Touchdown!
NFL stadium installs surveillance system
Lambeau Field is the first outdoor football stadium
built for the exclusive use of the NFL's Green Bay
Packers, winners of 12 league championships.
Lambeau Field was voted the No. 1 stadium in atmosphere
and fan experience by a Sports Illustrated online
poll in 2007.
A $295 million reconstruction of the facility updated
the stadium and added more premium and suite seating,
while preserving the famous and original seating bowl.
The renovation project was completed in 2003, bringing
the seating capacity to 72,928. In order to prevent and
control the damage caused by destructive elements while
also protecting football fans, Lambeau Field selected a
NUUO surveillance system to monitor the stadium.
A Hybrid Solution
The centerpiece of the stadium is the Lambeau Field
Atrium, a 366,000-square-foot, five-story structure. To
monitor this large-scale field, the authorities decided to
adopt the NUUO hybrid system to support security personnel
to guard the area. Replacing the previous system,
the hybrid system integrates the older analog cameras
with extensions to the new PoE IP cameras.
The hybrid system increased the video quality from 5
to 15 frames per second and uses a low bandwidth and
storage size to improve the archive storage—from one
day on the old system to two months. The hybrid system
manages 150 cameras at a time, including 70 IP cameras,
through an HVR virtual matrix to five LCD monitors,
which provides security guards with a clear and fast
image, while assisting them to ensure a safe environment
throughout the stadium.
Centralized Control
The HVR matrix and NUUO hybrid system control 150
cameras to reduce damage in the stadium. The centralized
control allows security personnel to monitor all
areas of Lambeau Field, including the main field,
entrances, parking lots, retail stores, restaurants, the
basement and ticket booths. Although the distance
between the cameras and the guard room is considerable,
the control center is able to react quickly to control any
incidents during football games.
The user-friendly software also allows users to integrate
with other IT solutions and devices. Lambeau
Field can hire fewer security officers with IT backgrounds
to monitor safety and, thus, reduce the cost of
security guards.
NUUO software allows the control center to monitor
and operate Panasonic IP cameras. Security officers can
control the PTZ camera functions remotely from the
guard room, using a mouse and keyboard to select IP
PTZ cameras to monitor the environment and all situations
on the main field, in stores and in restaurants.
Remote live viewing enhances efficiency and improves
security officers' ability to control incidents and respond
instantly to any and all problems.
Officials at Lambeau Field plan to install more
cameras in the future. A central management system
could help the stadium achieve an overall security
solution as a result of stable and open platforms.
Multiple monitors and flexible Windows support,
unlimited client access and an
embedded remote playback application
are some of the impressive stats
that highlight Lambeau Field.
This article originally appeared in the May 2009 issue of Security Today.