Market Focus: Public Events & Venues

Dec. 13, 2010
A roundup of recent unique security applications and installations

Centrum Properties Roosevelt Collection Project

The Centrum Properties Roosevelt Collection project, a luxury urban residential, retail, entertainment complex in Chicago's South Loop district, has deployed Altronix's HubWay UTP Transceivers, which provide an integrated system solution to send high-quality video over long distances via structured cable.

The Roosevelt Collection comprises two eight-story 342-unit residential lofts, a two level retail plaza, a 16-screen movie cinema and an enclosed 1,500-vehicle, three-level parking garage. M&R Electronic Systems was the winning bidder for the video surveillance and security (i.e., card access, alarm, etc.) system, which called for approximately 100 cameras to be installed throughout the two-block city square complex covering approximately 1.3 million square feet.

"The long cable distances and the absence of a building-wide local area network prohibited us from using IP-based cameras, and due to the significant number of cameras being deployed, installing individual coax and power cables for each analog camera would have been very expensive and labor intensive," said Chuck Augello, Senior Project Manager, M&R Electronic Systems.

The transceivers come in a range of models capable of transmitting high quality video up to a mile with several units that also provide camera power. They support 16 and 32 cameras with features like auto picture and gain control, and compensation for video polarity. The units are designed in a compact 1U 19-inch EIA rack that can also be wall- or shelf-mounted.

Red Bulls Arena

North American Video (NAV) has completed the installation of a state-of-the-art physical security system at the newly built Red Bulls Soccer Arena. Located in Harrison, N.J., the arena is equipped with a mixture of fixed and pan/tilt video surveillance cameras and a card access system with local alarm monitoring at the security command center to help ensure the safety and security of the fans and players.

"Red Bulls Arena is one of many large entertainment venues that require a specialized security solution," says Jason Oakley, NAV's CEO.

The 25,000-seat arena features 55 video surveillance cameras that are installed both inside and on the perimeter of the building, with many at dizzying heights. As many as 25 doors are equipped with access control card readers that feature alarm monitoring for added security. Two security command centers were also part of the design and installation to allow for everyday system monitoring as well as for game days when more intense monitoring is required.

The Red Bulls Arena is home to the New York Red Bulls Soccer Team, a member of Major League Soccer (MLS). The design of the arena, which is on par with major soccer stadiums around the world, features a roof that extends past the field's touchlines and provides coverage from inclement weather.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The City of Vancouver recently deployed the Avigilon HD Surveillance System during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to provide situational awareness to city emergency management staff and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in their effort to maintain public order and safety at the main pedestrian corridors in the city's downtown core while respecting the privacy of individuals.

Facing an influx of millions of visitors during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the City of Vancouver recognized the need for a real-time situational awareness tool that could provide all agencies with an up-to-the-minute view of what was going on in key areas of the city, including Granville Street, Robson Street, and Hamilton/Mainland Street in the city`s entertainment district.

"The system gave us a bird's-eye view of the downtown core during the Olympic Games, unobtrusively delivering the situational awareness we needed to ensure public order and safety while maintaining privacy rights," said Kevin Wallinger, director of emergency management for the City of Vancouver. "With the Avigilon surveillance solution in place, we gained faster access to critical information that we used to mitigate potentially difficult situations."

More than 20 cameras - including 11MP and 16MP - were installed in the area, along with analog video encoders and cameras with integrated IR illumination. Many of the installations were connected to the network via the City's fiber backbone.

Emergency Operations Centre staff managed the HD Surveillance System using Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) with HD Stream Management on five workstations and stored up to 21 days of footage on four servers. Additional workstations were set up at the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver Transportation Operations Centre for added monitoring.

TCF Bank Stadium

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers' TCF Bank Stadium features the Schlage L-Series mortise locks (mechanical and electrical) and maglocks, Von Duprin power supplies, LCN closers and auto-equalizers, Steelcraft doors and frames, Ives accessories, and Glynn Johnson overheads from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.

"Owners and managers of sports stadiums are taking the necessary steps to secure their stadiums against potential threats, including catastrophic incidents," says Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Director, Business Development Mark Moran, who is also chair of the Board of Advisors to the Center for Spectator Sports Security Management at the University of Southern Mississippi. "TCF Bank stadium has focused on spectator and player security so fans can simply enjoy their day at the stadium, root for their team and get home safely with their families."

Opened in Sept. 2009, the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium's open-air horseshoe design allows a capacity of 50,800, which includes general seats and an impressive array of premium seating. All seats are housed in a collegiate look and feel that complements the campus environment. The total cost was $288.5 million, which includes site preparation, the stadium itself, and district improvements.

Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios of Florida has deployed Hikvision's H.264 compression cards as part of custom-assembled PC-based recorders monitoring camera footage across a leisure site that includes the world's biggest McDonald's and attractions such as Springfield (home of "The Simpsons") and a "Jaws" harbor.

Faced with theft and vandalism in their gaming locations where petty thieves prey on parents who may be distracted while attending to children, park officials decided to deploy continuous high-quality video footage.

The dual-stream video compression cards, installed by integrator National Security Inc., offers H.264 (MPEG-4/Part 10) real-time video compression. These units also allow audio compression in the open-source Ogg Vorbis format. The cards provide end-users who need to examine footage closely with display resolution of up to 4CIF.

The Hikvision compression cards are core components in custom-built PC-based video recorders that are empowering staff at the resort's guardhouse with comprehensive footage of the 160-acre site. Universal security staff can store video clips in high-definition display (HDD) as well as transferring data to removable media. With many large facilities employing a mix of analogue and IP-addressable cameras, the cards facilitate a hybrid solution.

The resort works closely with the Orlando Police Department, which uses the CCTV images for evidential purposes when securing convictions.

Target Field

Target Field - the new home of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins - opened in April 2010 with stainless steel portable SLT turnstiles and Quick Queue retractable belt stanchions from Alvarado.

The facility had two requirements for its crowd control equipment. First, it wanted turnstiles to control entry, but the turnstiles needed to be moved out of entryways in the middle innings to create larger exit paths for fans leaving the ballpark. Second, once fans entered the stadium, Target Field needed stanchions to manage concession lines.

Another major requirement was that the products needed to be portable. Target Field needed the ability to move turnstiles and stanchions to match fan traffic during the course of the game.

The turnstiles are designed for high-traffic use, but are light enough to allow staff to easily move the turnstile. The SLT controls patron entry. Local and computerized remote entry counting is available.
The Quick Queue's 4-way head supports belt connection in any direction, and tight fitting sign holders are available.

2010 Tour de France

The T3 i-Series electric stand-up vehicle (ESV) from T3 Motion Inc., was in prime position at the finish line for this year's 3,642-km Tour de France cycling competition. The Paris Prefecture of Police deployed two of the vehicles to assist with crowd control and public safety at the conclusion of the race on the famed Champs Elysees in the French capital.

The CE-certified T3 i-Series ESV provides significant advantages to public safety agencies including a strong command presence, increased force factoring, visibility over crowds for the rider, a zero-degree turning radius, and a configuration that allows movement through crowds as well as access to constrained spaces like walkways and elevators.