Nick Smith Regional Sales Manager for Salient Systems considers the four best practices for VMS deployment at stadiums.

Video surveillance is one of the top technologies used to provide security and safety for public venues like stadiums, arenas and other event facilities. Perhaps overlooked but just as crucial to the success of camera detection is the video management system (VMS) – the backbone for viewing, recording and managing feeds and data.

At public venues in particular, the VMS plays a critical role in enabling security staff to not only monitor onsite activities during game day, but to proactively and remotely detect and respond to incidents as they occur. The VMS is the brains of the operation, integrating with other software and systems such as access control, intrusion, audio or even gunshot detection. It also enables analytics, which pinpoint areas of detection to guard against potential threats.

There are close to 1,000 sports stadiums in the US alone, and each has unique characteristics, so it’s important to consider the different needs based on the environment and footprint. Stadiums are multi-purpose facilities that include parking, retail, hospitality, concierge, first-aid and medical. Not only are these venues focused on public safety and security, but they may also be trying to prevent counterfeit merchandise sales or even human trafficking operations. The VMS can deploy targeted analytics to address all the specific challenges the end-user may be faced with.

Consider these four best practices to get the most out of your stadium surveillance security and VMS:

Dive deep into the market

Every stadium is different in location, size and audience. They may be in an urban or suburban location or rural setting. Most people think of sports only, but stadiums changeover to concert venues or transform into public use and political gatherings. Stadium security also needs to address? parking areas and the security of people coming to and from the venue. There may be open air assets like lawns for picnics and staging areas for private events. Video archiving requirements will depend on compliance and regulations and users may need edge, cloud or on-premises storage capabilities.

Work closely with all stakeholders to determine the primary security issues and map out what security will look like depending on the event. The more you know about how the user conducts business, the greater the opportunity to target the project with just the right VMS and video analytics.

Go with an open, flexible and scalable VMS platform

There’s so much said today about the value of having an open system or one that readily integrates with other software, hardware and networking components. A VMS that is open gives you the flexibility to use existing hardware and components, avoiding a complete rip and replace. An open and scalable platform allows you to leverage the legacy camera infrastructure as well as connect the latest high-definition IP cameras. With an open system, you can potentially interface with thousands of cameras, access control, analytics solutions and other complementary technologies.

Scalability inherent in a VMS helps you grow the system. You can begin with a handful of cameras and scale up depending on what the end user requirements and as their facility expands. Manufacturers should be able to provide information on which technologies they work with, sometimes identified as certified or verified partners. These are the company’s whose technologies and solutions pre-identified to integrate with your VMS – so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Look for a robust SDK to build from

Part of achieving system openness, flexibility and scalability is a robust software development kit (SDK). An open Application Programming Interface (API) allows the VMS to talk to other third party solutions, providing integration with current stadium systems such as access control or intrusion. The ability to install third party applications into VMS systems can also assist with meeting regulatory compliance or other recording requirements. Software and firmware updates should be automatic to keep processes and cybersecurity safeguards in check.

Make it mobile

Part of the flexibility that’s essential to the stadium end user is mobility. Being able to get real-time live video to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets assists with remote monitoring and directs personnel or first responders safely to incidents. Mobile capabilities let you access live video, play back and export recorded video and control cameras with PTZ functions from phone or web browser.

Dynamic maps on the VMS platform also direct individuals as they are responding to incidents. Geographical maps instantly create layouts of cameras, allowing live monitoring personnel to track suspects, areas or incidents easily.

You should be able to securely access video from any location, network connection or client device without additional cost or complexity.

Focus on the Experience

Ease of use in programming analytics and viewing video is paramount to deployment and a positive user experience. Whether edge-based analytics in the cameras or third-party server-based analytics, an open API allows seamless integration and easier management and control of analytics through a single platform interface. The open API permits the user to get specific about search criteria for analytics – for example, to search for an individual with a backpack, red hat, blue jeans or shorts.

Those search criteria become important when reviewing video before or after an incident or trying to prevent a security threat from escalating. Other analytics frequently deployed by stadiums may include object detection, people counting, integration with retail transaction data, vehicle detection and license plate recognition.

Enhanced remote investigations

When you’re responsible for thousands of attendees, being able to navigate video efficiently and without latency is key. VMS systems with capabilities such as live search and export give users the ability to see, search and export the video incident quickly, rather than toggling through different clicks to find the scene of interest.

VMS systems with specialized bandwidth reducing technology allow multiple users to simultaneously download and search video remotely for investigations without overloading the network or the VMS. This capability ‘fits’ the resolution of the video stream from the VMS to the capacity of the monitor – mobile, desktop client, browser – so the person viewing gets what they need faster and with less bandwidth constraint. It also allows playback and search while exported video is simultaneously downloaded at full resolution, so no time is lost during forensic discovery.

The divergent needs of event venues require a VMS that is flexible, scalable and able to serve the unique needs of each venue – whether for game day operations or for everyday procedures. By deploying these four best practices, security systems integrators can ensure their stadium customers are able to fully leverage their VMS solution and get the most out of their video surveillance system.

This article was originally published in the July edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.

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