Enhancing city safety with video
Almere is ranked the 8th largest city in the Netherlands. To enhance city living, officials in the City of Almere undertook a major city-wide security upgrade. They now use Genetec Security Center, with Security Center Omnicast™ video management system, to monitor over 120 cameras from a central control station.
The company
The City of Almere is ranked the 8th largest city in the Netherlands. With a population just under 200,000 citizens, Almere is considered one of the main cities in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Because of its growing popularity, Almere recently undertook an expansion plan with the objective to “provide an integrated solution for environmental consideration, while attaining optimal levels of quality of life, comfort, and social, economic, and cultural values.”
The challenge
City official wanted to heighten safety for residents and businesses, without disrupting daily lives. While they had an existing video surveillance system, the City of Almere was looking for a state-of-the-art solution that would be able to expand in phases as the urban center grew. The City also wanted an open-platform video surveillance system which would offer centralized management and real-time monitoring from a brand new central control station.
The solution
Centralized city view
Operators centrally manage video cameras from a new command center. City management and police can also access video and pool resources in a nearby crisis center during emergencies.
Efficient map navigation
Operators use the map interface, Plan Manager, to locate cameras nearby and access live video within moments. Camera icons on the map show the best views when responding to the incident.
Intuitive video bookmarking
Operators attach notes and tag event categories such as ‘theft’ or ‘from vehicle’ to bookmarked video. These tags can be used later to facilitate speedy searches and to generate reports.
Privileges that protect privacy
The city sets granular user privileges so that only those with authority have access to specific cameras and functionalities. This ensures citizen privacy and chain of custody for evidence.
“We are very pleased with the Omnicast video system. It has enhanced our views of the vast public spaces that we aim to protect and our ability to respond to any event in the timeliest manner.”
Jaap Kroese, Account Manager for Camera Surveillance, City of Almere
Results
Today, city operators are use Security Center with the Omnicast system to manage over 120 IP cameras throughout the city. All video is sent back to a new surveillance center, which is located in a building called “De Voetnoot”. The video management system’s ease of use has been most advantageous for the City of Almere. From a surveillance room, five workstations are running the Omnicast system and video feeds are projected onto an expansive video wall.
Operators easily navigate through the system, swiftly prompting specific camera views on the video wall during an emergency. From a technical hub, police supervisors can efficiently export video evidence to help build cases against perpetrators. Video is also accessible from a situation/crisis room with another video wall. This allows city management and police to congregate if ever more critical events require a full consolidation of resources.