events such as station evacuations,” said James Chong, CTO and Senior VP of Strategic Innovation, Vidsys.

A mass transit system is an expensive, integral part of public infrastructure — safety and evacuation must be an integral consideration with security, said Patrick Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing, Ademco Far East (an Ademco Security Group company). “For example, surveillance can be integrated with evacuation systems, thus offering intelligent information for a path of escape. Relevant doors can be remotely or automatically unlocked, and communication systems can work in tandem to provide automated information displays or announcements that can facilitate orderly evacuations.”

“Linking the communications of safety, evacuation systems and security infrastructure will allow for correlation and verification of critical data coming into the control room,” said Adlan Hussain, Marketing Manager, CNL Software.

Evacuation systems, however, are inherently insecure, as faked emergencies could become major security vulnerabilities. Conflicts might thus arise during the integration and configuration of security and fire safety systems. “In practice, security systems are set to ‘fail open' in the case of an incident, thus creating an opportunity for exploitation,” Dunnett said. “In order to overcome these weaknesses, security managers must understand the operation and methodology behind these evacuation systems so as to, ideally, influence their design during the planning and installation. If this early involvement is not possible, understanding the safety system will assist the design of any retrospective security protection. Security planners can ensure that access control to key operation assets or high-value targets can be maintained in any given situation. For example, consideration should always be given to evacuation routes, and steps taken to ensure that key assets are not placed in these areas. Other techniques include the protection of key areas by the use of one-way flow access control and the automatic lockdown of vulnerable IT systems.”

Centralized Command
In bigger subway systems — and especially in older systems — there are not always centrally located operating systems. “For instance, fire controls utilize local systems, while rail, power and evacuation control and information are not always connected,” said Jeremy Brecher, VP of Technology Services at Diebold Security. During incidents, however, communication networks must be able to cope with overflowing data and voice commands.

“The importance of communication has been elevated since 9/11, especially when it comes to the protection of first responders. Unfortunately, radio signals and other forms of communication are still used in many subway applications, and the problems aren't always highlighted until a real emergency occurs,” Brecher said. “Generally, most highly complex environments should include their own backhaul delivery for information instead of shared delivery. If the system does utilize shared delivery, there should be a very well-designed quality of service and prioritization incorporated into the system.”

An alternative is the installation of a redundancy management system that will not only control the flow of vital data and voice commands but will also manage the inherent redundancy within any command and control system to allow for a greater flow of potentially time-critical information, Dunnett added.

“This is where IP networks become important and provide long-term cost savings, too,” Lim said. “In the past, transport systems had an enormous amount of different cables; it could be very costly to provide redundancy. With IP technologies, it is more cost-effective to have redundant and armored protection for transmission.”

Team Effort
Surveillance and physical security concerns are responsibilities of security managers, but public address, evacuation, notification and radio systems, on the other hand, are under the purview of other departments, highlighting again the need for clear and constant communication among all parties from planning through implementation and operation. “It also highlights the need for security managers to play a key role in training the operators and ensuring that the systems they have implemented will be correctly operated and maintained by the operators and transit authorities,” Brecher said. “Ensuring that proven technologies are correctly implemented the first time leads not only to a cost-effective application, but also increased effectiveness of the tools. Ultimately, this results in a more secure environment.”

Maintenance and Training
Getting the systems up and running after a thorough risk assessment is not the end. “Conducting continuous system maintenance and risk evaluation throughout the operation is equally important,” said Armine Beybutyan, Product Sales and Marketing Manager, Korenix Technology (a Beijer Electronics Group company).

Identifying training needs and service requirements is an ongoing process. “Working hand-in-hand with transit authorities to ensure they understand the system will ultimately determine how effective it is on a day-to-day basis,” Brecher said.

Secutech International 2012 — China's Perspective

Editor / Provider: Evangeline Xie | Updated: 7/6/2012 | Article type: China Corner

The event is Asia's largest international exhibition and conference for the electronic security, info security, fire and safety industry sectors. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the exhibition is no longer just a sourcing fair, but a center of innovation and a propeller of industry.

Overall Performance
No other show like Secutech catering to the full supplying chain of the industry. It is designed as a manufacturing powerhouse by offering lens, image sensor, the DSP and codec to the integrated solutions for various applications. Unlike other largescaled international exhibitions which emphasis the quantity, Secutech is characterized by good quality that is also the screening standard for the exhibitors.

This year attracted more than 25,510 visitors from 97 different nations. There are 56 Chinese exhibitors taking an active part in the event, such as the well-known brands Dahua and Hikvision as well as some other quality companies. Beside the first tier's nice performance, second-tier players also presented an eye-catching demonstration.

Michael Chen, Vice President for Zhejiang Dahua Technology, recognized that Secutech has offered an international stage. “It is a good platform to show products and new technology, as well as to network,” he explained. “I am happy to see different products here and to have a chance for sharing experiences with exhibitors from Japan, Korea and Taiwan.”

New Highlights
Secutech is designed to be a manufacturing powerhouse, providing a platform for all exhibitors to showcase their new products of the year. Visitors can find the latest innovative products from video, storage device, access control, lens and more. New products from Chinese exhibitors are among this year's highlights.

Video Surveillance
Sunell showcased its 720P/1080P megapixel network mini dome with IR and fixed lens, 720P/1080P megapixel network eyeball camera with compact base, 720P/1080P megapixel network bullet camera with cable management bracket, easy installation and adjustment.

