Mission
Following recent government requirements and major redevelopment, Australia's busiest airport, where annual passenger numbers topped 30 million for the first time in 2007, decided to upgrade its analogue-based video surveillance system to leverage the benefits of IP technology.
Sydney Airport Corporation sought a more flexible, scalable solution that could keep pace with its growing operations while maintaining the highest level of security and safety that staff and the travelling public expect from an airport regularly voted one of the world's best.
Solution
Sydney Airport decided to migrate from video servers to Axis network cameras. It has transitioned an analogue-based video surveillance system comprising analogue cameras over coax, to a hybrid IP-based solution with a total installation of more than 1,000 cameras.
The network cameras feed directly into the airport's Digital Video Manager video surveillance system delivered by Honeywell, a leading Axis partner. The video solution is fully integrated into the airport's existing, comprehensive security, access control and surveillance system.
Result
The migration to Axis network cameras delivers the benefits of true IP as well as time, cost, and space saving benefits. Sydney Airport has greater flexibility to configure the system to its needs, giving it access to more and better data that ultimately improves its ability to monitor and respond to issues as they occur.
Flexible, open solution meets growing needs
Safety and security is given the highest of priorities at Sydney Airport, where 77,000 passengers travel through world-class international and domestics terminals on a typical day. With a major upgrade of the international terminal planned in the near future as part of a 10 year master plan for the 907 hectare site, Australia's premier gateway is continuing a transformation aimed at meeting airport traffic well into next century.
The migration to Axis network cameras delivers the benefits of true IP as well as time, cost, and space saving benefits |
Sydney Airport's video security and surveillance systems continue to evolve too, with the organisation committed to ongoing improvements in line with airport development and the availability of new technology. The opportunity to transition from analogue cameras and video servers to an IP solution using Axis network cameras was a logical next step.
The open Axis system seamlessly integrates with the Honeywell Digital Video Manager solution. "The good thing about Axis is it's an open system that works very well with the Honeywell system. When we upgrade our products we look for additional features and flexibility to get to the point of true plug and play and these types of products achieve that," says Kyile Whyte, AVSEC Infrastructure, Technology and Systems Manager, Sydney Airport Corporation.
Greater capacity to monitor and respond
With a built-in web server and direct connection to the IP network, the new Axis network cameras do not need a direct connection to a PC or any other hardware or software to capture and transfer images. Axis video servers are still used to convert the video feeds from the installed base of analogue cameras to a digital format, giving Sydney Airport the benefits of an IP-based solution while protecting investment in existing infrastructure.
The move to network cameras has given Sydney Airport greater flexibility and the ability to capture more data and higher quality images, including the ability to work with MPEG-4 and adjust image quality settings for maximum results.
| The IP solution eliminated the need for rows of video recorders and hours of searching through tapes |
Operators can specify what types of images they want recorded and when, including pre- and post-incident recordings. They can do Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 simultaneously or have multi feeds off a single stream.
"This flexibility gives us better capacity to monitor and respond to issues as they occur and post-incident. It gives us more information and more data to make better assessments," Mr Whyte says.
Saving time and space
The move to IP has saved space and reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs because the network cameras can go straight into the network port and use Power over Ethernet (PoE) with backed up power supply via UPS in turn reducing hardware requirements. There is no need for additional hardware or to put a junction box out in the field, and old infrastructure did not have to be removed during the migration.
The solution eliminates the needs for rows of video recorders and hours of searching through tapes. In the communications room, the implementation of rack streamers has reduced space requirements by around two-thirds.
Data lifespan is longer and storage is improved and more cost-efficient with the IP solution based on Axis network cameras and video servers compared to the higher rates of wear and tear and maintenance demands of the analogue system.
"That's the direction we are heading in. Innovative products that save us time," says Kyile Whyte.