Data Capture
Outdoor shopping plaza unifies security and marketing data into a unified video system
- By Steve Birkmeier
- May 01, 2017
A large, outdoor shopping plaza
located in a major city in
Italy is home to a wide array
of retailers, restaurants and
kiosks designed to meet the
varying needs of consumers across the region.
The shopping center is located in close vicinity
to a major highway, increasing its profile
and popularity with locals and visitors.
With a large amount of people visiting
the facility on a daily basis, there is a focus
on ensuring a high level of safety. Shopping
areas, in general, are faced with the challenging
goal of maintaining a safe and comfortable
environment. There is no one-sizefits-
all approach to security, and therefore,
individual centers must continually update
and refine security plans and work closely
with law enforcement partners to ensure a
comprehensive approach to safety.
With this in mind, the leaders of this shopping
plaza determined it was time to consider
updating its security posture and specifically
sought to evaluate how the deployment of
intelligent technology could augment existing
security and monitoring efforts, and the
capabilities of on-site personnel.
Stakeholders began exploring new tools
to gain additional insight to realize a more
proactive approach to identifying suspicious
activity. Leaders reached out to its trusted
systems integrator to begin to explore the
benefits of a new technology deployment.
After in-depth discussions and evaluation, officials
determined that an integrated software
platform with video and business intelligence
capabilities could enhance situational awareness,
improve emergency preparedness and
response, expedite investigations and help elevate
the shopping experience. Additionally,
stakeholders specifically sought out a scalable
solution that would not only help ensure
a safe and secure environment but could scale
and grow as needs evolved over time.
The shopping center previously relied on
an antiquated CCTV system, which consisted
of approximately 45 analog cameras managed
by a single DVR. This set-up did not
allow the organization to share video and
security data efficiently, or tap into the benefits
of networked solutions. It also did not
provide officials with high-quality video that
could be used reliably for forensic purposes.
After a testing process in which the shopping
center tested a bevy of video management
solutions, it selected Arteco video
event management software as the backbone
of its new video surveillance initiative. Additionally,
stakeholders decided to maximize
its existing investment, transitioning analog
cameras with encoders, and installing new
high-resolution IP camera in high-risk areas.
One of the key features of the Arteco
NEXT software platform is its ease-of-use,
said plaza officials. Leveraging intuitive
graphical maps, NEXT provides security
operators with an easy-to-use software solution
that consolidates third-party devices
and notifications, easing management of
live and recorded events for efficient resource
deployment.
Beyond ease of use, the functionality offered
by Arteco Next, particularly its built-in
video analytics, delivers a level of protection
that isn’t available with traditional video
management systems. Operators can now
access analytics to set up virtual trip wires
within the frame of the cameras to automatically
trigger video recording when motion is
detected. The plaza also wanted to keep track
of vehicles entering and exiting the property
to not only improve security but to eventually
be able to create a database and easily
identify the license plates of any suspicious
vehicles. Arteco LPR is used to help manage
access to the eight vehicular gates, strategically
placed at ingress and egress points of
the shopping plaza’s perimeter.
“When we met with Arteco and our systems
integration partner, it became clear that
we required a system that would easily integrate
the old and the new systems, and provide
us with new layers of intelligence to be
more proactive. This approach allows us to
maximize existing investments while allowing
us to transition to newer, more advanced
technology over time,” the shopping center’s
manager said.
Beyond the security and safety benefits,
the shopping center has found new uses for
its video surveillance system. Arteco NEXT
is being used to generate in-depth reports
that detail business data, such as peak shopping
hours and traffic flows. The shopping
center’s leaders commented that Arteco
NEXT’s streamlined interface enables operators
to tap into a wide array of potential
uses and enables the facility to take advantage
of the full capabilities of the system
and realize new levels of
security and business intelligence.
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Security Today.