A case study of the recent installation of an integrated video surveillance system at Wuxi East Railway Station in China is an excellent example of how video analytics can encompass security and people counting to help the railway sector introduce efficiencies and save lives.
Management sought an integrated system that could offer video surveillance and alarms. A system had to detect and create alerts should a member of the public attempt to enter a restricted area of the station or climb down onto the rail tracks. Despite the obvious danger of being struck by a train entering or leaving the station, people had crossed the tracks since the high-speed line was officially opened in 2011. Besides security and safety, it was also specified that the integrated system must be able to supply statistical data on the numbers and flow of passengers that enter the station.
Analytics
VCA Technology won the contract to install the integrated system, which uses high definition IP network cameras with VCA analytics. VCA says that its analytics engine is able to perform security and people counting functions, using a single set of ‘rules’. The analytics can also detect people who trespass into restricted areas. Then the analytics has been configured to send SMS and email alerts to security personnel and station platform staff, as well as trigger audio warnings over the station’s PA system.
If required, the analytics can also be used to carry out after the event analysis of images captured by the station’s cameras, which are recorded onto Network Video Recorders (NVRs). The analytics enables security staff to retrieve relevant images of any incidents with the help of user defined search criteria, instead of having to review what could be hundreds of hours of video footage. VCA analytics is also being used in support of thermal imaging cameras which can be used to detect people who get too close to the rail tracks if the weather such as fog prevents conventional video cameras from capturing clear images.
Counting
Analytics are also providing management with business intelligence on how many people use the station at various times of day and which areas are the busiest or become congested. The information can be presented in customisable reports that provide comparisons with previously collected data.
Bin Cheng of VCA Technology’s Wuxi office said: “There are so many elements of an integrated system that need to perform well in order to meet the demanding requirements of an important project such as this. It has been a major advantage that we have been able to single source the analytics required for security and people counting purposes. In this respect, there is no doubt that VCA as a total analytics solution provider has played a significant role in helping the client achieve its objectives of creating a safe and operationally efficient station environment.”
About the site
Wuxi East Railway Station is served by the 1318-kilometre long Beijing–Shanghai railway, which is the busiest line in China and the world’s longest high-speed line ever built in a single phase. More than 90 trains a day run.
