Ohio City Runs IP Video System On IT Infrastructure

  • Jul 15, 2010

Milestone XProtect Enterprise Video Management Software is providing centralized management for the city of Dublin, Ohio. City management and IT staff built the installation on the unified Milestone platform with its open architecture running on an IT infrastructure.

The ease of use for employees has reduced operation costs for the city and the wireless network flexibility helps officials manage security for changing events.

Through well-managed growth, Dublin has preserved its historic past with many of its original buildings listed in the National Register of Historical Places, as it grew into a thriving business and residential city. The Dublin Division of Police is committed to working with residents and businesses to improve the quality of life in Dublin: numerous community-based programs and services are available, designed to ensure added safety and protection to citizens in the city.

The earlier analog surveillance in Dublin did not provide clear video evidence, so officials installed a wireless IP video system with the help of Milestone Partner Northwestern Ohio Security Systems. Milestone XProtect Enterprise is running on two HP Proliant Servers with 14 Terabyte HP storage arrays, Cisco network infrastructure, and about 60 network video cameras from Axis and IQeye megapixel cameras from IQinVision.

“We are known in Dublin for innovative thinking and leveraging technology to improve the city,” said Jay Somerville, technical services bureau director at the Dublin Ohio Division of Police “Milestone and Northwestern are a perfect match for the entire solution, and the Axis cameras have been great, as well. The network mapping and wireless approach allow us to use the cameras remotely from the central station.”

Dublin, Ohio is the host to many large events that create an influx of people. The city has a population of almost 40,000 and on any given day it can balloon to well over 70,000. The city is home to many large corporate headquarters such as Wendy’s, and large events such as the Irish Festival. The Memorial Golf Tournament is an annual PGA event that features the tour’s top field of players and is a huge draw for the city.

Dublin’s previous solution to crowd and parking lot monitoring was dedicated police officers on motorbikes all day. With the new wireless surveillance they found the solution of sending a URL to the police force with the live feed of an incident to be much more efficient.

Somerville explains that it was less expensive to install an open IP video system as opposed to ‘forklift’ upgrading the pre-existing analog system.

“It’s amazing: I saved a significant amount of money because the system ties in everything on one common platform,” he said.

He went on to say that management from the Justice Center, the police department and other public facilities all concluded that the open platform format was the most cost effective and future proof solution.

“With Milestone we knew that we could build on what we had and we would not have to rip out the entire solution that was already in place,” Somerville said. “Nobody likes proprietary solutions; Milestone is great because it is an open platform that is beyond easy to use. All my employees are able to use it and it has made training on my end much easier, helping with the efficiency of the city.”
 
The police and other city officials all have access to the Milestone client interface: 61 police and 17 dispatch personnel are using it currently. Sharing information is a much more streamlined process.

“Milestone is so flexible…the fact that all my employees use Milestone and can mix and match cameras is great,” Sommerville said. “The operational cost is less because the training is reduced. Milestone cannot make the system any easier…we just hyperlinked the html version to the live feed, and they love the windows GUI.”

Technical Manager John Kostelac of Northwestern Ohio Security Systems, who helped implement the solution, explained that the remote access has been a key feature for the city.

“It can only be described as seamless, in fact, users at the remote locations do not even realize that the servers are in a central location,” he said

Dublin started with the network cameras at the Dublin Recreation Center and the Dublin Police Department, converting the rest of the city buildings over the course of the next two years, with further plans to add video-integrated access control. Somerville explains that the installation with Milestone and Axis has been such a success that the school district is also looking at implementing the same solution.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services

  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

Most   Popular

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.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • 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.