Retailers are constantly reinventing themselves to compete in the current shopping landscape, where customer experience is becoming more and more important. Traditional ’budget’ supermarket giant Lidl wanted to makes changes to attract a different type of shopper to adapt. They turned to technology to streamline infrastructure and make customers feel more welcome in one of the first places they see – the underground car park. Lidl asked top distributor ADI for this, who built a solution using Hikvision products. This was implemented in two Lidl stores in France.

Challenge
Grocery shoppers are often in a hurry, and the first potential delay to their shopping, and addition to their stress, is finding a parking space. Lidl wanted to improve this in their underground car park – to make the parking experience more welcoming for customers. The people they wanted to encourage into the store were in a higher socioprofessional group and they wanted to make them see the sophistication and ease of shopping at the store.
This meant a switch from well-known ultrasonic sensor technology widely used in Lidl parking to a Parking Vehicle Guidance System (PVGS). Although use of ultrasonic sensors was familiar to LIDL, it did not afford them complete coverage of the entire parking space. So, Lidl was in the market for a fresh perspective and wanted to try a new solution.

ADI looked at Hikvision for its trust in Hikvision’s technology and products, and its ability to ‘push the envelope’ of technology. As a result, a Parking Video Guidance Solutions (PVGS) has been deployed in two brand new underground parking garages for the retail chain in the towns of Choisy le Roi and Livry-Gargan.

Solution
The PVGS solution is built from a number of products and technologies, working seamlessly together through a dedicated HikCentral Enterprise VMS module.

External Interface Parking Guidance Cameras (DS-TCP345-K/S/DS-TVG 300) were set up throughout the car park to show drivers the way to the empty spaces. The single-lens camera monitors 1 or 2 parking spaces and can see immediately when a car enters or leaves the space(s). With this information, space occupancy status can be immediately updated, changing the corresponding guidance light to green, or red, for instance. This means drivers no longer have to continuously circle the car park on the stressful search for a space.

The cameras have a dual purpose, providing video security too. In fact, 100% of parking spaces are now covered by the camera network, so the security of the car park is increased.

The cameras are coordinated by Video Guidance Terminals (DS-TPM400-P(6T)/ DS-TPM400-P/TPS), and this is all brought together using a 16 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch (DS-3E0516-E) and a General Purpose Server (DS-VE11D-C/HW01). In the monitoring center, operators use HikCentral VMS to manage the system, with HikCentral Enterprise licenses.

The entire solution is made up of Hikvision products – testimony to their flexibility and innovation. It provided an innovative answer to Lidl’s challenge, giving shoppers an easier, more welcoming way to start their shopping experience.

Mohamed El Shikby, Lidl’s Technical Real Estate Manager, says: “This new affordable system gives clear and effective guidance for our shoppers. They can immediately see parking space status on entry, avoiding wasted time and lowering risk of accident. We are confident that this will give a great first impression to all our customers, including new ones.”

This solution is scalable, so extension can be easily added by just adding new devices. It is a great example of Hikvision’s reputation as an innovative manufacturer with high quality products.

From January 1st, 2021 onwards, all Siqura activities will continue under the banner of TKH Security. The two video security solutions companies were both already members of TKH Group NV. The Siqura video security solutions are often sold in combination with the developed security solutions of TKH Security and this complete solution, according to the group, is highly appreciated by their customers worldwide. Therefore, the time has come to group all activities in TKH Security.

“By combining all activities, we give our customers more transparency and clarity in what we can offer them. Furthermore, we increase our services. For example, the contact point for all questions and orders, invoices, documentation, support tickets, etc. will be centralised. This will be much more efficient for our customers as well as our employees”, says Timme Grijpink, Managing Director of TKH Security.

The Siqura brand will be retained for the wide product range of Siqura, such as security cameras, mobility cameras, marine cameras, explosion-proof and thermal cameras, IP video encoders, ethernet switches and fibre optic transmitters. This product range is complementary to the TKH Security product range, encompassing security management, video management, parking facility management and asset & site management solutions.

With this aggregation of activities TKH Security has offices worldwide in Amsterdam, Gouda and Zoetermeer (the Netherlands), Madrid (Spain), Dubai (UAE), Singapore and Frederick (USA).

