Sydney Harbour Bridge

Bridging the Gap

Fiber-optic solutions helps Australian city manage traffic, incidents

In the days before fiber optics, certain surveillance applications simply weren't possible—or too expensive to even be considered feasible.

In the past, that would have been the case at the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia, where a fiber-optic solution from Infinova is now linking cameras to the city's video depot, miles away. West Gate is Australia's third-longest bridge, stretching a total of 8,473 feet across the Yarra River. The beautiful cable-stayed bridge, which was built in the 1970s, is twice as long as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Mark S. Wilson, Infinova's vice president of marketing, said the city chose Infinova because the company has completed many high-profile projects throughout Australia and Asia. The installation was finished in the first quarter of 2009.

"This bridge is just one of many major infrastructure projects that have turned to Infinova fiber optics for more efficient, quality transmissions of images," Wilson said. "Since high-performance surveillance systems require greater reliability and increased throughput, the leaps forward in CCTV system technology have increased the demand for Infinova fiber optics."

Keeping Watch

The West Gate Bridge installation includes an Infinova N3731 Series fiber-optic transmitter, which transmits one digitally encoded video channel with a bidirectional RS-232/RS-422 contact closure and DIP selectable data over one or two fibers.

The transmitter receives video from the PTZ dome camera on the bridge and delivers it to the West Gate Bridge Depot via fiber. Another N3731 Series transmitter collects the video at the depot. This enables security officers to monitor traffic and react quickly to any incidents on the bridge.

Video from the bridge is simultaneously distributed to an Infinova N3790 Series transmitter for transmission over a single fiber to Melbourne City for remote monitoring. Meanwhile, the transmitter sends PTZ control data to the dome cameras via fiber. As a result, officers who are several miles away can view and control the PTZ control function of the cameras on the bridge.

"[Prior to the new installation], there was a former surveillance system on the bridge, but it was a very basic set-up with limited coverage," Wilson said. "Authorities wanted a system that would let them see all parts of the bridge at all times in order to ensure orderly traffic flow and catch any pedestrians not authorized to be on the bridge."

Infinova's N3790 Series is a digitally encoded, expandable and flexible fiber-optics transmission system. Data formats support RS-232, RS-422, twowire/ four-wire RS-485, Manchester/Biphase and contact closures. The transmitters use CWDM technology to transmit up to 64 channels of NTSC, PAL or SECAM video, 32 channels of audio, 32 channels of data, 32 channels of contact closure signal or eight channels of intercom.

The Future of Transmission

Around the globe, the demand for high-performance surveillance systems—which require greater reliability and increased throughput—has in turn led to a greater demand for fiber optics. At the West Gate Bridge, for example, fiber optics better preserves the quality of video signals, providing a high level of security, transmitting at higher data transfer rates, operating at distances five times greater than coaxial cable and leading to lower signal losses, strong data protection and a longer life for the system.

"Because of the importance of this bridge, it was imperative to get more signals from the camera end to the monitor end over greater distances and in harsher environments," Wilson said.

The fiber-optic system also allows the bridge operators to leverage other, lesser-known benefits. For example, they are able to avoid problems with electromagnetic interference, radio frequency interference, cross-talk, lightning or ground loops.

"They also don't have to worry about short circuits, sparks or fire hazards with fiber," Wilson explained. "In addition, the large signal-carrying capacity of optical fibers makes it possible to provide not only many more signals, but also more sophisticated signals than could never be handled by a comparable amount of copper wire."

Wilson said the city of Melbourne plans to expand the system in the future, but the additions have not yet been finalized. For now, the city and its residents can know that its impressive bridge is safe and secure.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.