Another Chinese manufacturer TVT has refined its products from front-end to back-end. The company releases its total solution of network products as well as HD-SDI. With its adoption of Hisilicon chips and the outward design, TVT products have highlighted the overall performance of Chinese manufacturers.

Youguan CCTV Technology showcased its new vari-focal IR high speed dome and HD-SDI vari-focal IR high speed dome, both are of the third generation. When it comes to HD-SDI, there are several exhibitors foreseeing its future demanding. “We showcase our latest HD-SDI camera at the show,” said Sales Manager of OFK Technology. “We expect HD-SDI will have more demanding in the future while the market and few technological concerns have been solved. From Secutech, lots of buyers are also paying attention to its development.”

Lens
For the part of lens, Ricom and Leading can be excellent players. The release of the megapixel lens after the earthquake has met the Japan's market niche, those lenses are welcomed by many manufacturers from Korea and Taiwan due to the top quality and original technology.

Leading showcased its 10-megapixel 1/2.3-inch 5.4mm no-distortion lens, 5-megapixel 1/1.8-inch fisheye lens as well as 5-megapixel lens for intelligent transportation system. “Europe and America is our target market, we aimed to provide the perfect optical solutions for the high-end customers within the shortest time,” said Beth Wu, Vice President of Xiamen Leading Optics. “To-date, we can realize high definition in the front-end part and our quality is being credited compare to other foreign brands,” added Wu.

How to Better Serve Customers
Sunell put much strength in the promotion of network camera, which can be judged by its elaborate booth. Its general engineer of R&D also joins the overseas exhibition around the world for acquiring multiple demands of foreign buyers.

TVT has business all over the world now, but it sees greater chance in Europe now than that in other countries. They believe the value is mainly incorporated in complete solutions, reliable quality, and right products at right price. “We will definitely enhance our communication with customers. All the service is about how to make our customer profitable at low risk,” said Joe Qiu, Overseas Business Director of TVT.

In Qiu's opinion, to get this target done, they need more engineers for better software and hardware, more technical sales for better education and communication, and also need more serious quality control to maintain the delivery quality.

“We designed the mechanical parts, hardware, and software. It's different in following aspects in the IR technology and the mechanical design,” said Eddy Que, General Manager of Youguan, “we make the lower part rotating, thus reduce the burden of rotation and speed could be higher. Also it avoids breakdown of BNC cable as the cable will not rotate together with the dome.”

Additionally, the company has set up channels in Europe, North America and Middle East for shortening the distance with customers, which are the key point of its overseas market are located in Europe and North America, where the integrity and consistency are what matter.

Other Highlights
Giant Alarm System Company showcased multi-frequency remote control duplicator and rolling code receiver. “Using the special duplicators which are produced by our company, all users can copy to have new transmitters which can be used directly and the new ones will work well and won't send same codes as original ones,” said Pan Defeng, General Manager of Giant Alarm System. “Adopting the rolling code encoder program which is written by our company gives controllers top security since other companies' products can't copy our transmitters.”

“Nowadays, there are more and more competitors who can produce at cheaper price, the market is not made-in-China, in such case, how to fix our market, improve our service and innovate our products would be a great challenge,” said Pan. “We need to search new opportunity to enlarge our market share, so our biggest challenge is how to enter into emerging market and catch it,” added Pan.

Anson showcased its network security recorder (NSR), which integrates DVR, video surveillance, access control and alarm function. Medium and small-scaled security project can be accomplished with only one NSR, allowing system stability and cost-effectiveness in the application.

Challenge and Expectation
It seems still so gloomy ahead for the world economy. The security industry inevitably cannot be influenced from the turmoil. Moreover, the industry is also shaping not only from the technological front but also from the business model front.

“At the transitional period from analogue to high definition, the refinement of the product line will impose some pressure manufacturers. Therefore, manufacturers need to move ahead with their in-house values, in terms of innovation and quick responding to the mainstream,” said Zhao Bin, General Manager of Anson.

“Increasing competition on the pricing brings impediment for the application range of middle to high technology products, as well as new production development, this is the challenge we are facing right now.” said Ann Wu, Vice President of Sunell.

TVT finds the biggest challenge now is to differentiate themselves from others, technically and commercially. “It is important to be special and make your customer feel the difference,” said Qiu, “Another challenge is how to process information in a better way with our customers, and to respond to market demands more efficiently.”

According to Que, presently, there are too many suppliers on the market, some are good, and some are not. The problem lies in the fact that buyers can't tell which are good or not, which are real. “Youguan's strength is R&D and technology, and we need to make more effort to promote us, to let our customers know how we are different,” added Que.

Youguan adopts the technology from Germany and Japan, the IR can zoom in and out simultaneously with the zoom module, according to the light condition. And also the IR lamp is 3rd generation IR technology, the IR light is more uniformly distributed and avoid flash light effect of traditional IR LED. The company made a special IR compensation light for wide angle at short distance, which guarantee clearer image.

On the contrary, there are still numerous Chinese suppliers who still being ignorant to buyers' requirement and reluctant know-how to market in overseas market. Compared with the manufacturers from Taiwan and Korea, the performance of some Chinese players seems a bit rough occasionally in terms of the technical personnel, marketing and expertise.

Manufacturing is the undeniable advantage for most of Chinese suppliers. Generally speaking, the Chinese-made quality has improved greatly. However, we expect more and more Chinese suppliers paying more attention to business quality and in the near future, more buyers will be gratified with business with most of Chinese manufactures.