Based in Tirana, Albania, Our Lady of Good Counsel is a Catholic, university-hospital complex that comprises five buildings. It operates as a Foundation of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Albania, which was founded in 1993 by the Children Congregate of the Immaculate Lady (CFIC). This foundation is a representation of the evangelical charismatic inspiration of an Italian cleric named Luigi Maria Monti. The ultimate vision of the Foundation is two-fold: To heal the sick through research and treatment and to provide young people with an education for life.
The provision of health care goes beyond effective medicine. Ensuring the physical safety of patients and security of premises are also of paramount importance. Prior to the implementation Hikvision’s surveillance solutions, the complex utilized simply analog cameras to address its need for security. However, these analog cameras were not able to capture sufficient details of activities in the video footage. Specifically, face recognition was impossible and even license plates were hard to decipher. Furthermore, security personnel did not have access to the monitoring system. “We considered increasing the number of cameras, but the problem clearly was not the coverage, but rather the quality of surveillance,” said Nikolin Gjonaj, Head of Security at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
The solution came as a combination of Hikvision’s surveillance technologies. Hikvision is one of the leading suppliers of surveillance technologies in the world with an established portfolio of international clients. The company is based in China, with offices around the world. For Our Lady of Good Counsel, five different products were installed in various quantities through the complex. These include: the DS-2CD2032-I 3MP IR bullet network camera, the DS-2CD2132-I and DS-2CD7153-E network cameras, the DS-7732NI-ST and DS-7608NI-ST network video recorders (NVR).
Tailored
The DS-2CD2032-I 3MP IR bullet network cameras were installed in the complex to ensure proper capture of activities on the premises. These cameras are compact and feature a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1526, as well as full high definition 1080p real time video capture. These specifications place them on the high end of current surveillance standards in the world. They employ a 1/3” progressive scan CMOS image sensor, powering a 4, 6 or 12 mm lens and a 30 meter IR range. Detected motion can be configured to trigger alarm. As part of a surveillance network, it supports various common network protocols including TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and SNMP.
The DS-2CD2132-I and DS-2CD7153-E network cameras boast vandal-proof housing, which gives added physical protection. Like the DS-2CD2032-I 3MP IR bullet network cameras, these network cameras support the common network protocols, ensuring maximum integration in a complex-wide, and in this case, all five buildings, surveillance system.
The DS-2CD2132-I Dome Camera provides a 3-megapixel resolution (2048 x 1536). It offers real time video recording in high definition (1080P), with a H.264/ MJPEG video compression. Compared to the preceding camera, the DS-2CD7153-E network mini done camera is smaller in size. It provides a maximum resolution of up to 2 megapixels, with 15 frames per second at a resolution of 1600 x 1200. It also offers real time video recording in high definition (720P), with a H.264/MPEG4/MJPEG video compression and a day/night auto switch to switch between day and night modes.
The three cameras provide the necessary and impeccable image detail to capture activities, including faces of individuals within range, license plates and many other minute details. To complete the system, the DS-7732NI-ST and DS-7608NI-ST network video recorders ensure the detailed camera footages are recorded efficiently and effectively for viewing. In addition to seamless integration with the network cameras, the DS-7732NI-ST NVR features VGA, HDMI and USB interfaces. It supports up to 32-ch network camera inputs and its HDMI and VGA output reaches a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080P. These were installed in the monitoring office, enabling security personnel to have full access to the system. The DS-7608NI-ST NVR is a slightly less featured NVR by comparison but nonetheless effective as well and among the leading NVRs in the world. It provides the same maximum resolution and supports up to 8-ch network camera inputs. These were installed in each security guard room. A total of 2 DS-7732NI-ST and 4 DS-7608NI-ST NVRs were installed, and were integrated with the entire network via fibre optic cables.
The project turned out to be very successful. The new system addressed all the problems faced by Our Lady of Good Counsel, producing real-time, high quality video and playback. Furthermore, the digital zoom supported from the NVRs enables face recognition, leaving no stone unturned on the entire premises. “The video quality is incredible! Now we can see everything clear from a far distance,” said Nikolin Gjonaj, Head of Security at Our Lady of Good Counsel, who also explained that the large areas and distances among buildings made it impossible to monitor activities without Hikvision’s technology.
In addition, the cost efficient installation was a much-welcomed bonus to the project. Incidentally, the system is highly scalable and will serve Our Lady of Good Counsel for many years.
