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OnSSI camera management system provides central control for metropolitan Savannah’s Wi-Fi video surveillance system

Advanced monitoring and analytics capabilities enable more effective law enforcement and cost savings.

With the rising crime rates in Savannah, GA, beginning to have a tangible impact on the safety of residents, tourists and the local economy, local government and law enforcement officials sought new solutions to their growing problem.

Like many cities across the country, Savannah turned to public video surveillance systems as a counter measure.  They selected Tropos® Networks as the wireless broadband network vendor and their solution partners including On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc. (OnSSI), the market leader in intelligent, open architecture IP-Based Video Surveillance software solutions.  OnSSI's contribution to the comprehensive IP video surveillance system includes camera management, recording and archiving, and a control room video-wall management solution.

"Similar to Tropos, OnSSI is based upon industry standards which made them the ideal choice for this project," said Denise Barton, Tropos Networks Marketing Director.  "OnSSI offers a comprehensive IP-based management solution that is full featured, and provides an easy to use GUI.  Both OnSSI and Tropos provide highly reliable, scalable solutions so that as the City's needs expand and change, their IP video surveillance management system and network foundation can evolve with it."

IP video cameras were installed in key locations throughout the city and connected to the Tropos MetroMesh routers to provide law enforcement officials with real-time video monitoring capability for crowd control and live viewing of suspicious or criminal activity around town.  This capability has effectively reduced police response time without the need for additional law enforcement officers on the street.

Video from all cameras is recorded and delivered to users using OnSSI's NetDVMS enterprise-class management solution software.  In the control room at central command, OnSSI's NetSwitcher enables instant access to video from any camera, which can be routed or automatically pushed on-event to any video wall monitor or networked PC.  NetSwitcher eliminates the need for matrix switching hardware and allows full utilization of high-resolution IP cameras by providing digital PTZ on live and recorded images. 

The system's touch-screen user interface utilizes dynamic maps for intuitive navigation to sites, facilities and individual cameras, eliminating the need for camera codes or groups.  This allows for efficient monitoring of the entire camera system by fewer operators, as well as faster training, leading to reduced manpower and operational costs.  NetSwitcher also incorporates video content analytics for automated detection of exceptions, such as motion into restricted areas, loitering, crowding and more, and can integrate seamlessly with access control and physical security systems.  Operators located in separate control rooms can be jointly manage all alerts via a shared dynamic alerts list.

"This has been a very successful and positive implementation of a public video surveillance system and we are pleased to contribute to the overall solution," said Gadi Piran, President and CTO of OnSSI.  "As proven in many applications around the world, this system has enabled efficient law enforcement with faster response times and, most importantly, improved public safety."

In addition to OnSSI and Tropos Networks, NetMethods provided design and installation services, while Axis Communications provided IP cameras.