GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS
When an emergency incident happens, it is imperative that authorities in the Middle East are able to accurately access what is happening on the ground and provide directed information to the general public in terms of where is and is not safe as part of a timely evacuation and response process, writes Salim Idris , general manager (Middle East) Dedicated Micros
With the widespread nature of installed CCTV infrastructure across most urban areas and large scale sites, at Dedicated Micros we recognised that there was real potential to utilise this resource to deliver an intelligent emergency response capability. The result of extensive research and development is a revolutionary solution that can transform our NetVu Connected CCTV systems into a sophisticated emergency messaging and mass notification system.
This recently launched capability is receiving plaudits worldwide, with widespread interest expressed by city authorities that have been shown the solution. Already its groundbreaking features have helped it to secure a prestigious IP in Security Innovation Award for ‘Best Software Product’ category at the IIPSEC 2009 exhibition held in Coventry, England. Where the Middle East is concerned, visitors to Intersec 2009 in January were some of the first security professionals and end users in the region to see a demonstration of the solution which certainly proved to be a real focal point for activity on the Dedicated Micros stand.
Situational awareness
When deployed our award-winning emergency messaging system (EMS) provides authorities, police and end-users with an unparalleled situational awareness and two-way communication capability with specified assets should a major incident or a disaster occur; there is also the potential to generate revenue through a mass notification system (MNS) and, simultaneously, to continue to perform the surveillance tasks required to secure any facility.
The leading edge emergency messaging and mass notification system, developed by Dedicated Micros and our parent company AD Group – takes advantage of the inherent ability of all NetVu Connected systems to support a local display output and communicate over an IP network. Normally this is used by an operator to view scenes from a CCTV system or, if positioned in a public area, to provide a sense of security that they are being monitored and to act as a deterrent to criminals. Now, with Dedicated Micros’ emergency messaging and mass notification system, it is possible to offer the police, authorities and other users, through the already established CCTV infrastructure, the ability to create a two-way communication system unlike any other mass market system.
Directed communication
In practical terms, the system comprises NetVu Connected systems installed within a transport infrastructure (such as airports or a highway network), in buildings around a university campus or even across a city. As all of these NetVu Connected systems are addressable, the solution allows operators to identify all units in a given geographical area and pinpoint them for precise, directed, communications. For example this could be to receive a message initiator through the use of a graphic user interface such as Pick-a-Point, or through a simple SMS or even an FM radio broadcast in the event of a disaster.
The beauty of the intelligent EMS and MNS solution is that NetVu Connected units in the field when receiving such a message can determine their GPS position in relation to an incident and respond accordingly – this may mean that a different message is displayed on screen as a result. A powerful rules engine also helps to determine whether the initiator received is of relevance. The system has been designed to be user friendly so text or rich media messages can be created dynamically by the operator and displayed on screen using an interface that has been built on open platform web technologies.
Return on investment
A key commercial advantage with the emergency messaging and mass notification system is the low cost of implementation because it is able to leverage the initial investment in NetVu Connected equipment and network to deliver additional capabilities. Also any subsequent display infrastructure costs can be offset against the benefit of general information display or even direct advertising revenue.
As the NetVu Connected systems used in the solution have a unique identifier they can be located and messages tailored to the scenario, providing actionable results to a diverse range of recipients this is in stark contrast to many other solutions which are non-discriminate and broadcast to all devices. The scope of the solution is truly impressive; all IP connected units have the capability to become a messaging display such as a single NetVu Connected camera like the CamVu 2000. In fact even systems that are not being used for CCTV surveillance (such as an IPTV unit) but feature a compatible codec, such as that supported by our sister company ChipWrights’ latest 5361 visual signal processor, can be added.
Two-way communication provides situational awareness and up-todate assessment at remote locations, including the current location of mobile assets. For added flexibility there is also the ability to integrate the emergency messaging and mass notification system into mobile devices such as a PDA or mobile phone through transcoding (this allows the video streams to be compressed and transmitted over low bandwidth links). Other non-NetVu Connected products can be readily integrated into the solution eg PA/audio systems.
The right message for future emergencies
Looking to the future, I believe that there is considerable potential for the deployment of the emergency messaging and mass notification capability in the Middle East. Winning the ‘Best Software Product’ category in the IP in Security Innovation Awards was certainly indicative of the industry-leading nature of this approach that we can now offer in conjunction with our NetVu Connected surveillance solutions.
Ultimately, the key factors which make our emergency messaging and mass notification system stand out include: the potential for largescale situational awareness and two-way communication with specified assets. There is also the ability to leverage the initial investment in NetVu Connected equipment and the network to deliver additional capabilities and, crucially, the opportunity to offset additional costs against the benefit of general information display or even direct advertising revenue. Another key differentiator is that NetVu Connected systems have unique identifiers so they can be readily located and messages tailored to scenario/audience – unlike competing approaches. Finally, transcoding means that the solution can even be integrated with mobile devices (PDA/mobile phone) for the display and triggering of messages.
■ For more information tel: +971 4 390 1015/6/7, GSM:+971 50 4500 149, Email:Sidris@dmicros.com or visit www.dedicatedmicros.com (opens a new window)
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