IndigoVision’s IP Video technology provided the platform for the entire CCTV system at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The system, spanning the entire Olympic site, consisted of 500 cameras managed by ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s enterprise video & alarm management software. The system was designed and installed by Elsag, one of Italy’s largest system integrators, and represents the second Olympic Games protected by an IndigoVision solution, following on from the success of the 2000 camera system at Athens in 2004.
Each camera was connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver module which encoded the analog signal into MPEG-4 digital video, which was then transmitted to several security command centers via the IP network. Site-wide video recording was achieved using IndigoVision’s Windows based Networked Video Recorders (NVRs). Recording and playing back high-quality 25 fps video, the NVRs were installed independent of camera positions, in various locations around the network providing a high level of redundancy – a recording solution that cannot be achieved using traditional DVR technology.
The ‘Control Center’ software and the network combined together to create a ‘virtual matrix’ that ensured the correct camera feeds were available at the appropriate command centers. ‘Control Center’ also provided all the management and analysis of recorded video from the NVR. Video analytics were used to automate the low-level scene monitoring functions, freeing the operators to monitor higher risk areas.
By implementing a CCTV system based on IP Video technology the organizers were ensured a high-degree of flexibility. Existing cameras could easily be moved and new cameras added if needed. All that was required was a connection to any point on the network. This type of wide area CCTV surveillance is just not possible using traditional analog equipment – IP Video was the only practical solution.
