Digital Security Surveillance Cameras Keep a Watchful Eye on Super Bowl 51

Photo: Lowellsun.com, courtesy of Axis Communications

Houston law enforcement agencies are stepping up their security game by adding digital surveillance cameras that can detect gun shots, explosives and unusual behavior at events before and during the big game.

The eyes of Texas are all upon Houston this week, as Super Bowl 51 crowds gather for 10 days of pre-game events and festivities and the big game on Sunday. Tech companies and service providers are teaming up to help law enforcement agencies more easily monitor the crowd of 1 million super fans, installing a full lineup of smart, connected digital security cameras, IoT sensors and network command centers.

The city’s game plan for crowd security includes the use of hundreds of network cameras at Super Bowl LIVE, which includes free concerts, fan games and other activities held throughout the week. The City of Houston Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security designated Axis Communications in Chelmsford, MA, as the provider of video and audio surveillance at Discovery Green, a 12-acre park in downtown Houston that will host the Super Bowl LIVE events.

A combination of Axis dome network cameras, a thermal network camera and network horn speakers will be deployed throughout the venue to help monitor and secure entryways, stages and entertainment areas. “This is certainly the big game,” said Scott Dunn, Director of Business Development at Axis Communications, in an interview with KHOU.

Photo: Lowellsun.com, courtesy of Axis Communications

Dunn also notes that the surveillance network will include smart sensors that analyze voice levels to detect possible aggression. The sensors will alert police, so they can see and analyze via the cameras what’s going on and react when necessary. Louroe Electronics™ based in Van Nuys, CA, is providing the intelligent sound detection equipment, which will interface with the other security devices.

An Axis partner, Preferred Technologies, Inc., based in Houston, TX, is facilitating the system’s deployment. Local law enforcement groups and Homeland Security will manage the surveillance equipment and monitor cameras from a central command center and the Houston Emergency Operations Center.

The MVPs of Surveillance Technology

The digital equipment chosen for the event is as agile as the players. The Axis products roster includes its pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) dome network cameras equipped with laser focus, along with Axis Lightfinder and Wide Dynamic Range technologies, which can show image details in extreme conditions. The Axis PTZ network cameras can zoom in up to 30 times with a high-definition image, creating clean images in low light situations. The team of cameras work together, and their data is delivered via a wireless Verizon network to the command centers, including one in the middle of Discovery Green.

Preferred Technologies also deployed discreet Axis dome network cameras and thermal network cameras. The thermal cameras are equipped with Eagle-i Edge™, a video analytics solution from Jemez Technology, designed for real-time threat detection and tracking. Each of the cameras is equipped with Axis Zipstream technology, which helps reduce network bandwidth and storage requirements.

No Backpack Left Behind

The security technology allows for two-way communication between crowds and security personnel. To give officers the ability to remotely address people and deter unwanted activity, Preferred Technologies installed Axis network horn speakers.

The surveillance cameras can determine how long a person sits at a particular location, and the camera can issue an alert if something is left behind, such as a backpack. “The camera can take a photo (of the person and the item), snapshot it, save it and email it to law enforcement, asking them to be on the lookout for this particular individual,” explains Dan Foster, data consultant for Verizon Wireless, to KHOU. Individual officers will get immediate alerts on their cell phones and tackle any problem as soon as possible.

Learn more about Axis network cameras.