15 Jul 2011
 
 CBC's AllView optical camera for animal research 
World leading surveillance systems manufacturer CBC (Europe) Ltd has helped protect the Institute for Animal Health's (IAH) Pirbright Laboratory site in Surrey. Pirbright is one of two national campuses currently operated by the IAH - a centre of excellence for research into diseases of farm animals. It works to enhance the UK's capability to contain, control and eliminate viral diseases of animals.

CBC provided the equipment as a "one-stop" supplier, following a recommendation to the IAH's Head of Security, Lee Caines, by AECOM, a global provider of professional technical and management support services tasked with overseeing the security measures. CBC's turnkey contract includes internal and external surveillance cameras, infrared lighting, control room equipment including LCD monitors and HD recorders, plus ancillary hardware such as keyboards, camera housings and brackets.

Tony Pullen, Associate Director within AECOM's Advanced Security division, explains that having admired CBC systems including its Ganz C-AllView cameras, in action at various locations including Aylesbury town centre, he was subsequently impressed with equipment demonstrations arranged by CBC's Business Development Executive, Frank Bullock.

Mr Pullen adds that CBC's equipment replaces an ageing colour/mono CCTV system and increases the extent of monitoring coverage both internally and externally: "We particularly wanted to use cameras to look along the site perimeter fence lines and our client required high quality images. That's why we specified equipment including CBC's Ganz C-AllView 530TVL optical cameras using both 18x and 36x optical zoom capability, as well as CBC C-AllView Night Vision cameras using their integrated infrared illumination."

External and internal CBC cameras have been installed in phase one of the Pirbright project, surveying the 20-acre site and its campus buildings. Internally, CBC's ZC D4000 dome cameras are monitored from the main control room, where systems including Digimaster 16-channel real-time DVRs have been deployed. CBC has also supplied 19" high-resolution LCD monitors for the control room operators to view images. The control room operation is backed up by ‘slave' remote monitoring facilities within the site's gatehouse, to assist the 24-hour manned guarding team and ensure resilience.

"The CBC cameras provide particularly good quality images and we're very pleased with the equipment, which has exceeded our expectations. CBC has been supportive with product training and we're very happy with the company's input

Camera images are transmitted via a fibre optic network, except for a handful of CBC's fixed and PTZ units monitoring a car park area. These cameras are situated on the other side of the site's main access road, making it a costly task to lay cabling beneath the roadway. Working in conjunction with AECOM and installation company Frontline Security Solutions, CBC provided a more cost-effective solution using a wireless radio link for transmission and control of these units.

Lee Caines explains that fibre optic transmission and analogue cameras were specified because of the requirement for high quality images in addition to system durability and equipment reliability. "Our fibre optic backbone provides us with the option of changing to IP cameras if IAH strategy dictates in the future and means we have ‘future proofed' our system."

Mr Caines adds that he's very satisfied with the Institute's new surveillance system: "The CBC cameras provide particularly good quality images and we're very pleased with the equipment, which has exceeded our expectations. CBC has been supportive with product training and we're very happy with the company's input."