Avigilon HD Surveillance Exercised at Canadian Sporting Stadium

Avigilon, a provider of HD and megapixel video surveillance solutions, announced that Rogers Centre, a multipurpose sports facility with 50,000 seats and entertainment venue and home to the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Canada, has deployed the Avigilon HD surveillance system to assist in maintaining a safe, comfortable and entertaining spectator experience.

As one of North America's multipurpose stadiums able to accommodate a variety of events suited for an arena, a domed stadium, and an open-air facility, Rogers Centre has deployed a security plan that is flexible and readily adaptable to meet the needs of any event ranging from 5,000 visitors at a tradeshow to 50,000 during a Blue Jays Major League Baseball game.

"Because we host a range of events with different configurations, we wanted a flexible and cost-effective surveillance solution, one that could give us access to information needed to make staffing decisions and review incidents more successfully to better serve our customers," said Mario Coutinho, VP of Stadium Operations and Security at Rogers Centre. "The Avigilon HD surveillance system provides us with superior clarity, maximum coverage and ease of management, key features we needed to enhance our incident management capabilities at all events."

With a fiber network infrastructure already in place, Rogers Centre was able to add the Avigilon HD surveillance system as a key element of its surveillance solution. 19 Avigilon HD cameras cover the entire seating bowl while a mix of Avigilon HD cameras monitor the building's exterior. Using Avigilon network VMS with HD management, security personnel in the command post monitor the areas live during events. Three Avigilon HD NVRs store continuous surveillance footage.

Rogers Centre leveraged its existing fiber network infrastructure to reduce installation and management costs and leveraged Avigilon's compression technology to reduce bandwidth requirements for additional efficiencies. Further cost savings were achieved because the Avigilon HD surveillance system delivers complete coverage with fewer cameras and less staff than would be required to operate a traditional analog-based PTZ solution. In fact, Rogers Centre would have had to install hundreds of analog cameras to achieve the same coverage as 19 HD cameras. Avigilon's reliability, superior image clarity and management features facilitate investigations for quick and efficient resolution, dramatically improving the customer experience. The HD surveillance system also captures operational information that is used to make strategic business decisions regarding customer service delivery and risk management issues.