Marketsandmarkets expects the biometric system market market to grow from USD 36.6 billion in 2020 to USD 68.6 billion by 2025, at an estimated CAGR growth of 13.4%. The major factors cited by the researchers as driving the market include the increasing use of biometrics in consumer electronic devices for authentication and identification purposes, the growing need for surveillance and security with the heightened threat of terrorist attacks, and the surging adoption of biometric technology in automotive applications, and of course the impact of Covid-19.

The growing demand for multi-factor authentication means that this sub-sector is predicted to show the fastest growth over the period. This is attributed to the rising need for additional security against the theft of sensitive data, especially in government and defence verticals. Combining multiple identifiers adds an extra level of protection, making the system more effective, accurate, and reliable. In addition, a multimodal biometric system can reduce the failure to enroll (FTE) and failure to capture (FTC) rates. The rapid development of biometric smart cards for payment and identification purposes is expected to drive the growth of the multi-factor authentication segment.

Hybrid systems offer more protection
Hybrid biometric systems are predicted to grow at the highest CAGR level, because they offer enhanced safety against spoofing or forgery through multi-level authentication. In addition, many countries, such as the US, India, and the UK, have adopted multimodal authentication systems (a combination of two or three biometric modalities, using contact-based or contactless systems) for security checkpoints at country borders due to the heightened threat of terrorist attacks.

The Middle East & Africa and South America are projected to show the highest growth in terms of geography. The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world in terms of infrastructure, electronics industry, and other technological advancements. The growth of the biometric system market in the Middle East & Africa can be attributed to their unique geographic location, airport hubs, and increasing passenger traffic. The government sector is the primary investor in the biometric system market in the Middle East, mainly for the national ID projects; the banking sector is another major contributor to market growth in the region. The adoption of biometrics technology in other sectors such as residential and commercial security, healthcare, and travel & immigration is comparatively low, but it is expected to increase in the next few years.

This latest report from Marketsandmarkets cites some of the major companies involved in the development and supply of biometric systems including, Thales, Safran, NEC, Assa Abloy, and Fujitsu.

The latest update of Milestone Xprotect video management software (VMS), 2020 R3, has been engineered to take security to a new level by offering highly secure encryption from Microsoft.

Protecting sensitive data in surveillance systems is key to maintaining video authenticity, personal privacy, and adequate cyber security measures. Xprotect 2020 R3 includes a new level of encryption from Microsoft called Cryptography New Generation (CNG) that provides adherence to the highest level of cyber security and data protection on the market today. Xprotect’s new encryption modules include stronger data protection, increased cyber security, evidence authenticity and password-protected configuration. Embedding this encryption, also means that Xprotect can now be configured to operate in a FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) 140-2 compliant mode. FIPS is a U.S. government computer security standard utilised in all software solutions deployed in U.S. federal agencies and regulated industries such as healthcare and finance.

Improved search facility

Security operators are the eyes and ears of their organisation. When an incident occurs, they are expected to provide video evidence immediately. This can sometimes be a challenging task, especially for installations with thousands of cameras recording 24/7. Xprotect 2020 R3 offers a new multi-category Search function that makes finding the specific video evidence easier and faster. Multi-category Search allows the operator to combine and search across multiple Search categories such as people, vehicles, and location as well as any Search agents developed and integrated into Xprotect by third-party technology partners. As an example, operators can narrow their investigation to only contain video sequences that include blue vehicles AND male persons and exclude those that only meet one of them.

Xprotect 2020 R3 also offers expanded support for any 360-degree camera that delivers a complete round fish-eye view. According to Milestone, most customers will experience significant installation and camera cost reductions and increased situational awareness when deploying these camera types compared to standard surveillance cameras.

The 2020 R3 release contains many more new and improved features and capabilities such as improved video rendering performance in the Xprotect Smart Client, adaptive streaming for Xprotect Mobile and direct streaming improvements in Xprotect Web Client. On the cameras and devices side, Xprotect 2020 R3 includes improvements such as increased security without compromising ease-of-use, more freedom to build installations that suit customers’ needs and new device packs.

