Video surveillance for the protection of historical monuments.
The issue of ensuring the safety and security of historical monuments and funds of cultural institutions in our country is always relevant.
Most experts agree that at the moment, cultural institutions are some of the least protected objects in Russia, despite the fact that their value cannot be adequately assessed — they are so important for our cultural heritage.
Most at risk are various monuments and obelisks, statues and fountains — carriers of historical, architectural and artistic value, since not a single city from among those that are called open-air museums can be mothballed.
It is necessary to develop effective forms of preventing and counteracting manifestations of vandalism!
Installation of access control and video surveillance systems is a priority task for solving the problems of ensuring the safety of museums and historical monuments.
Video surveillance systems will allow visual monitoring of not only the interior premises of objects, but also the adjacent territory, because the specifics of protecting cultural heritage dictate a combination of the object and environmental components of the security complex.
A video surveillance system integrated into a security complex allows avoiding constant patrols of the territory and premises, the need for continuous monitoring of all objects simultaneously.
This allows us to minimize the number of security guards needed to monitor and service the facility, while increasing the quality of security, since museums and exhibition halls do not always have the necessary resources, and at the same time have increased security requirements.
When building a video surveillance system for historical heritage sites, it is necessary to take into account a large number of nuances that are typical for such sites.
The installation of a security system should start from the roof, i.e. the windows and doors located in the upper parts of the building are taken under protection, since half of all robberies take place on the upper floors.
To solve such problems, it is most effective to use outdoor high-speed cameras, such as Ai-SD28 or Ai-SD99W.
Models of this type combine all the advantages of outdoor cameras (water and dust protection, operating temperature range from -55C to +55C) and have advanced functionality: the ability to set programmable routes, multiple optical zoom and autofocus.
High-speed cameras are a universal solution for panoramic surveillance tasks at sites of various scales and allow detecting intruders even in the adjacent territory.
The fact that museums and galleries are located in historical buildings and architectural monuments adds complexity to the installation and assembly of a video surveillance system.
If the building design does not allow for cable laying in a particular place, in order not to spoil the facade, there is a need to install masts for surveillance cameras. The design of auxiliary devices — brackets and fasteners — will also be of great importance.
Of course, one external video surveillance system is not enough for the effective protection and defense of historical heritage sites.
Considering the specifics of the work of museums — to give people the opportunity to enjoy looking at the picturesque creations of geniuses — it is necessary to ensure the safety of the exhibition without restricting access.
For this purpose, video surveillance cameras must be installed in halls and storage facilities.
For placement in museum exhibition halls, one of the features of which is bright artificial lighting, it is recommended to choose cameras with a wide dynamic range, such as Ai-WD99 and Ai-DC99.
It is also worth considering the presence of a backlight compensation function in the video camera, which will help to obtain an informative image of the object, even if it is against a bright light background.
In the foyer, in order to record the faces of visitors, it is usually sufficient to install two or three high-resolution color cameras, such as the Ai-DC59 or Ai-BU49S.
Information from the cameras should be sent not only to the security service monitors, but also to the administrators on duty, since, often, only they can adequately assess the probable damage that certain actions of visitors may cause to the masterpieces.
To improve the efficiency of protecting cultural values and historical monuments, intelligent systems are needed that allow monitoring both the presence of objects in a certain place and the appearance of foreign objects and people in the field of view of video cameras.
It is also necessary to use video surveillance systems with motion sensors, infrared detection or a laser scanning detection system.
Video surveillance systems play an important role in preventing potential robbers from entering.
At the entrances to the museum there should be a monitor where everyone entering should see their image on the screen and understand that they are under surveillance.
Thieves and robbers often reconnoiter the situation before committing a robbery, but if they understand that they have already been filmed, then the likelihood of committing a theft is sharply reduced.
Video surveillance systems should be a mandatory requirement for the protection of historical monuments and museums.
The presence of such systems helps to detect danger in time and take appropriate measures to prevent crimes and acts of vandalism.