Genetec Inc. recently helped the Chicago Cubs’ security and technology departments undertake a massive upgrade to modernize security at the iconic Wrigley Field ballpark. Based on Genetec Security Center, Omnicast, and Streamvault, the new solution extends security to neighboring venues, parking lots, and the Chicago Cubs Front Office, keeping people safe across multiple locations.

The security modernization effort followed a multi-year restoration of the 100+ -year-old ballpark to preserve its beauty, charm, and historic features while modernizing amenities and improving the ballpark experience. The project also expanded its footprint and the surrounding campus. As the legacy security systems had been installed independently, working with multiple systems slowed the security team’s investigations and response times considerably. Additionally, the aged storage server infrastructure limited the organization’s ability to remain compliant with Department of Homeland Safety requirements around video retention.

The Cubs’ security and technology departments teamed up on a massive physical security upgrade, seeking a scalable platform that would allow for expansion of coverage, a more proactive approach to security, and a server infrastructure that would meet the requirements of their new Joint Operations Center (JOC). They chose Genetec Security Center with the Omnicast video management system (VMS) and Streamvault security infrastructure solution.

More than 1100 cameras

Today, the Cubs’ security team works 24/7 from the JOC, using Genetec Omnicast to manage more than 1100 camera views of the ballpark and community. They also integrated an existing access control system within Security Center and deployed 22 Genetec Streamvault appliances. With Security Center and Omnicast up on their monitors, the team now has an all-encompassing picture of the ballpark’s security.

Doug Lindsay, VP of Security at the Chicago Cubs, said, “In the past, our security team would have a bunch of different platforms up concurrently. They’d have to know how to find information and piece it together quickly. On a busy game day, when we’re managing many different situations, that’s hard work. With Security Center, all that information is coming into one platform, so they see what’s happening and focus exclusively on the tasks at hand. We’re definitely seeing a higher level of efficiency across our team.”

The next phase of the project will include deploying Genetec solutions at Sloan Park, the Cub’s spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona, and eventually at the Chicago Cubs Academy in the Dominican Republic, connecting those systems back to the Wrigley Field JOC to offer remote assistance as needed.

Vuwall has appointed Oscar Mezquita as its new Senior International Sales Manager. In this role, he will help increase market share and brand awareness internationally with Vuwall’s integration partners, resellers, and consultants in AV, IT, and security to drive the broader expansion. Mezquita will focus primarily on Eastern and Southern Europe.

“We are experiencing an increased demand for video wall solutions in the European market, and it is important for us to invest in the right resources to help better serve this region,” said Eric Hénique, Executive Vice President of Sales at Vuwall. “Oscar brings a deep fluency and understanding of the EU market, with a proven track record of success throughout his career. His technical background, skill for building business, and professionalism are valuable assets to both Vuwall and our customers.”

Mezquita holds dual master’s degrees in telecommunications engineering from the technical university in Valencia, Spain and Turin, Italy, and in business administration from the Humanistic University of Madrid. A skilled communicator, he speaks fluently in Spanish, Italian, German, and English.

Prior to his new role at Vuwall, Mezquita worked for more than 20 years in medium and large-sized organisations in the broadcast, pro AV, and telecommunications markets. He previously served as Project Manager at Deutsche Telekom and as an International Sales Manager for Riedel Communications and the Vitec Group. He comes to Vuwall after his most recent role as Senior Sales Manager at IHSE.

Hanwha Vision, under the new company name, presented regionally customized solutions and a new expansion strategy for the first time at the ISC West and Secon security trade shows.

“As we expand our business from surveillance monitoring to data analysis, we will provide customized information through big data analytics and actionable solutions that not only prevent incidents but also respond to them in real time. Moreover, our vision solutions will be instrumental in advancing customer’s operational strategies,” said Soon-hong Ahn, President and CEO of Hanwha Vision.

Along with its new name, Hanwha Vision also developed its new business strategy, emphasizing its leading capabilities in vision solutions.

First, Hanwha Vision will provide a platform to collect, analyze and integrate data from various devices and sensors, leveraging its partner solutions. By acquiring data collection devices, such as AI cameras and IoT sensors as well as event-detection applications and AI-training solutions, Hanwha Vision will acquire vision data and deliver useful insights through data analytics.

Second, in the area of real-time video surveillance, Hanwha Vision plans to expand the scope of technologies to offer solutions that will not only respond to events but also predict them. Big data collected through various sources will be analyzed using AI and cloud technologies to predict events to provide prevention or early resolution.

Hanwha Vision is expanding into a platform business to provide solutions that can support customers with practical help in various industries. The company will introduce solutions targeting urban safety and traffic management (smart city), process monitoring and productivity improvement (smart factory) as well as efficient store operation and sales enhancement (smart retail). The solutions will be gradually expanded to other industries.

Hanwha Vision, which announced its new name in March, will gradually change the names of overseas subsidiaries, products, and solutions based on its business needs in each market.

The global hardware partnership between Secure Logiq and VCA Technology has yielded its first results. Following a period of intensive testing, the manufacturers have fine-tuned their solutions to determine the best combinations of software and hardware from the two brands that will set new standards in the industry.

Secure Logiq and VCA formed their strategic partnership towards the end of 2022. This led to the manufacturer of servers designed for the HD CCTV industry becoming the global hardware partner for the security and business intelligence software manufacturer.

“We’ve developed a great relationship with VCA after working with them for a long time so we know how powerful their analytics solutions are,” says Secure Logiq’s Robin Hughes. “Our R&D teams have been working together to find the optimum solutions to deliver best-in-class results to our shared customers at a price-point that is hard to match.”

