The incinerator at Acerra is a waste-to-energy plant built in 2009 in the Province of Naples, Italy, with the aim of solving the so-called “garbage crisis” in the Campania area, which has received widespread attention from the media, partly due to the presence of the Italian army, who were brought in to monitor the site because of protests and demonstrations against plant construction. In order to bring an end to military surveillance of this area, Partenope Ambiente, the waste management company for the plant, chose to deploy an IP-based video surveillance system consisting of 34 Axis Communications network cameras and TechnoAware video analysis software. I.R.T.E.T. is the system integrator for the project.
The incinerator at Acerra is a waste-to-energy plant built in 2009 in the Province of Naples, Italy, with the aim of solving the so-called “garbage crisis” in the Campania area, which has received widespread attention from the media, partly due to the presence of the Italian army, who were brought in to monitor the site because of protests and demonstrations against plant construction. In order to bring an end to military surveillance of this area, Partenope Ambiente, the waste management company for the plant, chose to deploy an IP-based video surveillance system consisting of 34 Axis Communications network cameras and TechnoAware video analysis software. I.R.T.E.T. is the system integrator for the project.
A total of 28 fixed HD network cameras and six PTZ domes were installed at choke points, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicle routes, allowing for strategic, timely monitoring of activity and ensuring high image quality without affecting bandwidth capacity. The fixed HD network camera was chosen by quality requirements with regard to identification, color reproduction and high transmission speed. The model uses H.264 compression standard, and offers motion detection and audio, tampering alarms. The waterproof, anti-vandalism PTZ domes were installed at strategic points throughout the site. The domes come with wide-angle 35x zoom, and a functionality which enables the cameras to be rotated and tilted to 20 degree above the horizon, which is especially useful for monitoring uneven ground.
The system's strengths lie in its hardware and software integration, with simplified PoE installation. The TechnoAware video analysis software uses different plug-ins to facilitate detection of suspicious movements or attempted trespass into the area, while also pinpointing vehicle license plates and recording all suspicious movements in perimeter and waste storage areas.
Deployment of the video surveillance system not only put an end to military supervision, by replacing human eyes with cameras for more efficient monitoring, it also alleviates media attention. The cameras met Partenope's needs of monitoring the outer perimeter and allowing the control of pedestrian and vehicular access through video analysis, and the integrated system ensures that tampering, unauthorized access dangerous situations near the site are discouraged and avoided.