Riding the countrywide wave of World Cup-inspired security projects, the city of Belo Horizonte chose to build a citywide public transportation surveillance programme. When it came to the time for the Belo Horizonte Traffic Agency to choose a primary security camera, they rely upon Hikvision to ensure both their quality and safety needs are successfully addressed.

As of 2010, Belo Horizonte had a population of approximately two and a half million inhabitants, which placed it as the sixth most populous city, and the third largest metropolitan area, in the country. While the large population of this city already offers a daunting task for a project of this nature, the city’s Traffic Agency had a more ambitious goal: instead of simply focusing on cars and traffic patterns, an additional emphasis was placed on the safety of citizens walking and engaging in the many activities of their daily lives.

To achieve these twin goals, a camera was required that offered both a very high level of flexibility and an equally high level of quality. Alvaro de Souza, CCTV manager at VMI Sistemas de Segurança– Hikvision’s distributor responsible for developing this project – chose Hikvision’s DS-2DF1-517-B network speed dome to meet these demands. As Mr. Souza stated, "This speed dome is the perfect fit for us. It can quickly zoom onto moving objects, while immediately allowing the security operator to clearly identify who, or what, it is."

Operating in low light is critical in Belo Horizonte based on two primary factors. The first is the environment in which these cameras must operate. As a traffic surveillance system, they are placed outdoors and must successfully function in a wide range of lighting conditions.

Hikvision was chosen for its high-quality technology, as Mr. Souza explained, "The value of this Hikvision speed dome is extraordinary. In relation to the DS-2DF1-517-B performing wonderfully in low-light condition, we feel that this camera offers a perfect cost-benefit ratio."

The second area was the ability of this speed dome to immediately zoom onto moving objects and deliver crystal-clear images, regardless of outdoor light. This aspect was extremely important since security personnel need to quickly, and accurately, recognise and respond to fluid situations. In particular, Belo Horizonte authorities were targeting street crime. In order to combat this specific type of crime, authorities needed to quickly assess what has happening and identify who was breaking the law. Mr. Souza noted, "Facial recognition would always be ideal. But, the reality is, in an environment such as this, the ability to clearly see distinguishing features, such as particular items of clothing, is critical. But with Hikvision’s 540 TVL image resolution and 3D digital noise reduction, we are able to achieve this goal."

Through Hikvision technology, such as a 1/4" Sony Exview HAD progressive scan CCD, 128x wide dynamic range, a "true" day/night functionality, 3D intelligent positioning function, and an IP66 rating; the DS-2DF1-517-B has already helped Belo Horizonte reduce street crime. In addition, the images captured by this camera are shown at the main TV broadcast company in Brazil, allowing traffic authorities to help the citizens choose – or avoid – certain roads during rush hours.

Mr. Souza notes, "An added benefit is the ability of this camera to seamlessly integrate with a variety of different traffic-management technology tools. This allows us to easily upgrade the solution, without having to waste added funds. Based on the performance and applicability of the DS-2DF1-517-B, we confidently anticipate using additional Hikvision components in the future."