In early October 2011, Panama hosted the 39th edition of the Baseball World Cup. In order to ensure the safety of the participating teams, the local authorities decided to modernise the security system.
By American Dynamics*
In the four stadiums where the tournament would take place, VideoEdge network video recorders were installed, as well as the unified victor client of American Dynamics.
At that time, the Baseball World Cup was one of only two major world championships authorized by the International Baseball Federation. As the regulator of "bat and ball" sports, this entity is the only organization that can award the title of "World Champion" to a baseball team delegated to represent a nation.
The tournament, organized by Panama, brought together 16 teams from around the globe, with representation from countries such as Germany, Italy, the United States, Panama, Japan, Greece and Cuba, to name just a few.
Before the tournament began, Panamanian officials invested more than 10 million U.S. dollars mainly in the improvement of baseball fields, stadiums and accommodation for the 16 teams. The stadiums remodeled were: Rod Carew, from Panama City; Rico Cedeño, from Chitre; Omar Torrijos, de Santiago de Veraguas; and Remón Cantera, from Aguadulce.
While Panamanian officials made a huge investment in improvements to baseball fields and stadiums, they also understood the need to improve surveillance at the four stadiums that would be used for the tournament, in order to ensure the overall safety of players and spectators alike.
Officials wanted to add both IP and analog cameras to significantly increase the number of surveillance cameras located at each location and install a new video recording system and integrated management system. Additionally, the security updates made in each stadium had to be suitable for other public and sporting events that would take place in the future.
To lead this project, the organizing committee of the tournament went to the local systems integrator, Advanced Systems Supply, from Panama City, to design and install the surveillance system in the stadiums. Advanced Systems Supply has been in the security industry for more than 14 years, has extensive experience in a large number of applications, among others, casinos and several important supermarket chains in Panama.
The solution
According to Jorge Murillo, director of design and installation and project manager of Advanced Systems Supply, the main objective was to implement a solution that would be used in each venue of the Baseball World Cup, but at the same time allow the use of these systems in future sporting events.
The previous systems that were installed in the stadiums were quite limited. In the case of Rod Carew Stadium, there were fewer than 20 cameras for the entire complex. It was imperative to install a more modern and effective solution.
For Advanced Systems Supply, this was the largest IP camera project it had had to date, and it faced the challenge of performing the installation within a very short period of time.
The system integrator chose several video solutions from American Dynamics, including VideoEdge's network video recorder, in combination with victor unified client software. Together, these systems would allow stadiums to record and manage IP video.
Murillo explained that the installation had to be done in just two weeks, which further complicated the project. "We had worked with VideoEdge and victor before, but this project was larger than the other projects we had executed," he said. "Due to the number of locations, the project was a bit more difficult, but we achieved the result we were looking for, namely the satisfaction of our customers."
In Murillo's opinion, the coverage of the system, with more than 100 cameras installed, was what made this a standout project.
Overall, the project included the installation of victor unified client software, VideoEdge network video recorders, 85 Illustra series bullet-type IP cameras, 60 SpeedDome Ultra 8 cameras, and 20 SpeedDome IP camera modules, 5 Intellex Ultra digital video recorders with 1 terabyte of storage, and 30 Intellex digital video management systems with 250 gigabytes of storage. Advanced Systems Supply installed domes that cover different areas more effectively.
"The goal was to maintain control without any incident. If something happened, the plan was to be able to quickly search the recordings and identify the problems," Murillo explained.
Gil Fabrega, manager of rod carew stadium in Panama City, expressed his overall satisfaction with the video solution that was installed. "The quality of the definition and resolution is very good, even in shots of very first shots. And the customer service has been excellent after the purchase," he said. "At first, as with any system, we requested minor adjustments to adapt the solution to our needs to which the company responded in less than 24 hours."
Because all stadiums are managed independently, surveillance and control of each is managed locally with a monitoring station adapted for each location.
VideoEdge's network video recorders were used for the storage of video surveillance material. The video management system includes 32TB of integrated and external storage and 10TB for backup storage.
Video monitoring is achieved through the victor unified video management solution. "During the baseball tournament, we were able to monitor all the events and quickly conduct the necessary searches," Murillo said. "victor is extremely intuitive and allows stadium administrators to view video and manage data from each camera."
Powerful doesn't necessarily mean difficult
Although the security solution that was provided to baseball stadiums in Panama was undoubtedly powerful, it was also very user-friendly, a perfect match.
The administrators of each stadium worked closely with the systems integrator, Advanced Systems Supply, to efficiently manage the flow of the thousands of people who attended the baseball tournament while supporting and coordinating video surveillance. "Our role was to manage video surveillance so they could control public safety," Murillo said. "If an incident occurs, we could immediately provide them with the video material for them to review."
Fabrega, of Rod Carew Stadium, stated that the new surveillance system has proven to be very positive for its facilities.
"The system has provided us with greater support for public safety," he insisted. "Having two people dedicated exclusively to the control room, who can view the entire stadium from a single location helps us mobilize police units more quickly in the event of an emergency."
* For more information visit the website www.americandynamics.net or contact, through your email, [email protected] Ariel Levinson.
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