The Danish government's main museum for visual arts, the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen, upgraded its CCTV system in 2012 consisting of 60 analog cameras to a discreet IP-based surveillance comprised of Axis Communications one-megapixel HD cameras and Mirasys NVRs to prevent priceless artworks from theft and damage. The solution was developed jointly between Axis and partner G4S in Denmark, while the product supplier and distributor of the project was EET Europarts.
The Danish government's main museum for visual arts, the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen, upgraded its CCTV system in 2012 consisting of 60 analog cameras to a discreet IP-based surveillance comprised of Axis Communications one-megapixel HD cameras and Mirasys NVRs to prevent priceless artworks from theft and damage. The solution was developed jointly between Axis and partner G4S in Denmark, while the product supplier and distributor of the project was EET Europarts.
The gallery has approximately 115 employees and 60 students who occupy the building. Extremely valuable and priceless artworks are on public display in the galleries. Art pieces must be protected from theft and damage, and the safety of the employees and the thousands of people visiting the gallery daily must also be secured. In 2012 the entire CCTV system was extensively upgraded. An important consideration was that the cameras should be discreet and not distract attention from the paintings, and that they should also be easy to move, as the building is reorganized up to two to three times annually.
The museum still has a large number of analog cameras in the system, but the plan is to replace even more of these with IP cameras. The remaining analog cameras are currently connected and integrated into the system using Axis video encoders. “All you need to do is install the camera, program the IP address and run the cable. And then it takes a couple of minutes to adjust the camera angle and the lens,” said Claus Bjerg, G4S. Moreover, one cable per camera is sufficient, as the cameras are powered via the network cable. (This is important as SMK is a listed building in which running cabling, drilling and structural alterations are strictly limited).
Visitors do not even notice the cameras, and for designers the cameras are easier to locate, due to its HD images. “I've not heard any of the designers complain about the cameras,” said the museum's Security Manager Mike Coffman.“On the contrary, several have actually praised the decision to make the conversion.”
As the entire system is based on an open platform, it can be simply upgraded in line with technological development. There are also plans to exploit the opportunities of using intelligent applications, for example, to calculate the number of visitors and analyze how they move around the building. “Apart from using them to calculate how many people are in the building, it's possible to see how visitors move around and between the galleries,” said Coffman.“This is very useful information when planning exhibitions. It would also be good to be able to use intelligence in case of an evacuation, to know whether there are people left in the building and in that case, their location.”