IP video surveillance for stadiums based on Pelco by Schneider Electric equipment.
Schneider Electric in the sports facilities market
The sports facilities segment is quite successful for Schneider Electric. An interesting completed project is the MOSES MABHIDA football stadium in South Africa, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There, Schneider Electric made a fully integrated engineering system for the facility, including an integrated SCADA platform, an ACS subsystem, CCTV, etc.
A facility geographically closer to Russia is the Minsk Arena MKSC (a sports complex that includes a multi-purpose hall, a velodrome, a speed skating stadium, and a single parking lot) contains more than 800 cameras, combined on the basis of the Endura IP platform manufactured by Pelco, as well as HVAC controllers manufactured by TAC. Let us recall that both Pelco and TAC are now part of Schneider Electric.
Features of a video surveillance system for sports facilities
The video surveillance system of a sports facility must perform two main functions: monitoring and documenting the behavior of fans during sports events and round-the-clock security of the facility's buildings and structures. The specifics of sports facilities — their size and a significant number of control zones — require a special approach to selecting equipment and creating a video surveillance system.
The system must meet the following important requirements:
use of high-resolution video cameras, since it is essential to obtain not only a «general picture» but also a detailed image, allowing for high-quality photos of fans, including those from the archive;
providing «live» online video without delay. Dynamic sports games require a high degree of response from the security service. In the event of an emergency, security must respond immediately;
the ability to process large streams of video data, which is caused by the requirement for high video resolution;
the equipment must be protected from vandalism;
the system must allow for the construction of large operator rooms with a large number of operator workstations, video walls, etc.
Description and functional characteristics of the video surveillance system platform
Taking into account the above requirements and features, the most optimal seems to be the use of the Endura IP platform manufactured by Pelco by Schneider Electric (USA).
The system is based on the TCP/IP network protocol, is distributed with no dedicated servers or other critical nodes, with the ability to create an unlimited number of monitoring posts and storage centers, as well as to build a hierarchical access and control system.
Endura has no limitations on the number of cameras, the number of video surveillance posts created, or the territorial and geographic distribution of components.
The system is flexible, mobile, easily expandable and modifiable, decentralized, open and integrated with other engineering systems of the facility.
The Endura IP platform is designed to create a video surveillance system based on network protocols and Linux OS, which provides versatility and broad functionality combined with high speed, maximum reliability and security.
Video cameras
From the Pelco product line, you can select a camera for almost any task. The line includes analog and IP cameras, standard resolution and megapixel, fixed and PTZ, standard, dome, vandal-proof design, etc.
The Spectra IV IP high-speed rotating IP dome is proposed to be used as a PTZ IP camera. Spectra is the best-selling dome camera in the world. To date, more than 1 million of these cameras have been sold in more than 160 countries. The obvious advantages of this model are a wide range of models, including a stainless steel version, vandal-proof design, a model filled with inert gas that creates excess pressure, as well as a large selection of options: brackets, mounting units, built-in converters, power supplies, etc.
Available modifications include optics with an optical zoom of 23, 27 or 35 times. Operating temperature — from -51 ° C to + 60 ° C, protection class IP67.
Spectra camera optics are great for optical zoom. But it is often necessary to obtain a panoramic image of higher resolution. For example, to highlight a window with digital zoom (so-called zones of interest) against the background of the general picture of the opposite stand. In this case, it is better to use the new product – Spectra HD camera – a new dome PTZ IP camera with a resolution of 1 MP and 18x zoom.
To monitor the stands, you can use a special version of Spectra Horizont. This camera allows you to look above the horizon (by 18 degrees). This is a useful feature if you need to watch the opposite stand, for example, and the camera is not installed at the highest point.
As a small vandal-proof camera, Pelco offers the IM-V series. This is a mini-dome with a diameter of 3 inches with a metal body and a polycarbonate plastic cap, with a resolution of up to 1.3 MP, H.264 compression and a minimum sensitivity of 0.03 lux.
To protect cameras in a classic design, the Pelco line includes a wide range of vandal-proof, outdoor and special housings.
If you need to use a vandal-proof PTZ camera, we recommend using a vandal-proof Spectra camera.
Multicast
IP cameras and hardware IP encoders Pelco have the ability to transmit video information to several (unlimited) addresses simultaneously, supporting multicast network addressing protocols. Multicast is the ability of network devices to simultaneously transmit data from one source to an unlimited number of receivers. This is very important for the ability to see and record a video signal at several posts at once.
Efficient storage
Endura provides efficient storage of video recordings and real-time video recording on several servers simultaneously.
The recorders can be located anywhere, provided that the required network infrastructure bandwidth is provided.
The performance of one NSM5200 network recorder (the ability to simultaneously process video streams from various video sources) is 250 Mbps, which is equivalent to a stream from more than 125 IP cameras with a resolution of 4CIF and 25 frames per second.
Patented EnduraStor technology optimizes storage, significantly increasing recording duration while minimizing storage costs. For example, if necessary, you can record 24/7 from all cameras at 25 fps, then automatically decimate after 7 days to 6 fps, thereby freeing up significant disk space.
The NSM5200 recorders have 12 built-in RAID 6 disk drives with a total capacity of up to 36 TB per recorder, with the ability to combine up to 20 recorders into a pool.
The recorders have redundant power supplies, redundant fans for proper cooling, a RAID6 disk array that ensures the preservation of recorded video information even if two disks fail simultaneously.
NSM5200 uses a Linux-based platform, which ensures maximum reliability and security.
In the event of a recorder failure, the cameras should automatically be distributed among other recorders.
Efficient video output
User workstations receive video information from IP cameras and hardware IP codecs directly, bypassing recording devices.
There are no restrictions on the number or spacing of workstations. The system can have an unlimited number of video output devices.
The following devices are used to create video surveillance posts and workstations:
WS5070 – a hardware workstation based on Windows 7 with the ability to connect up to 2 monitors, with system administration functions, including the WS5200-MAP module, which allows displaying plans of the controlled object;
WS5200 – software similar to WS5070, for installation on third-party computers;
VCD5202 – a virtual matrix, a special solution for an operator without administration functions under Linux and with a keyboard with a joystick for controlling PTZ devices;
NET5402HD – a decoder for 2 monitors, capable of decoding up to 32 video streams. It is used to expand the operator's workspace or to create video walls.
Depending on specific tasks, video surveillance posts are formed, equipped, if necessary, with means of collective access to video information.
To ensure prompt situation management and effective decision-making, a single space is usually formed in the stadium video monitoring center with wide-format monitors installed in a video wall. Video data is output to the video wall monitors by an operator or automatically.
Video streams are output to monitors/video wall directly from IP cameras or IP encoders; video recorders are not used for video output. Video from the archive is viewed from video recorders upon request in accordance with access rights.
System Fault Tolerance
To ensure system fault tolerance, there is a mechanism for monitoring the state of system elements, as well as the ability to connect backup equipment operating in hot standby. The transition to backup equipment can be carried out automatically.
The «hot» swap mechanism is implemented both at the recorder level and at the disk level.
Mission-critical devices provide power redundancy through the use of redundant power supplies. Endura supports the UPnP protocol.