Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, a specialist in security and video surveillance systems, announced at ISC West 2014 that it has partnered with the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) Transit Police Division to develop and deploy an integrated transit security solution built on a foundation of Panasonic i-PRO network cameras. Panasonic says the new platform is replacing Denver RTD’s aging analog-based system to enable staff to efficiently access high-quality video evidence to better protect riders, drivers and physical property, as well as to improve the investigation of criminal activity, safety violations, accidents and liability claims.
“With our former analog-based system, RTD Security had to physically retrieve hard drives from buses to investigate incidents an average of 25-30 times per day -- a significant waste of time and resources. Video quality was also poor and sometimes unusable,” explains Bob Grado, RTD Transit Police's commander and manager of integrated security operations. “Working with Panasonic, we developed a high-quality solution from the ground up to address these issues and more importantly, to ensure the security of our bus system for our 101 million passenger trips a year.”
With durable Full HD 1080p and HD 720p network cameras inside and outside of each bus, integrated with other hardware and software components for recording, file transfer, viewing and management, the new system delivers end-to-end mobile security for the growing transportation agency, says Panasonic. The system leverages NICE Systems' NiceVision IP video management software and the NICE Inform platform to view and manage video files, and integrate them with various other video and audio sources and case files to create a unified event timeline. The multi-phase deployment of the integrated solution across RTD’s new and existing fleet is ongoing.
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Panasonic notes that a key benefit of the new system is the ability for RTD staff to quickly and wirelessly offload flagged video files associated with specific incidents from buses’ in-vehicle recorders. This eliminates the need to manually offload data and search through files when investigating an incident, saving the agency significant time and cost. The in-vehicle technology also includes the capability for public safety officials to view live footage from the bus’s cameras during an emergency, from up to a block away.
By employing open platform Panasonic i-PRO MEGA Super Dynamic HD WV-SW155 compact dome network cameras and i-PRO Super Dynamic Full HD WV-SW158 compact dome network cameras with microphone capabilities, the new platform delivers improved video quality and clarity as well as wider fields of view, notes Panasonic. Designed for use in a transit environment, the vandal-resistant IP cameras are engineered to withstand shocks and impacts, and are IP66-rated water and dust resistant. Additionally, the in-vehicle recorders are equipped with anti-vibration mounts to ensure long-term performance, and cameras on buses’ exteriors are secured in shroud housings for added protection.
“RTD faced a significant challenge as its ridership base is rapidly growing, but its aging mobile surveillance system could not keep up -- with a rapidly increasing failure rate, an inefficient video offload process and poor video quality,” concludes Greg Peratt, senior director, Panasonic Video Solutions Integration Team, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “With our standing as a global imaging leader and rich experience as a public sector technology provider, Panasonic is uniquely positioned to partner with RTD to build a solution that meets their needs, and we look forward to seeing it deliver the results they’re looking for.”
Learn more about Denver RTD at www.rtd-denver.com.
See also: A checklist for jumping from analog to IP surveillance