We recently wrote about SIRA certification (New Regulation Certificate of Compliance from Dubai Police/SIRA/Videoguard) for our Full HD AHD cameras and hybrid DVRs.
Today we are again pleased to announce that now Partizan IP cameras passed the tests and certified too from SIRA, Dubai.
This means that now the entire line of Partizan cameras (AHD/IP) can be used in any level and variety of projects in UAE, especially Dubai!
Only equipment of the highest quality can receive certification in the UAE, and the Partizan brand has once again proved its compliance with this title.
To order, please contact:
sales@partizanstore.eu

tel (English and Hungarian languages): +420 608 496 889
tel (Czech and Slovak languages): +420 608 880 986
tel (Russian language): +420 608886587

For UAE clients:
asme@partizan.global
tel: +971 488 72595

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology Umsicht in Oberhausen and Hörmann, a family-owned company, have developed a new type of fire-resistant glass that holds up under even extreme heat – and ported this glazing from the beaker to the production line within four years. No more toxic acrylamide, around 85 percent less process waste, a leaner manufacturing process, excellent performance – these product merits garnered the development team the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

By rights, the glazing developed by Fraunhofer and Hörmann, one of Europe’s market leaders in doors and gates, should not work. Although, according to Fraunhofer, it does, in a way that exceeds their expectations. The new fire-resistant panes do not contain carcinogenic acrylamide, so they can be processed with no toxicological risks. The production line that makes the novel fire-protection doors generates just 20 kilograms of process waste a day – far less than the 150 to 160 kilogrammes produced in the past. Production is more automated, the process is leaner, and traceability and reproducibility are ensured across the board. In the event of a fire, the glass withstands flames and heat over 1,000°C for up to 120 minutes, as required by the given fire regulations. Dr. Holger Wack and Damian Hintemann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology and Thomas Baus of Hörmann Glastechnik are to be awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for this groundbreaking development.

Cooling water vapour and a heat-insulating salt layer

Fire protection glazing contains a transparent gel rich in water and electrolytes between two glass panes. If a fire breaks out, the pane facing the flames does not withstand the high temperature for long and shatters. This actuates two mechanisms: For one, the water in the gel evaporates and cools the intact second pane. For the other, a heat-insulating salt layer forms. The Fraunhofer researchers first combed their database to screen for gels that could be suitable for this sort of fire-resistant glazing. Some 60 attempts failed. Compelled by thoroughness, they tested a basic component that, as the theory goes, would never work. “But it does,” says Wack with a smile. The researchers are reluctant to show their hand. “The project had a few instances like this when something worked that clearly shouldn’t have,” is all Baus is willing to say on the subject.

Four years from beaker to business

The project was auspicious from the start. The first fire test the researchers carried out after a short time in development already showed promise. The glass held up to a 30-minute fire performance trial. The researchers then scaled it up from the beaker to a demonstration cell at Fraunhofer. “We were able to take the idea out of the lab and into a practical application within just four years – a very short time for the development effort that goes into end-to-end process engineering. Implementation time is usually ten to twelve years,” says Hintemann. The Hörmann family decided to spin off Hörmann KG Glastechnik in 2016 on the merits of this successful development, building a new plant in Saarland where the fire-resistant glass is now produced. The jury was particularly impressed with this implementation of research results into practice and, on a related note, with the outstanding collaboration between Fraunhofer and Hörmann. “We did more than merely develop fire-resistant glass,” says Baus, emphatically. “We reinvented the production of fire-resistant glass.”

In their latest research, the anti-drone market was valued by Marketsandmarkets at USD 0.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 32.2% from 2020 to 2025. Major factors cited by the analysts as driving the growth of this market are, increasing use of drones, terrorism and illicit activities worldwide and rising incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones.

The new report on the Anti-Drone Market with COVID-19 Impact to 2025, suggests that the detection and disruption application holds the larger share of the anti-drone market and that it is likely to continue to do so during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to increased number of terrorist groups, which are demonstrating the ability to operate a wide range of drones, including armed systems. Furthermore, detection and disruption systems have major applications in the military & defense and homeland security verticals wherein the entry of any unauthorized drone in the prohibited area of a country is detected, and then, the drone is disrupted on the spot.

