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IP Cameras Fly High In Space Museum
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A full-fuselage trainer is the crown jewel of the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, Seattle. Although the museum was unable to acquire a retired space shuttle orbiter, the trainer is very similar. The FFT was used as a test bed for upgrades to the shuttle fl eet and for astronaut training such as extra-vehicular activity (EVA) and emergency egress.
During their design and manufacture, the space-travel-related artifacts at the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, Seattle, were top-security projects closely guarded by NASA. Now watchful eyes again protect them and the entire interior and exterior of the newly constructed addition to The Museum of Flight campus. This time, however, some of those “eyes” are IP-based video cameras from Samsung, Ridgefield Park, NJ. Ten Samsung IP cameras, tied into the Museum of Flight’s existing video management system (VMS), help ensure the physical security of the new facilities, artifacts, staff, and visitors. Video from the cameras is used to monitor all activities at the new Space Gallery, including reviewing incidents on the premises to prevent future occurrences, searching for children separated from their parents, and providing a visual deterrent to crime. Video also enables visual inspection of exterior doors to confi rm the status
Low-light capabilities meet surveillance needs at high-tech museum.
reported by the building’s access-control system.
Brandon Knutson, security and safety manager at the Museum of Flight, considered other network camera brands for the new facility but concluded that Samsung cameras offered the same or better features at lower prices. “The image quality is on the top end compared with our other IP cameras,” said Knutson. “Also, the Samsung organization and their local representatives have been genuinely interested and committed to this project.” Other factors in the decision were Samsung’s broad product line, the cameras’ lowlight capabilities, and embedded content analytics.
New cameras expand surveillance
Samsung cameras installed to watch the Space Gallery building include three SNB-5000 1.3-megapixel HD box cameras with Samsung SLA-M2882 auto-iris varifocal lenses, used to monitor a public entry, service entry, and admission sales counter. Another three 1.3-megapixel, HD, vandal-resistant, fi xed-dome cameras, Samsung SNV-5080, monitor public entries; one is mounted on the exterior of the building to monitor an additional entry point.
Two SNP-3301H interior H.264 network pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) dome cameras mounted at opposite corners of the Space Gallery allow security staff to monitor any violations of established visitor and staff expectations. Two additional exterior vandal-resistant PTZ dome cameras, both Samsung SNP-3120V, sit high on the building’s exterior to monitor parking and the Airpark, an outdoor area with several signifi cant aircraft, including a Concorde supersonic
passenger jet, the fi rst jet-powered Air Force One, and the prototype Boeing 747.
Eight of the Samsung IP cameras are power-over-ethernet (PoE) models with power supplied by a 16-port Altronix (Altronix Corp., Brooklyn, NY) NetWay 16M mid-span. A Pelco (Pelco, Clovis, CA) 24-V power supply powers two exterior PTZ cameras. Knutson created the system specifi cations and design using the museum’s request-for-proposal process; Aronson Security Group (ASG), Renton, WA, provided the system drawings, installation, and integration.
In addition to security benefi ts, the Samsung cameras also boost operational effi ciencies. After hours, video helps to verify the identity of vendors when providing remote access to the Space Gallery. Customer-service staff benefi ts from the ability to monitor the size of lines at admission counters and to call upon additional service agents as needed. Remote surveillance also enables the staff to confi rm the status of tables, stages, and other equipment for private functions.
Part of a larger system
The Museum of Flight is a mid-sized campus comprising several buildings. The security staff monitors the video-surveillance system on a regular basis and the system is always recording to post-incident review. Other museum departments have live access to select cameras using their desktop PCs for operational purposes.
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The videoof storage for the ten surveillance system is Samsung cameras and managed using OnSSI six other IP cameras NetDVMS software and nearby. The system uses Ocularis client software, off-the-shelf PCs and 19- both manufactured by to 42-inch LCD screens On-Net Surveillance to monitor video. Systems Inc., Pearl River, All equipment uses NY. The OnSSI NetDVMS uninterruptible power video-management supplies and emergency system runs on two generator backup. Microsoft servers located to minimize network What comes next traffi c. Each server uses The museum has onboard HDD storage standardized the use of for live and archived IP cameras moving forvideo. An on-board ward. IP also provides RAID controller provides superior image detail redundancy for the over analog. Knutson operating system and said he sees a “sweet applications. The main spot” balance of image components of the quality and bandwidth network are linked by consumption with 720p fi ber and subcomponents HD images provided by are linked by network 1.3-megapixel cameras cabling. There are 51 The exhibit includes the FTT’s cargo bay with the inertial upper stage (upper left) and using H.264 comprescameras in all, including a Hubble 2 space telescope (center right). sion. IP cameras also 21 IP-based cameras provide easy camera and 30 analog cameras set-up and settings conconnected through video encoders. trol using a Web browser.
The Samsung cameras all head-end to a The video system is not integrated with local network room where they are connected other systems, but the museum has wired door to a managed-network switch. A Dell server in contact switches and sensors to the alarm inputs the same equipment rack provides 4 terabytes on nearby IP cameras. This confi guration allows the camera to send an email whenever a sensor is triggered. Finally, IP cameras provide easier expansion by using Cat-6 cabling to the nearest network switch and PoE for camera power. The cameras have been invaluable in monitoring exterior doors as contractors and visitors come and go. “The security challenges we anticipate are people crossing physical boundaries around exhibited artifacts, tampering with the artifacts, and too many people occupying the building at one time,” said Knutson. Such application will likely use the onboard intelligent video analytics of the Samsung cameras, specifi cally the crossing-line and disappearing detection rules. Inside and out, the Space Gallery has stateof-the-art security equipment to protect artifacts that were once extremely high tech. With the assistance and protection provided by the security system, those artifacts will be available to the public even as the system that protects them progresses in the future.
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