The head of security at Wimbledon – The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – talks about his club’s new 36-camera network video recording (NVR) system.
The head of security at Wimbledon – The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – talks about his club’s new 36-camera network video recording (NVR) system. The club used the system throughout the 2004 Wimbledon Championships; it will continue to provide security for the club throughout the year.
The system comprises PI Vision’s Universal Video Management System (UVMS) model 5000 with inputs for 36 cameras recording at 6 pictures per second over 14 days using MPEG2. It comprises a total of 1.5TB of storage in a RAID5 device.
The NVR replaces an existing videotape based system and gives the management at Wimbledon the opportunity to upgrade to IP network cameras in the future. The upgrade to digital video storage was part of a CCTV refurbishment contract which was won by ADT. The UVMS takes advantage of the club’s existing IT infrastructure which means that images can be securely viewed by security and facilities management staff from a number of PC access stations around the site, meaning staff are no longer tied to a central monitoring control room.
From analogue to IP
Wimbledon uses a mixture of fixed and PTZ cameras, and the UVMS is able to provide full telemetry control for these cameras. The existing analogue cameras are routed through MPEG encoders and networked into the UVMS. Wimbledon was looking for a system that would enable them to upgrade their cameras over time from analogue to IP network cameras, yet allow it to make maximum use of its existing investment in analogue cameras.
What they say
One of the advantages of the new system is the ability to view images from anywhere in the Club. Using the existing high-specification IT infrastructure, authorised personnel can view and control cameras from any number of UVMS access stations. The system enables Wimbledon to leverage its existing IP network infrastructure to realise the benefits of distributed viewing. This has enabled security and facilities staff and Championships staff to make use of the CCTV system for security, facilities and visitor management. Richard Oxborrow, the Championships’ Coordinator and Head of Security at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, said: "UVMS justified itself immediately at the 2004 Championships, being instrumental in an arrest and recovery of equipment after a theft in the Club’s Broadcast Centre. The PI Vision system enables security and other appropriate staff to access the CCTV images easily and quickly via their own PCs around the site and, furthermore, is future proof by accommodating our requirement to migrate gradually from analogue to digital cameras." David Myers, Managing Director at PI Vision, added: "Wimbledon is a showcase of high technology, and PI Vision is very pleased to have been involved with the innovative UVMS NVR in helping to secure the Club during the Championship and throughout the rest of the year."