The anti-drone market for the commercial vertical is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Key factors responsible for this growth include increased awareness and rapid development of inexpensive drones in the market. Drones are evolving beyond their military origin to become powerful business tools. They have already made the leap to the consumer market, and now they are being put to work in commercial applications such as firefighting, mining, surveying, and farming, among others.

In terms of geography, it is the Americas that the researchers believe is likely to account for a major share of the global anti-drone market during the forecast period. Factors contributing to the growth of this market include increasing incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones and rising number of terrorist attacks in American countries, especially in the US. The dramatic growth in drone accidents and incidences has raised fundamental questions about national security, public safety, and privacy regulations. This compelled the government to deploy anti-drone systems to ensure safety and security from illicit drones. The growth can also be attributed to the presence of several key players in this region, such SRC, Inc, Raytheon Technologies Corp, Lockheed Martin Corp, The Boeing Co, and Detect, Inc.

In addition to these firms, other players noted by the analysts as being prominent in the international anti-drone market include Thales, Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, Leonardo S.p.A, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Droneshield Ltd, Liteye Systems, Inc, Dedrone, Northrop Grumman Corp, MBDA, Battelle Memorial Institute, Saab AB, and CACI International.

Car theft is a huge risk for car sales offices, and this is especially an issue for the premium brands. Luxury car giant Eden Auto Premium BMW built a new site in Bordeaux, France, where they house and sell new and second-hand cars, as well as having a car park for customers. That amounts to a lot of cars that need protecting! They researched and compared different technologies and selected Hikvision products to meet their needs. These were then ably installed by reseller Faurie Telecom (Group Convergence), with Hikvision’s help, and the help of French distributor ITESA.

Challenge

The BMW reseller wanted a standalone system to streamline their security operation. Originally they used a night security agent, which was a costly solution. They needed to be able to integrate the security solution into a thrid party monitoring system, managed by Securitas, in order to reduce manpower costs.

The site posed a number of technical challenges. The team also needed to counter some crafty thinking from intruders, who were even resorting to hiding underneath cars during the day, when they can slip in unnoticed. They then could wander around the closed garage, avoiding detection by perimeter protection systems activated only at night. This meant the solution needed to focus on providing real-time, active image at night.

With a lot of flags flying on the site, false alarms were a particular issue – these would set them off regularly. The complexity of the site also gave a lot of potential for false alarms, which needed to be minimized to reduce overall costs.

Solution

The solution was made up from Hikvision products, providing a converged system, with seamless monitoring.
Central to the system was Hikvision’s Security Radar (DS-PR1-60) for intrusion detection at night. The Radar has a large coverage area, and performs excellently at night, whatever the weather. This means that false alarms are kept to a minimum. Radar has the added benefit that it can position humans and vehicles on a map, making it very useful for tracking purposes.

This is where the DarkFighter IR Network Speed Dome PTZ camera (DS-2DF8225IX-AEL) comes in. The radar cameras are linked with this for auto tracking. If an event is detected, the control center automatically receives an alarm and can use the PTZ’s auto-tracking function to track any intruders. DarkFighter cameras are also designed to excel at night, so are ideal for this solution.

Although radar has promising accuracy rates, the team needed to carefully configure it. The site environment proved a complex installation, with a lot of metal that can cause false alarms for the radar. The local team drafted in expertise from Hikvision HQ’s R&D and technical teams to complete the installation to a high quality and low false alarm rate.

The system is coordinated using a AcuSensecamera (DS-2CD2686G2-IZS AcuSense 4K NVR (DS-7716NXI-I4) and a POE Switch (DS-3E0510P-E). Finally, HikCentral provides a user-friendly VMS experience, designed especially to integrate all the different Hikvision products, to make a seamless security solution.

Christophe Chamand, from Faurie Telecom, says: “We were very satisfied with the innovative products and onsite service provided by the Hikvision team. From presales and order to technical support and aftersales service, Hikvision has been with us throughout the process, ensuring a successful installation and a happy customer.”