IndigoVision's IP-CCTV solution was chosen for its superior image quality, low bandwidth usage and the fact that it is a distributed system. Cameras, video management workstations and video recorders can be located at any point on the network. This allows the building security team to monitor the system from locations other than the central control room. Following an incident the operators can export evidential quality video for the police, who can view it on a standalone player remotely from the Ministry.

The use of space and aesthetics were important considerations for the Ministry and another important factor in choosing the IndigoVision solution. IndigoVision's equipment footprint is very small allowing the system to be easily installed in the limited space available. The discreet appearance of the hardware also met the Ministry's requirement that the CCTV system would not be obtrusive to its many high-profile visitors and dignitaries.

PC workstations running IndigoVision's 'Control Center' Security Management Software are used by operators to monitor live camera feeds and analyze recorded video. A total of 8 workstations are used in the main control room, with a further 3 located remotely in different manager's offices. This was a very cost-effective solution as 'Control Center' software is licensed on an unrestricted basis within the cost of IndigoVision hardware. Five rugged standalone IndigoVision Network Video Recorders (NVRs) with 2TB of storage record video continuously from all of the cameras, providing a 1 month archive.

Ninety-six analog cameras are connected to IndigoVision 8000 transmitter/receiver modules that use advanced MPEG-4 compression to convert the feeds to DVD-quality digital video for transmission over the network. Each 8000 unit transmits a dual video stream - one stream for live viewing and one for recording. IndigoVision's unique Activity Controlled Framerate (ACF) feature, which is built-in to each 8000 module, is applied to the recording stream for each camera. ACF reduces the framerate of the transmitted video to a minimum when there is no activity in the scene. As soon as motion is detected the framerate is automatically increased to maximum. This significantly reduces the amount of NVR storage required, particularly during the night and when monitoring unpopulated areas.