MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, has upgraded its analog video surveillance system to an HD IP system utilizing Sony Electronics network vandal proof minidomes, network 720p minidomes and HD IP cameras, as well as Sony encoders to convert some of the facilities' legacy analog cameras. Onssi VMS serves as the head end for the system. The upgrade that went into operation in 2012 was designed and implemented by Kipp Visual Systems, a Sony Security Preferred Reseller and integrator based in Baltimore.
MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, has upgraded its analog video surveillance system to an HD IP system utilizing Sony Electronics network vandal proof minidomes, network 720p minidomes and HD IP cameras, as well as Sony encoders to convert some of the facilities' legacy analog cameras. Onssi VMS serves as the head end for the system. The upgrade that went into operation in 2012 was designed and implemented by Kipp Visual Systems, a Sony Security Preferred Reseller and integrator based in Baltimore.
“These improvements to our security system help us make better use of our resources so we can provide a quality, caring experience for our patients, our communities, and those who serve them,” said Jill Donaldson, VP of Operations, MedStar. “Adopting such innovative technologies is in keeping with one of our core values that we embrace change and work to improve all we do in a fiscally responsible manner.”
For Mark Collett, GM, Security Systems Division, Sony, features such as noise reduction technology for IP cameras dynamic range enhancement overcome challenges that leave blind areas in coverage with lower-performance cameras to get the job done. Collett highlighted the network vandal proof minidome's WDR features, and noise reduction technology that can cut through the glare of strongly backlit areas to show more details. These features fit in alongside the HD IP cameras PTZ high resolution and zoom capabilities, while the network 720p minidomes rounds out the solution by combining quality and value.
According to Ray McDonald, Chief of Security at MedStar, the Sony IP line product upgrades deliver a fundamental improvement to the legacy analog equipment that goes beyond the upgrade to HD resolution. The security team works in a challenging environment surrounded on three sides by parking lots. “We regularly look out to places that are brightly backlit where the glare can blind us,” said McDonald. “Now we can look through that to pick out facial features that had been a shadow.”
The system also aids with typical management issues. For example, guests on the campus occasionally park in fire lanes and block ambulance entrances. This is a safety and a quality concern for the hospital. With the new system installed, the hospital management can identify guests obstructing these areas, and handle the situation quickly, said McDonald.
McDonald, a 15-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department noted the cameras also makes MedStar better prepared should a catastrophic event strike the region.“Our emergency planning protocol includes a centralized command and control center where crisis managers must have a grasp of what's going on outside” said McDonald. “If our courtyard becomes a triage facility, the managers need to be on top of the situation moment-to-moment.”