Dallmeier designs an innovative public space video surveillance system for the city of Cologne

Does installing more cameras or devices with increasingly higher resolution guarantee security? This is the approach that Dallmeier has proposed to solve to respond to the growing insecurity in the population., in which the German city of Cologne has been chosen to set up a pioneering system in video surveillance of public spaces.

Until now, Mounting large systems with the maximum number of cameras possible seemed to be the only logical way to widely protect large areas.. However, in most cases, It turned out that such a procedure, on the one hand, was outside the limits of the budget and, on the other, it was simply not technically possible to create satisfactory solutions.

“For that reason, in the past, at least between a 30 and a 40% “These types of projects were not even carried out”, says Dieter Dallmeier, founder and CEO of the German video manufacturer Dallmeier.

Thanks to the technical possibilities of Panometer, patented technology by this manufacturer, and its components (also developed by Dallmeier), A completely new and pioneering approach to crime prevention is possible. The multifocal sensor system has been specially developed for the complete protection of large areas.

With Panomera, spaces of great width and surfaces of great depth are visualized with high quality resolution., all in real time and with a frame rate of up to 30 ips. Thus it is possible to cover an immense area with a view from a single place. (the resolution is scalable almost at will, depending on the surveillance task required), so a Panomera camera with eight sensors can replace approximately 35 conventional megapixel equipment.

Aim: Colonia

The events that occurred in Cologne during New Year's Eve 2015 are still present in the consciousness of its inhabitants. Local police recognized the need to examine the existing security concept, especially in terms of the protection of large public squares, and touch it up where necessary.

Pushed by the crimes that happened that night around the Cologne Cathedral, They chose this area of ​​the urban center to carry out new security plans. In the spring of last year, the first concepts were presented on how the overview for police and intervention personnel management in the large Bahnhofsvorplatz/Domplatte area could be improved. (the station forecourt and the cathedral) through the use of video systems, especially when the concentration of people was greater.

In this early planning phase they were faced with a considerable problem: The use of conventional video technology would not allow the surface to be covered to be fully captured. 8-800 m². In addition, They found no camera technology that could provide the required area-wide resolution for police investigations..

It was also recognized that a conventional video system with many individual cameras would lead to an overwhelming avalanche of images and that, therefore, would essentially hinder proactive observation and quick reaction by officials in the control center.

less is more: the Dallmeier solution

Dallmeier project engineers got to work and designed a system that would not only meet the defined requirements, but even surpassed them. The order was awarded to the Regensburg manufacturer and thus began, in mid-December 2016, mounting the Panomera system.

Instead of a system with countless single-sensor cameras - which would have meant laborious installation, as well as high infrastructure and maintenance costs-, Dallmeier designed a video solution that covers the entire surveillance area and that, however, maintains a discreet presence.

Only two installation points were necessary, which not only made assembly easy but, in comparison, given considerably lower costs in terms of infrastructure and system maintenance, would have positive financial implications for the city.

Data protection

In Germany, The protection of personal data is strictly regulated by law and, therefore, The Cologne Police is aware of its responsibility with the processing of video data. In this project Dallmeier deals, through different measures, that the recorded data complies with data protection regulations.

Specifically, certain areas of the image can be completely hidden from camera capture, as well as faces and vehicle license plates can be disfigured through pixelation. Additionally, data retention is limited in time; They are only kept in cases of well-founded suspicion and for evidentiary purposes before the courts..

Active observation vs.. passive surveillance

Instead of having to hope that a large number of installed surveillance cameras will lead to a decrease in the crime rate, Cologne Police can now replace ineffective passive surveillance with active video observation. This means that potential dangerous situations are detected before they can become events in the police statistics..

Intervention personnel are quickly notified and directed to the scene of the incident.. And in the event that a crime was committed before the 'eyes' of the officials, would exist, thanks to Panomera, relevant and court-admissible data for criminal monitoring.