CCTV - Managing the data
01 July 2008
With the spread of CCTV across the UK's passenger transport network, and the millions of images being captured, comes an increase in demand for fast and accurate data retrieval. CCTV cameras can capture up to 50 frames every second on multiple cameras on each bus in a fleet, so effective data transfer is the first step in managing those images.
Paula Tansley is the Risk Manager for Arriva London. Her team receives around 8,000 requests for CCTV evidence every year. More than half are from the Metropolitan Police and the rest are in-house, for example for insurance investigations.
Arriva London has a Wi-Fi CCTV system supplied and installed by 21st Century CCTV. As the buses enter the depot, the images are automatically downloaded to the server so that the vehicle can remain in service while the information is being examined.
It is then a simple matter of selecting the right bus route, vehicle, date and time of any incident in order for the images to be retrieved. As Paula Tansley explains, this reduces the subsequent vehicle downtime to zero: "To get to the information we need we don't have to take the bus off the road. Everything is automatically taken from each vehicle as it enters the depot."
The 21st Century system also automatically manages the maintenance of the cameras as the Heartbeat software will send a warning to the server if a problem is detected. The wireless system check will also identify which camera has the fault, even if it is a vandalised or deliberately obscured camera.
It is vital for any CCTV system to remain fully functioning in order for it to provide the protection it is designed to, as Paul Rogers, Director of Sales and Marketing for 21st Century, explains. "It only takes one camera to be out of action at the time of an incident for that protection to be lost. Heartbeat will instantly recognise when there is a problem with a camera, or elsewhere in the system, and identify the exact location so that it can be quickly rectified, maximising the protection offered and minimising the vehicle downtime."
The latest cameras being used by 21st Century on the Arriva fleet dramatically reduce the need for scheduled maintenance, as Paul Rogers explains: "The Heartbeat system keeps everything in working order and the entire system is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle."
The quality of images captured by CCTV has improved enormously with the increased definition of digital images enabling better facial recognition and enhanced detail such as vehicle number plates. This provides both the bus operator and the police with vital evidence and has increased the value of their function.
The Metropolitan Police now work in partnership with the Arriva team, led by Paula Tansley. As she explains: "We help the police with a wide range of enquiries, from petty crimes to major incidents. During a recent murder investigation police contacted us to assist by searching the external CCTV images of 60 buses travelling on Oxford Street. "
The CCTV system not only helps the police, but has saved Arriva significant sums of money from insurance claims and associated costs have fallen after the introduction of the CCTV system. The images captured, along with Black Box data from the vehicle, can provide a huge amount of evidence to defend fraudulent insurance claims.
"We have had huge success with our risk work using the CCTV system," explains Paula. "CCTV is both a deterrent and a weapon against insurance fraud and claims can run to many thousands of pounds, so the system has certainly proved its worth."
