Heifer International's megapixel video surveillance system improved thanks to the combination of panoramic viewing and day/night options, expanding coverage and improving image quality.
by Arecont Vision*
Heifer International, in Little Rock, Arkansas (USA) works with communities around the world to end hunger and poverty, as well as take care of the planet. Heifer donates livestock and offers training to help underprivileged families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways.
This non-governmental organization refers to animals as "living loans" because, in exchange for their livestock and training, each family agrees to donate one of the animal's offspring to another family in need. The impressive facilities at Heifer's global headquarters in Little Rock combine art and eco-innovation and serve as a testament to its goal and desire to end hunger and poverty and care for the planet.
The design of the building allows natural light to enter and, through the use of sensors, the lighting is adjusted during cloudy days and at night. Heifer's headquarters holds the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification granted by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The challenge
Heifer International was in the process of expanding its facilities and needed a surveillance system in a new warehouse. When designing the system, it was impossible to overlook the flaws of the existing system. The previous analog system had been problematic and expensive in terms of maintenance, and its design and implementation proved poor.
The client was looking for a solution based on a better technology to meet the surveillance needs in the new building and to improve the existing system. Four weeks were spent on additional consulting and design to ensure that the new system was effective.
Megapixel solution
When opting for IP cameras, the end user and integrator took into account several well-known imaging technology providers before deciding on Arecont Vision as a megapixel camera supplier for the new surveillance system. The image quality and panoramic view functionality of Arecont Vision, in addition to the good design quality of the camera software, were particularly attractive to them. Another point in favor of Arecont Vision was the compatibility of the cameras with the most prominent network video recorder (NVR) platforms, which provided the flexibility needed to meet customer needs.
"Analog solutions are not among our resources," says Zachary Wirges, President of Genesis Datacom LLC, the integrator. "In today's world, IT professionals make security decisions in their work environments. We want to make sure we provide a solution that is well suited to IT and offers abundant features that are useful to IT staff."
Genesis Datacom is a new player in the field of structured cabling, but the company's employees have an average of 15 years of experience, as reflected in their certifications and impressive resumes. The company emphasizes excellent service to customers, with no exceptions, and has set itself the goal of becoming the first integrator of structured cabling systems and IP technology in the state of Arkansas. The company is not limited to the laying of cables, but goes further and offers applicable and robust IP solutions, including the Arecont Vision megapixel cameras, which are "cutting-edge devices" on the network.
Heifer International's new system provides surveillance to three buildings and cameras are monitored at a central surveillance station. The IP-based system also makes it possible for various departments to monitor their areas, according to Tom Spinnato, facilities and IT specialist at Heifer International.
"Arecont Vision offered the most robust features, and the panoramic options are beyond impressive," says Wirges. "The customer easily appreciated the quality of the product, which allowed the design to focus on performance and versatility rather than price." Wirges and Neil Jones designed the video system and performed the installation.
Currently, Heifer International uses three H.264 cameras of 8 megapixel day /night Arecont Vision AV8185DN SurroundVideo®. These cost-effective cameras are designed for applications where mechanical PTZ (spin-tilt-zoom) devices would otherwise be used or multiple cameras would be needed to see large areas. Each SurroundVideo camera offers surface and ceiling mount options, an ENVIRONMENT-adapted housing with IP66 approval and a 5.5-inch polycarbonate dome that does not require any external housing.
Arecont Vision's AV8185DN is an 8-megapixel panoramic H.264 PI H.264 camera that incorporates four 2-megapixel CMOS image sensors that can be switched between day and night manually or automatically to provide 6400 x 1200 pixel panoramic images at 5.5 frames per second (fps). The panoramic view can also be adjusted to lower resolutions to provide faster frame rates, such as images of 1600 x 1200 pixels at 22 fps or images of 800 x 600 pixels at 88 fps. The sensitivity in low light conditions is 0.2 lux at F2.0. The 180-degree panoramic camera can replace up to 24 analog cameras. Among its features are image cropping and up to four areas of interest.