“This partnership has always been about overcoming the lack of customer knowledge about hardware options,” adds VCA’s Kevin Waterhouse. “The work we have done together takes away a lot of those customer questions. We can now offer specific solutions based on the needs of our clients safe in the knowledge that our combined R&D teams have worked together to ensure the optimum performance is achieved.”

VCA takes pride in its ability to squeeze a large amount of analytics into a very low amount of CPU usage – an attribute that has come from the on-camera analytics side of its business. This means that the new combined offerings are able to host a variety of VCA applications on one Secure Logiq server, not just security.

With VCA analytics covering a variety of sectors, from traffic management to retail with elements including forensic searches and heat mapping, the combined solution will be attractive to a variety of organizations.

ONVIF, the leading global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, continues to deepen its influence and impact in the physical security market with the dual milestones of surpassing 25,000 conformant products and celebrating 15 years as the defacto industry standard for interoperability.

Since its inception in 2008, products that conform to ONVIF profiles have consistently grown in number and scope, beginning with core products such as IP cameras, video management software, and network video recording solutions. Today’s database of conformant products now encompasses intercoms, license plate recognition cameras, and can also include drones, and services such as video surveillance as a service (VSaaS).

“ONVIF has accomplished quite a lot in its first 15 years, but our work is certainly not done yet,” said Leo Levit, chairman of the ONVIF Steering Committee. “As the industry continues to adopt video analytics, Artificial Intelligence, cloud, and IoT, the role of ONVIF as a provider of standardized interfaces in these domains will only become more relevant.”

In all, ONVIF offers seven profiles, including Profile S for streaming video; Profile G for video recording and storage; Profile C for physical access control; Profile A for broader access control configuration; Profile T for advanced video streaming, Profile D for access control peripherals, and Profile M for Metadata and events for analytics applications. Products that conform to these profiles are produced only by ONVIF member companies and must support at least one ONVIF profile but can support multiple profiles for added functionality. Products must be registered under the ONVIF list of conformant products to be considered conformant.

Further information about ONVIF conformant products, including member companies and their conformant models, is available on the ONVIF website: www.onvif.org.

Axis Communications, a leader in network video, announces AXIS P1468-XLE Explosion-Protected Bullet Camera, the world’s first explosion-protected camera specifically designed for Zone and Division 2 hazardous locations. The camera is designed for Zone 2, 22 and Class I/II/III Division 2 according to international standards (ATEX, IECEx, NEC).

AXIS P1468-XLE uses the ‘Ex e’ protection method, an explosion-protection approach referred to as ‘increased safety’ or ‘non-incendive’. This method ensures that no arcs and sparks can appear, and that excessive temperatures cannot be reached, during normal operation of electrical equipment. As a result, electrical equipment using ‘Ex e’ protection cannot ignite gas or dust in the surrounding potentially combustible environment.

AXIS P1468-XLE is a robust, impact- and weather-resistant fixed camera which delivers excellent image quality in 4K resolution under any light conditions, through Lightfinder 2.0, Forensic WDR, and OptimizedIR. Compact and lightweight in design, the camera is as easy to install as a standard camera.

AXIS P1468-XLE has been designed in line with North American and European directives for equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. By design, the camera is unable to provide sufficient energy to ignite gas or dust in the atmosphere to cause an explosion, therefore removing the need for any traditional explosion-protected enclosure.

The multitasking camera provides many benefits within health and safety applications and operational efficiency. Early detection of smoke and fire, ensuring that personal protective equipment (PPE) is being worn and used, and monitoring restricted areas bring significant health and safety benefits to organizations. In operational efficiency, the camera can be used for visual verification of various processes and as part of an advanced data-driven sensory network.

Integrated deep learning for advanced analytics

Built on ARTPEC-8, AXIS P1468-XLE includes a deep learning processing unit (DLPU) enabling advanced features and powerful analytics that run on the edge. For instance, by connecting the camera to the process control system and continuously monitoring a process, you can fine-tune the process in real-time to maximize throughput. In addition, it is possible to extract and send metadata for further analysis, which can be used for trend monitoring and predictive maintenance. Built-in cybersecurity features help prevent unauthorized access and safeguard the system.

Specifically designed for Zone/Division 2 hazardous locations

In contrast to Zone/Division 1 hazardous locations – where the presence of an explosive atmosphere is likely and a regular occurrence – in Zone/Division 2 hazardous locations, an explosive atmosphere is far less likely, less frequent, and present for much shorter periods of time. It is still essential however, to eliminate the risk of equipment creating a spark that might create an explosion in these areas.

Explaining why the company has chosen to create a camera specifically designed for Zone/Division 2 hazardous locations, Jesper Olavi, Global Product Manager at Axis, said: “For customers who have wanted to use video surveillance in Zone/Division 2 hazardous locations, the only realistic solution so far has been to use explosion-protected cameras certified for Zone/Division 1 hazardous locations. But these heavy-duty enclosures are over-engineered and unnecessarily expensive for Zone 2/Division 2 hazardous locations. With the launch of AXIS P1468-XLE, customers will have the chance to bring high-quality video surveillance and advanced analytics into locations where they were previously rarely used due to the prohibitive cost.

“AXIS P1468-XLE highlights the benefits of Axis designing and manufacturing our own explosion-protected cameras. In designing every element of the camera, we can ensure the methods employed for explosion protection are based on an individual camera’s requirements, rather that creating a ‘generic’ enclosure designed to fit many cameras. It’s a process that leads to an optimal solution for specific environments and use cases.”