IP Video Protects Famous Boston Marathon

  • May 02, 2008

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest, most prestigious and widely viewed sporting event in the U.S. The 26-mile course runs through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline, to the center of the city of Boston. This year the event, ran on April 21, attracted over 20,000 registered runners and more than one million spectators.

The magnitude of the event requires a dramatic increase in safety measures to provide event and crowd management, as well as to limit the potential for threats during such large events in one of the Department of Homeland Security’s designated Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) regions.

Galaxy Internet Services, having successfully built and managed the Brookline, Mass., border-to-border wireless mesh network and Boston's metropolitan Wi-Fi network projects, provided secured access to video surveillance cameras utilized by law enforcement and public safety officials.

The Integrated Wireless Surveillance System (IWVS) powered by Strix Systems Edge wireless mesh network technology enabled "live" viewing and recording of multiple cameras during the event. In addition to feeding the video to various fixed and mobile command centers, Brookline's Emergency Operations Center served as host to several state and local public safety agencies.

The IWVS, a rapid deployment platform, supports 802.11a, 4.9GHz (DSRC-C), 802.11g and 99 percent of all available PTZ cameras. The IWVS radios are self-configuring and allow flexible radio assignment for any client/backhaul configuration desired with automatically secured/encrypted Wi-Fi backhaul access to the wireless mesh network. IP video is switched at high-speed supported by Strix Virtual/One and Strix Priority/One capabilities providing high priority for video with Quality of Service preserved through the wireless mesh network.

Live video and recording management is enabled by the Axis IP video surveillance cameras and client-server application of choice: Milestone Systems XProtect platform.

Connectronics of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a Strix Systems value added distributor specializing in custom integration of products and enclosures, incorporated Axis Communications PTZ video surveillance cameras into the deployed Integrated Wireless Video Surveillance Systems (IWVS).

Galaxy installed the IWVS on light poles and routed the video traffic over its WiFi network. Securitas, a worldwide leader in security, provided the integration of the easy-to-manage Milestone Systems XProtect user interface and server hosted by the Brookline Police Department.

"Strix's IWVS camera systems were a resounding success," said Officer Scott Wilder, Director of Technology for the Brookline Police Department. "This will revolutionize the way we handle the marathon and other large events. We can quickly deploy these cameras for temporary use in key areas without the concerns that accompany other video surveillance solutions."

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