Atlanta turns to Motorola for video-surveillance solution (with related video)

Motorola Solutions is in the process of integrating public and private surveillance camera systems as part of a video-surveillance upgrade for the city of Atlanta.

In the initial phase of the project, Motorola and ADT Commercial Security have upgraded the city's existing analog cameras to digital cameras, according to Mrinalini Lakshminarayan, video portfolio manager for Motorola Solutions. In addition, much of the backhaul for the system has been moved from leased lines to a private wireless network that utilizes mesh, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint technologies that operate on licensed and unlicensed spectrum, she said.

While the contract with the city of Atlanta only stipulates replacement of the existing camera system, the Motorola solution with wireless backhaul makes the system "pretty modular," so adding cameras in the future should be relatively straightforward, Lakshminarayan said.

"That provides them with the latest IP camera technology, which gives them more capability," Lakshminarayan said. "Also, by transitioning to the wireless system, they now have the capability to expand pretty quickly and not wait for the fiber network [currently used for backhaul] to expand."

In the next phase of the project, Motorola Global Services will integrate CIBER's advanced Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) solution, which will allow officials at Atlanta's E911 Video Integration Center (VIC) to view video from both public and private surveillance systems. This flexibility should be valuable to the city as video technology evolves, Lakshminarayan said.

"The common platform that we put in for the customer is also future-proof," she said. "As new technology comes on, we could easily expand the new video-management systems that they have with their public and private partners."

Being able to leverage information gathered from both public and private surveillance cameras should help public-safety entities in the city of Atlanta perform their tasks, according to Dave Wilkinson, president of the Atlanta Police Foundation.

"For some time, we have been excited about the potential of integrating Atlanta's disparate public and private video systems into one system, to more efficiently fight crime and protect the citizens and businesses of our community," Wilkinson said in a prepared statement. "I'm happy today that we soon will see our efforts become reality with a state-of-the-art video surveillance system upgrade that is among the best in our country."