Monterey Bay Aquarium Upgrades To IP Video Technology
Vicon Industries Inc. recently announced the company completed installation of a network-based video surveillance and management system for Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
The ViconNet system provides video coverage of the interior and exterior of the aquarium building, the portion of the Cannery Row tourist and shopping area adjacent to the aquarium and a nearby storage warehouse. The aquarium, built on property that abuts the Pacific Ocean in Monterey, Calif., is home to nearly 600 species of plants and animals, many of which are indigenous to Monterey Bay and the surrounding waters.
The aquarium is now protected by a ViconNet hybrid solution that combines analog and IP cameras into a single network system that may be viewed and controlled from the facility’s security operations center and from the desk of the security director.
The system includes over 60 cameras, the majority of which are 1.3 megapixel IP cameras from Vicon’s I-ONYX line. Most of the analog cameras remain from the aquarium’s previous CCTV system and use encoders to digitize the video for inclusion within the IP network. A storage area network provides extensive and secure onsite storage of recorded video. The ViconNet system is fully integrated with an access control system from RS2, one of Vicon’s integration partners, so that access control events trigger the recording of corresponding ViconNet video.
The aquarium is consistently cited as one of the top family attractions in the United States, annually hosting close to 2 million visitors from around the world. Its unique architectural design allows water from Monterey Bay to be piped through the aquarium’s exhibit tanks, creating an underwater environment that is truly an extension of the ocean itself and that can support organisms that could not survive in a standard saltwater aquarium.