Replacing the Hodgepodge

School district reaches into the future with software and IP cameras

Covering 250 square miles in northern Brazoria County, just north of Galveston Island, Texas, Alvin Independent School District has 17,500 students and 23 schools. Its multi-building video surveillance system consisted of a hodgepodge of analog DVRs and cameras, according to the district’s technology services coordinator, Charles Colwell. While evaluating its goals for maximizing school security, the district began implementing a comprehensive video surveillance system in 2010 that was affordable, could integrate easily into its existing technology infrastructure and would be able to work with its preferred camera provider, SC Black.After coming across Video Insight at an education trade show, Colwell went to the Internet to further research the company’s VMS. Colwell evaluated case studies on the company’s website and said he was particularly impressed with Video Insight’s success in nearby Pearland ISD. Delving further into what the company could offer, Colwell discovered that it would meet Alvin ISD’s pricing and feature and expansion capability needs.

After determining this, the district selected Video Insight through a competitive awardprocess. Once the implementation began, software developers worked with SC Black to integrate the software so that it would work with the district’s video cameras: the 2.0MP BLK-IPS102M CS-mounts (including megapixel lenses, enclosures and mounting brackets) and 34x indoor IP domes.

“Video Insight currently supports more than 970 cameras from more than60 manufacturers,” said James Whitcomb, chief technical officer at Video Insight.“If we don’t support a certain camera, we will get development on itright away, as was the case in Alvin ISD and what we have done for manyother customers.”

Economical Implementation

After a successful beta-test that beganin February 2010, Alvin ISD began implementing the VMS districtwide in May. It deployed 568 SC Black IP cameras, joining the more than 200 existing analog cameras that easily integrated into the Video Insight IP software with encoders.

“The ability to work with existing equipment saved money on the project,”Colwell said. “If a campus is only 3 years old, there is no need to scrap the analog cameras we have there. We get good quality from these cameras using Video Insight encoders, so we will continue to use them until we can replace them in our next implementation phase.”

Another way the district reduced the project cost from a local contractor estimateof $2.6 million down to less than half a million dollars was using highschool and college student workers topull cable for the project and to install, mount and program cameras.

“We were very impressed by howa sophisticated software product likeVideo Insight is so easily programmed,”Colwell said. “It was so easy that I wasable to use my summer help consistingpredominately of high school studentsto work labor on the install.”

Maximizing Efficiency

Sensibly located in the center of its expansive250-square-mile district, theAlvin ISD technology center has 10 GB of bandwidth toward all campuses. Itsservers are Dual Quad Core Xeons runninginto a 30 TB Promise Array. Accordingto Colwell, “everything pipesout from here with nothing at the campuses except for a network switch and fiber link.”

This backbone effectively supports the VMS all campuses are using. Colwell has installed the monitor station ateach campus administration office and trains staff in the software so principal sand campus secretaries can access the cameras at their campus easily. Cameras are usually placed in high-traffic areas such as doors, parking lots, cafeterias and hallways. Colwell has taken the added step of installing dual display cards and dual monitors at some campus offices so users can always see the monitor station and access cameras without interrupting their work.

For districtwide surveillance, which is monitored by the Alvin ISD Police Department, Colwell has constructed an impressive video wall with 15 large52-inch monitors in the police dispatch center.

Cowell said the district maximizes the efficiency of its servers by sticking to a 10- to 15-day storage period of recorded video from all campuses. The district’s growth plan includes adding two more 15 terabyte storage arrays and servers soon, as well as deploying more SC Black cameras as analog cameras are replaced and as new construction dictates.

This article originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • 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.