Counter Intelligence and Vicon Industries teamed up to install an urban security system in the municipality of Huxquilucan, Mexico. These two companies told us about the considerations to take into account when making this type of installation.
by Alejandra García Vélez
The growth of video surveillance is undeniable, there are already many cities that implement systems of this type as a tool to increase security on the streets. In that sense, we can mention some of the large cities such as Madrid, London, New York and Paris. Precisely, the municipality of Huixquilucan, State of Mexico, is one of those that has joined this trend. Fernando Flores, from Counter Intelligence, the company in charge of the project, shared the details of the process carried out to make this installation.
First of all, it is important to note that an urban video surveillance system was installed that is composed of PTZ dome cameras, mounted on poles specially designed for operation, which are connected wirelessly to a control and command center, where the events that occur in the municipality are monitored, while being interconnected with state and federal security agencies.
"The project has its origins in the need of the municipality of Huxquilucan to provide its inhabitants with an urban video surveillance system that would allow the authorities to react in a timely manner to security events," Flores said.
The representative of Counter Intelligence Mexico, also said that the municipality has a very special geo-social configuration, since very contrasting socioeconomic areas coexist, in addition to having a very complex orography since it is an area with many mountains and valleys that hinder the transmission of video signals.
Installation Details
This project was led by the architect Mark Abady, president of Counter Intelligence Mexico, together with the Director of Public Security of Huixquilucan, Mr. Gerardo Oyervides. They were in charge of designing the configuration of both the control and communications center and the location of the cameras. In addition, there was the collaboration and advice of the State Security Agency of the State of Mexico, as well as technical support and certification by the National Polytechnic Institute.
When going into details of the installation we find that the system is based on urban video surveillance cameras, these devices with digital processor, allow to send the digital recording wirelessly to the control and command center, where the monitoring of all the monitored areas is carried out. In addition, as we mentioned earlier, the system is related to the Control, Command and Communications Centers of the State Security Agency and the National Security System, which allows coordination between different levels of government in case of a crisis situation.
As for the cameras, these have horizontal and vertical movement, they have an optical zoom that allows to zoom in on the image up to a distance of 1.5 kilometers. They are connected to a radio frequency transmitter, which by means of an array of antennas transmits live images to the control center; these images are stored on servers that have redundancy to guarantee the integrity of the information, in such a way that the database can be consulted to perform intelligence activities.
Another element that makes up the installation are the virtual matrixes that allow to control and visualize the cameras according to the specific needs of surveillance, and modify them constantly according to the way in which the needs determine it. "Any operator can control the cameras according to schedule, special events and emergencies," Flores said of this aspect.
Finally, the platform allows users to access and identify recordings by camera number, date and time, motion detection, among other elements, which supports the activities of the authorities.
The challenges
The monitoring process carried out with these teams has staff day and night, 365 days a year, dedicated to monitoring and reacting to situations that endanger citizens. They also support the authorities to know in detail the performance of the groups with which they interact as civil protection personnel, medical emergencies, or transit; it is also a support tool during operations carried out in case of natural disasters or accidents.
In reference to the challenges that were presented at the time of making the installation, Flores indicated that "the installation of this type of systems is extremely complex, since it goes from selecting the best location for the cameras, the best means of transmitting the information and the configuration in the control and command center appropriate to the needs".
The products, key point
The representatives of Counter Intelligence Mexico responsible for this project did not hesitate to highlight the importance of the support of their suppliers for success; among them, Vicon's urban video surveillance equipment stood out.
The CCTV cameras are of IP technology (Internet Protocol), in addition to the characteristics that had already been mentioned, these equipment have a robust construction that is ideal for operating in extreme situations of heat, cold, water and wind, since they were specially designed for urban surveillance and outdoor work. Not in vain have they been selected to operate in the National Security System (Plataforma México) and the State Security Agency of the State of Mexico, in addition to being certified by the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).
On the other hand, the Vicon Net software allows you to operate an infinite number of installed cameras without having a geographical limitation. Among its functions, there is to program the camera to record based on events, such as motion detection or pre-set alarms. Similarly, its flexibility is ideal to be able to distribute the operation control of the cameras among different operators, without limitations in the design of distribution of cameras for each of them.
"This powerful combination of a camera specially designed for urban surveillance tasks and robust management software, with storage capacity and redundancy systems to ensure the integrity of information, are the ideal complement to operate in a Command Control Center," said Vicon representatives.
And they added that "it is important to take into account that behind all this, there must be an expert consultant, such as Counter Intelligence Mexico, to design the technological architecture and define the geographical points for the installation of the equipment, that is - the places where they achieve the greatest impact to guarantee continuity in the emission and reception of the image, in addition to establishing the appropriate operating processes within the C4".
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