In addition, Heifer International uses an Arecont Vision AV365DN camera, which is an 8-megapixel H.264 day/night SurroundVideo® camera with 360-degree panoramic view. The rest of the features are similar to those of the AV8185DN model.
Heifer also uses the Arecont Vision AV2825IR camera, a 1080p MegaView H.264 Full HD camera that includes an IR illuminator. The megapixel camera is housed in an integral cylindrical housing with IP66 vandal-proof approval. The camera also includes a 4.5-10mm IR-corrected varifocal optics and the IR illuminator has 48 infrared LEDs for an IR distance of 25 meters (82 feet). The camera provides up to 24 frames per second in 1080p mode and has an integrated heater and fan.
Other Arecont Vision cameras incorporated into the Heifer International system are two Arecont Vision AV3155DN cameras, which are integrated 3-megapixel H.264 network (IP) MegaDome cameras, with IP66 approved optics and dome that provides images of 2048 x 1536 pixels at 15 fps and with a light sensitivity of 0.2 lux to F1.4. Features of the camera, with fully integrated optics and housing, include a 1/2" CMOS sensor and Arecont Vision's MegaVideo® image processing at 80 billion operations per second. The camera uses H.264 compression (MPEG 4, Part 10) to minimize bandwidth and storage needs, while maintaining real-time image resolution. The day/night (DN) model has a motorized IR cut filter.
Finally, four MegaDome® H.264 Arecont Vision AV1355 IP cameras provide 1.3 megapixel (1280 x 1024 pixels) images at 32 frames per second in a fully integrated camera, with optics and dome. The cameras have similar characteristics to those of other models. The light sensitivity of 0.1 lux to F1.4 allows for low-light viewing and recording.
All cameras use PoE (power-over-Ethernet) technology and there are fiber connections between the network switches. Two GW-500 Gateway systems from Next Level Security Systems provide network video analysis and recording.
Megapixel Advantages
The superior image quality of megapixel video has played the most important role in solving surveillance system problems at Heifer International. The expanded coverage areas and day/night options of the Arecont Vision cameras also contribute to the achievement of a successful and effective new system.
The very high level of detail of the image gives Heifer International the confidence in its surveillance system that they previously lacked. "Now we can see areas of the campus that were not previously covered and acquire the necessary information to deal with any event that may occur," explains Wirges. "The system can clearly capture faces, license plates, vehicle details, physical details and even capture video in low light."
The image quality and digital zoom capabilities of Arecont Vision cameras far exceed analog technology and allow Heifer International to retrieve usable video. Combined with recent cost reductions in NVR storage and network switches, the use of fewer cameras allows Heifer to make the move to high-quality video at minimal cost.
The megapixel imaging technology represents a significant improvement in system functionality compared to standard resolution cameras. In addition to lower bandwidth and storage requirements, the use of megapixel cameras significantly reduces costs related to other elements of the system, such as fewer software licenses, fewer optics, and reduced man-hours required to install the system.
Arecont Vision collaborates with several NVR vendors, such as Next Level Security Systems, to ensure seamless system integration using Arecont Vision megapixel cameras. Arecont Vision also collaborates with technology partners for tighter integration with complementary products, such as servers, storage and other systems, making the integrator's job even easier.
*Arecont Vision is the leading manufacturer of high-performance megapixel IP cameras and associated software. Arecont Vision's products are manufactured in the U.S. and offer the low-cost, low-cost, massive parallel image processing architectures MegaVideo® and SurroundVideo®, which represent a huge leapfrog over traditional analog and network camera designs. Integrated products, such as the MegaDome®, MegaView™ and D4F/D4S series, provide easy-to-install solutions. The compact JPEG and H.264 camera series are well suited for low-cost solutions. These innovative technologies allow Arecont Vision to deliver multi-megapixel digital video at a better price than VGA IP cameras.
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