A commanding view
Operators at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha are benefiting from 'virtual' patrols of the museum's galleries through an intuitive user-interface from Synectics that gives them control over each of the 431 CCTV cameras situated around the site
As part of a multi-million pound construction project the 45,000 square metre Museum of Islamic Art that dominates Doha’s harbour now features the latest in high-end security and surveillance, the keystone of which is a comprehensive Synectics CCTV command, control and digital recording system.
Each museum in the Qatar area must adhere to the code of practice of the Qatar Museums Authority, which has outlined a security blueprint for all new museums in the area, with four other national museums scheduled to be built in the harbour area over the next few years.
Bruce Haigh, general manager of security installer SIS Security who carried out the installation, highlights some of the challenges they faced. “ We wanted to specify a flexible and high performance control solution that would be capable of integrating hardware from a number of manufacturers, and present them in a single, integrated point-of-control for the operators. After extensive product comparisons, we recommended the use of Synectics SynergyPro software command and control system, in combination with a Synectics Modular Digital Recording (MDRS) solution has been selected by SIS Security for the recently opened Islamic Arts Museum in Doha, Qatar.”
Security operators can now view and control 431 cameras covering all aspects of the facility via the SynergyPro interface, which says the company, gives operators a single route to all common system functions. From the purpose built, on-site control room, the security team can monitor high-resolution images from all internal and external aspects of the museum. This allows operators to ‘virtually’ patrol the galleries of the museum, instantly alerting the manned-guard security team to any incident via the associated radio link.
Should the need arise to track individuals through the gallery network, operators can switch cameras via specially constructed maps of the museum displayed on the SynergyPro interface. Visually displaying the locations of all cameras, operators can switch cameras simply by touching them on-screen. This allows for intuitive tracking of individuals throughout the museum, contributing to an economical operator workload and overall effectiveness of museum security network. Artefacts displayed in the museum’s diverse galleries are secured via an RFID tagging system; this means any movement of an artefact triggers an automatic response via the SynergyPro system, automatically switching to the nearest camera to the incident and capturing any subsequent movements. SynergyPro also displays any associated incident triggered images on the control room video wall. Using ‘Black wall’ technology, SynergyPro makes decisions based on the alarm inputs it receives from third party interfaces (eg from an access control system), and displays only the cameras that need operator attention. The ‘black wall’ technology provides visual confirmation of any activated alarms around the museum, providing instant confirmation of any potential incident, from an open fire door, to a threat to the museum’s exhibits. Supported by manned guarding tours, control room staff enjoy equally comprehensive coverage of the exterior of the building. Here SynergyPro alerts operators to any suspect movements that occur within a specified distance from the museum’s waterside, via integration with the facility’s radar tracking system ( see page 32 ). Its incorporation into the SynergyPro interface means targets can be tracked and viewed without any user interaction, alerting operators to a situation via the control room’s video wall, displaying and tracking any potential threat, and again allowing the correct level of response to be deployed. Access to the museum is controlled via a comprehensive access control system. Again integrated into the SynergyPro system, full access details from any of the 30 intercom-controlled doors and 114 card access points are stored along with the accompanying visual camera footage. Here, a comprehensive surveillance network is critical in order to verify this information, invaluable in any retrospective investigation, it shows instantly, who entered the museum and when. Time-stamped footage is available to confirm any pedestrian traffic, from any time period, at the touch of a button via the Synectics SynergyPro and MDRS.
Recorded on-site via 90 terabytes of Synectics Primary Storage Node (PSN) storage, footage for retrospective investigation can be instantly recalled at the touch of a button from any of the SynergyPro workstations. Any visual information required for off-site investigation can be downloaded to digital media such as DVD. ncluding all supportive data, and encrypted using the latest MD5 hashing code to ensure its integrity, this footage is also admissible should any future prosecution be necessary. As the planned additions to the network of museums are built, each of their control rooms will be connected to the Qatar Museums Authority’s headquarters. These additions will see Synectics technology used as a keystone of a security network deployed to protect some of the world’s most valuable and important treasures.
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