IPfocus - IP UserGroup

IPfocusInside the Nexus/ Tyne andWear digital metro CCTV projectOTN adds Critical Real-Time Transmission, IP & Managed legacy Connectivity.CCTV and IP reducing (fear) of crimeAt a cost of £8.5 million, Nexus have installedthe UK’s largest and most complex digitalcolour CCTV system which provides continuousmonitoring and recording at Metro and busstations 7/7 and 24/24. The cameras arecentrally controlled and monitored in each ofthe five Local Authority areas which form Tyneand Wear – North Tyneside, South Tyneside,Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle. Morethan 550 cameras, operated by trained staff,cover all 58 Metro stations and approaches,adjoining public transport interchanges andpark and ride car parks on the Tyne and WearMetro system. The pictures are of the highestquality, enabling identification of personsinvolved; they can also be used by the policefor prosecution at court.Sharing the full potential of thesecurity networkProbably the most important element of thisproject is the Metro fibre opticcommunications network which forms the"backbone" to link the five Local Authorityareas that form Tyne and Wear. The ease withwhich the OTN network enabled multi-vendorvideo equipment to be integrated (recordingdevices, operator keyboards and graphical userinterfaces) meant we were able to select thebest suppliers for our video subsystems. Onlyone pair of fibres was used to allow the 2.5Gb/sOTN system to be up and running in no time.The capacity of the network permitsintegration of additional Metro communicationservices such as public address, access control,passenger information systems and voiceapplications such as emergency telephony. Thepotential benefits of a fully integrated OTNsecurity network for the region are immense,as it allows the tracking of suspects across thewhole of the Tyne and Wear area, bringingtogether the Local Authorities, Nexus,Northumbria Police and British Transport Policeinto a unified crime reduction force.Collaboration between the various services hasproven to be successful. This CCTV systemshould provide peace of mind and ensurepeople can feel confident when travelling onpublic transport any time of day. In addition wenow have the foundation for a regional CCTVsystem to cover the whole of the publictransport network in Tyne and Wear.Why a digital CCTV Project?The size of this security project scheme madea conventional analogue CCTV systemimpractical. All pictures from all cameras aredigitally recorded. A digital recording serverwas situated within a secure equipment roomon each station. Monitoring of the live pictureswill take place at the Local Authority CCTVcontrol rooms where they have local criminalknowledge due to their operation of a formertown centre CCTV system for many years. EachLocal Authority will be restricted to thestations in their area, although the system willallow them access to any station should anemergency arise. Recorded data will bereviewed on a dedicated workstation at theassociated Local Authority CCTV control roomvia a dedicated IP link provided by the OTNtransmission system. This level of freedom andflexibility for distributed video managementcontrol is unique to integrated digital CCTVtransmission systems.Security over OTNVideoWallIntercomConsoleIntercomSwitchDoorIntercomACC(AccessControlPanel)SecurityManagementSystemIPM (Input Module)OPM (Output Module)RIM (Card Reader Module)DigitalVideo/AudioRecorderOpen Transport NetworkHR DataBaseServerSecurityMgmtClientBadgingClient12_issue 3