The CCTV system has been designed by IndigoVision's local partner Intercon Security Limited for Westinghouse Rail Systems. Over 400 fixed and PTZ dome cameras will be installed to ensure passenger safety and security across the 16 stations of the network. With over 500 IP Video transmitter/receiver modules, 44 Networked Video Recorders (NVRs) and 20 workstations running 'Control Center' software, this system represents one of the largest ever IP Video rail transport projects.

"IndigoVision was chosen because of their proven track record in large scale infrastructure projects and the ability to transmit very high quality, fast response digital video, with minimal network bandwidth," states Tim Storteboom, Intercon Security's design consultant for the project. "IndigoVision's integrated IP Video solution will also provide us with the flexibility and scalability needed for such a large project."

The heart of the system will be the 'Operations and Maintenance Center' (OMC). The Center will feature a large video wall displaying up to 80 video streams simultaneously from any camera on the network, controlled from five operator workstations. The IP Video system will be integrated into the Rail System's overall SCADA system used in the OMC. The SCADA interface will command video to be displayed based on external events, such as alarms, Emergency Telephone activation and mechanical malfunctions. In addition workstations running IndigoVision's 'Control Center' enterprise video and alarm management software will be installed at each of the rail stations around the network. 'Control Center' provides control, administration and viewing of the live camera feeds and recorded video over the IP network.

Camera feeds will be recorded on IndigoVision NVRs located at each station as well as in the OMC. This provides a truly distributed and redundant system and further reduces bandwidth by recording at the network edge, i.e. next to the cameras. With the right permissions, any operator at a 'Control Center' workstation or in the OMC will be able to view recorded video from any NVR or live video from any camera on the network. In the unlikely event of a NVR failure, the affected camera feeds are remotely re-routed to record on another NVR.

Each of the 400+ cameras in the system will be connected to IndigoVision's 8000 rack-mounted transmitter modules. The 8000 converts the analog camera feed to DVD quality, full-frame rate digital video for transmission over the 1GB dual-redundant fiber network ring being installed alongside the rail network. Additional 8000 modules will be installed in the OMC to convert the digital video back to analog for the 80-screen video wall. IndigoVision's advanced compression technology, which is fully MPEG-4 compliant, will not only ensure minimal bandwidth use but will also ensure that the video is transmitted with low-latency. This means the OMC will be able to smoothly control the PTZ cameras at any point over the 19Km rail network.