The Glasgow Science Center has invested in a new video surveillance system from Hanwha Techwin to help create a safe environment for visitors who wish to enjoy the Centre’s extensive facilities which include over 400 interactive exhibits, a planetarium and a space zone.
The Glasgow Science Center has invested in a new video surveillance system from
Hanwha Techwin to help create a safe environment for visitors who wish to enjoy the center’s extensive facilities which include over 400 interactive exhibits, a planetarium and a space zone.
As one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions, Glasgow Science Center – located on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow – is an educational charity that motivates people to engage with science. Its work is supported by a non-profit visitor experience and other revenue streams.
Recently, Glasgow Science Center has replaced an existing analog video surveillance system which was unable to provide the features and image resolutions of the latest cameras and to create a safer environment for visitors to its extensive facilities, which include over 400 interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and a space zone. The contract was awarded to Scottish Communications Group, who installed the original analog surveillance system when the view first opened in 2001.
The old analog system had done an excellent job over the years helping to keep visitors safe by ensuring staff and contractors comply with health and safety procedures. However, in terms of features and functionality, as well as the image resolutions of the cameras, the system was not able to deliver the benefits offered by the latest generation of cameras.
A total of 68 new Hanwha Techwin Wisenet cameras were installed at the center, as a solution, 48 of which have been deployed as replacements for existing analog cameras, while 20 additional cameras have been installed in new locations to negate any blind spots and give the center’s control room operators greater situational awareness.
Scottish Communications Group took advantage of the advice from Hanwha Techwin Europe’s pre-sales team to ensure that the most suitable Wisenet internal and external cameras were specified for 68 camera locations. As a result, 40 network cameras with built-in IR illumination were selected from the Wisenet Q series to capture sharp 2 and 4-megapxiel images, regardless of lighting conditions. These Bullet and mini-dome cameras feature Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), which performs at up to 120dB to produce clear images from areas that present a challenging mix of bright and dark areas, suc as center’s reception area where strong sunlight is able to stream in.
The remaining 28 Bullet, PTZ and mini-dome cameras were selected from the Wisenet HD+ analog series to deliver superb 2-megapixel HD images over coaxial cables. Wisenet HD+ cameras minimize the cost and disruption of installing new data cabling as they support the transmission of HD images using standard coax cabling – without any latency or image loss – at distances of up to 500m. Further, without the need to incur the cost and time of installing encoders, converters, or switches, yet more savings can be achieved.
Images are recorded on either a Pentabrid ‘hybrid’ recorder or a Wisenet NVR, with each of the five devices offering up to 12 terabytes of storage.
“The safety and security of our visitors is always our top priority. We have invested in the latest technology to significantly upgrade the capabilities of our video surveillance infrastructure and provide our security colleagues with a powerful tool which will allow them to respond quickly and effectively to any incidents,” said Roddie Galbraith, Facilities Manager at the center, then added, “We are very happy with the performance of the new system and are pleased that we could take advantage of the cost-saving benefits of the Wisenet HD+ cameras while improving quality and functionality. We believe we now have a video surveillance system which will be fit for purpose for many years to come.”
Please visit the
Hanwha Techwin website for more information.