Greater Baltimore Medical Centre (GBMC) has upgraded its aging analogue CCTV and access control to a fully integrated security solution using IndigoVision’s IP Video technology. The 281-bed Facility is located within Towson, a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, and manages somewhere around 27 thousand inpatients and 60 thousand emergency room visitors annually.
After the previous CCTV system and access control were becoming end of life, GBMC looked to system integrator Tele-Tector of Maryland, Inc. for advice. They recommended an incorporated solution utilizing Software House Ccure access control system and IndigoVision’s IP Video.
Commenting about the achievements with the project, Steve Cohen, GBMC Director of Security, said, “The new system is rock solid with fantastic video and has transformed our surveillance operation. The integration to the Ccure access control is a key component as we can now centrally see what is happening in real time and react via radio to security in the vicinity. This is important for patient and staff safety.”
At the centre of the set up is IndigoVision’s ‘Control Center’ Video Management Software (VMS). This permits employees to observe live and recorded video plus consolidates the alarms through the access control system in to a single graphical user interface. The access control system is interfaced to the IP CCTV using an IndigoVision HLI, specifically produced for the Ccure product. Tight integration really helps to significantly boost operator reaction times in the event of an incident. Alerts raised within the access control system are immediately visible in ‘Control Center’ and will automatically trigger numerous events. For instance, a camera could be panned to a preset position to view a door involved and simultaneously display recorded video just before the alarm – allowing operators to watch both the run-up to the incident as well as the live situation. IndigoVision has continued to develop over 20 integration modules to interface to the most widely used access control products in addition to systems such as intruder security, EPOS, building management and license plate recognition.
IndigoVision’s product is based on a distributed and scalable architecture that doesn’t demand a centralized server. Any portion the system, i.e. camera, video workstation or Network Video Recorder (NVR) can be located at any point on the network without increasing bandwidth on the IP network. GBMC has benefited from this, as Cohen explains:
“The intuitive user interface of ‘Control Center’ allows us to deploy video workstations for both medical and security staff. In addition to the security teams, various departments have their own dedicated workstations allowing them to monitor their own areas. This gives us the ability to quickly track down missing patients, respond to incidents in public areas and locate expensive equipment. We can also share video with the police by exporting evidential quality clips for use in court or investigations.”
The flexibility of IP Video has allowed GBMC to migrate the existing CCTV system over a period of 4 years, to accommodate budgets and the hospital’s operation. All of the original 110 analogue cameras have been re-used and connected to the network using IndigoVision’s encoder modules. The ease with which cameras can be added has resulted in an additional 67 IndigoVision IP cameras being added to areas such as waiting rooms, lobbies and hallways. A further 21 cameras are planned to complete the coverage. Tele-Tector is also working on installing a wireless point-to-point camera system at the main security gate entrance, utilising IndigoVision’s High Definition(HD) cameras for clarity in license plate recognition.
