Public spaces - Walsall

Walsall control room relocation

Account manager - Eamonn Murphy

System installed - Hybrid IP CCTV system and control room relocation

Details - Relocation of the Walsall Council CCTV control room to the new dedicated control room at WMCA

Introduction

TIS was contracted to relocate the public space CCTV system for Walsall control room, which consisted of 89 analogue cameras monitored via leased fibre-optic video circuits from BT. The existing Walsall control room was to be decommissioned and relocated from Walsall to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Summer Lane facility.

The challenge

Walsall Council had recognised that many of its legacy cameras and the command and control infrastructure were in need of replacement – either as part of a phased upgrade plan, or as a one-off change. Walsall Council was also aware that the GUI video management system (Genetec), along with the analogue matrix, were at the end of their useful life and were in need of replacement.

Our brief was to connect all of the Walsall cameras to the powerful I-Comply Control System already installed at the WMCA CCTV control room. I-Comply is a flexible software solution that gives full control over the operator workstations with simplified screen layouts and intuitive system control.

How we did it

The project involved upgrading the existing recording and command systems to the latest Veracity recording platform, whilst retaining the analogue camera assets in the field together with the existing BT RS1000 circuits.

We achieved this transition using an economical Axis digital encoder, providing a simple migration path for the legacy analogue cameras to an IP network-based, modern and robust surveillance system. We proposed the economical Axis Recorder due to the long lifecycle expectations, relatively low service and maintenance costs and low running costs.

In order to support the additional cameras from Walsall Council's control room, we installed a centralised recording solution within the WMCA CCTV control room to accommodate them, extending the existing Veracity Coldstore by a further 60Tb.

Our consultative approach to working with Walsall Council outlined a long-term camera upgrade path, providing capability for migration to full IP once transmission infrastructure changed to an IP platform in the future. In the meantime, we recommended and installed Hanwha Techwin hybrid cameras, known for their high quality performance on both IP and analogue platforms.

What we delivered

Working closely with Walsall Council and WMCA, we supported their vision of implementing a streamlined and centralised CCTV control centre, migrating and upgrading the infrastructure within the agreed upon timeframe of three years.

We ensured that the new cameras proposed were the best available and most suitable for the brief and through our extensive links within the supply chain, we were able to help reduce costs for the client, a key consideration when working with tight Government budgets. By providing Walsall Council with a hybrid camera option, we enabled a longer term camera upgrade path with capability for migration to full IP in the future, which supported Walsall Council’s strategic plans.