Axis cameras and Milestone VMS offer a comprehensive plan for city surveillance

The city of Dubuque (Iowa – USA) has installed near 1.400 multi-sensor cameras, PTZ, panoramic and license plate recognition Axis to make your streets and parks safer. Besides, Networks of public security cameras and traffic management have been linked to solve crimes and reduce road congestion.

Located on the bluff along the Mississippi River, at the crossing of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, Dubuque is a city rich in history, until, culture and recreation. It has been reinvented over the years, going from being a mining center, lumber and shipbuilding to become the center of tourism, technology and publications that is today. Along with this transition came the typical public safety and traffic management challenges found in most urban centers..

The city turned to its partner Racom, a systems integrator specializing in public safety communications, to develop technology for critical service 911, included a two-way radio system and microwave Ethernet cover to operate in areas where wiring was not available.

When vandals defaced a sculpture displayed in Art on the River, an open-air art gallery along the Mississippi Riverwalk, se llamó a Racom para que instalara cámaras de video Axis y monitorear el área. “The cameras proved so useful that the city began funding additional equipment to remotely monitor other properties., from the port and marina to the city parking lots, railway stations, parks and business district”, explains Ken Fleege, Racom National Service Manager.

At the same time, the traffic department was developing an independent network to address road safety issues. “Our early efforts to build a powered traffic signal system were quite advanced for their time., but they had their fair share of problems detecting vehicles, especially in adverse weather conditions such as snow and fog”, aclara Dave Ness, City of Dubuque Technical Civil Engineer.

Centralized management

After several updates, Today the city's traffic management system employs a combination of Axis radar and camera technologies to deliver robust vehicle detection and signal control.. Cameras record traffic at intersections from multiple angles, providing police with an accurate count of collisions and other accidents on the roads.

When Public Safety and Traffic decided to migrate to video management software (VMS) XProtect de Milestone simultaneously, The two departments realized that running isolated video networks was adding unnecessary complexity to citywide security operations..

“We have more than 2.500 Axis cameras deployed throughout the city, including other local government entities using Axis”, afirma Dave Ness. “Connect our separate video networks from all government entities through Interconnect de Milestone Gives authorized users a way to view cameras across networks from a single login. This is especially critical for those who respond to 911 calls.”.

Dubuque's traffic management system goes far beyond pointing cameras at traffic queuing at an intersection. “We typically install four Axis Q16 Box Camera series devices to capture all four directions of traffic., as well as the signs”, Ness adds.. “If there is good long-distance visibility, we'll add four more Q16s with telephoto lenses that look a half mile or more off the road to capture license plates and other details”.

Deploying Axis cameras with telephoto lenses saves the need to place them on every city block. “It is a really efficient way to obtain maximum coverage of our city streets and at the same time minimize our investment in hardware and all associated maintenance costs.”, Ness said.

Depending on the lines of sight available at a traffic light, Axis Q63 series PTZ cameras have been installed for additional coverage or even mounting an Axis P38 panorama within a few 10,6 meters high to capture the entire intersection and accesses in a single field of view.

“How do we capture so many angles?, Both police and insurance companies rely on traffic videos to review accidents and determine who was at fault.”.

Optimize calls to 911

Racom is currently working with the city to link the calling system 911 with multiple Axis camera networks to speed emergency response. “When a call arrives at the center it is entered into the CAD system, which will include the location of the call”, explains Ken Fleege. “That location is sent to the Milestone VMS, which creates a geofence around the cameras at that location and automatically displays them on the monitor”.

If the call comes from a residential area where the city does not have cameras, XProtect VMS from Milestone System will geolocate the cameras that monitor the closest main access roads.

“Because the video is transmitted in real time, you can watch traffic and direct ambulances and other first responders to the quickest route to the scene”, add care. “And sometimes, Those minutes saved in travel time could save a life”.

Police also rely on the camera to stay aware of safety issues at the scene., such as downed power lines and chemical spills, when responding to accidents. Often, la información recopilada puede ayudar a la policía a determinar quién tiene la culpa incluso antes que los agentes lleguen al lugar.

There are already plans to eventually disseminate the video among officers in the field. but for now, The video can only be reviewed once they return to the station and write their reports.

Improving city operations

With the proliferation of Axis cameras throughout Dubuque, More city departments are finding uses for the information captured by this technology. For example, Parking Division reviews video when motorists challenge meter violations or are towed for parking in restricted or illegal spaces.

Public Works monitors snow clearing and road treatment during winter storms to ensure corridors are safe to travel. From public transportation to public parks and recreation, road and bridge maintenance and quality control of watersheds, Fleege believes the city's camera network provides a wealth of information that can help departments discover ways they can improve city life for residents., companies and visitors.

Although Dubuque continues to maintain four separate networks for traffic, public safety, county and school district operations, Fleege says the plan is to link the four via the Milestone Interconnection. Users will continue to retain local control over their own Axis camera network for everyday use. But when events occur, authorized parties will have easy access to all relevant live streams and archived videos, which will allow for greater situational awareness and shorter investigation timelines, no matter what network the cameras reside on.