Dallmeier electronic

City administrators decided to improve security in the Millenium Square, a busy public square in Bristol, England. Previously, security video surveillance consisted of a single PTZ camera, resulting in pixelated images whenever they zoomed in to retrieve any useful evidence.

"Our experience with the PTZ camera was that the recordings taken from it are basically worthless for purposes of subsequent investigations due to the low resolution. One alternative would have been to install several HD cameras at various locations all over the square – but then the job of operating the cameras would become very complex for the security staff, and the infrastructure costs would be prohibitive," said John Whittaker, Security Team Manager for At-Bristol

So the biggest challenge was to find a solution that delivers a continuous overview of the entire square at highest detail resolution, but which is still cost-efficient and easy to operate.

SOLUTION
The Bristol City Council found a solution in Panomera multifocal sensor (MFS) technology by Dallmeier. With the sensor concept of this camera technology, it became possible to monitor large expanses from a single installation point, with very high resolution and consistent depth of focus. Additionally, the entire viewing area is recorded at all times, unlike PTZ cameras, which only record the area they are currently viewing live. After consultations with video surveillance provider Select Electric, they decided that a single Panomera camera with a 90° viewing angle is enough to monitor the whole of Millennium Square in the highest possible resolution.

The images from the IP camera are recorded at a rate of 12.5 fps on a Dallmeier video appliance. One workstation in the Security office in the At-Bristol centre allows the recordings to be searched as well as live monitoring of the camera feed. A second workstation has been set up in the Council Emergency Control Centre, where it is used daily by the operators to monitor the area. MFS technology allows for multiuser capability so multiple operators can view the camera images and tile or zoom as they wish with both live and recorded material at the same time.

RESULTS
"Millennium Square has a busy schedule of events throughout the year which attract thousands of members of the public. We have used Panomera to obtain evidence for a number of incidents. In fact within its first couple of weeks of installation we had video of a handbag theft which the Police said was the best quality images they had ever seen from a 'video surveillance' system," says John Whittaker. "We are both pleased and impressed with the power and ease of use of the system and would not want to be without it."