Page 19 - Sphere No.12 (Aug 2004)

the office and every policeman can be
in the field.”
The solution came in the form of
a touch screen monitor linked to
a rugged Windows 2000 PC
and powered by a Fast Mobile
Card (Pcmcia).
The devices can be installed
on the dashboard of the passen-
ger side of patrol vehicles and
are linked to head office via
3 Italy’s UMTS network.
Every patrol consists of two police-
men, one driving, the second keeping an
eye on the monitor.
With a simple touch of the monitor
the PC starts up and, in a few seconds,
the monitor starts showing real-time
video images provided by a network of
cameras at special hotspots around the
city, such as high-traffic junctions, cen-
tral pedestrian areas, parks and schools.
The cameras are linked to a streaming
server, which in turn is linked to
VideoPatrol. When VideoPatrol is on,
a policeman can choose between differ-
ent cameras and manipulate the
received images for better viewing. The
operator can zoom in, control the cam-
era movements (up, down, right, left),
improve the quality of the image, create
a still image and even print it in the car.
When alerted by unusual move-
ments, the patrol can make an immedi-
ate decision and quickly decide to go to
the spot to intervene.
What’s more, a keyboard and print-
er allow this integrated system to
access the city database, making it
possible to, for example, verify build-
ing permits, identify the immigration
status of an individual and access what-
ever information is available on the
data banks.
Wrongdoers who think they can
operate under cover of darkness are
also in for an unpleasant surprise. The
cameras are equipped with advanced
technology first developed by the mil-
itary that allows the cameras to “see”
at night.
To keep the system secure from
unscrupulous hackers, it is recom-
mended that customers develop
VideoPatrol over an “InAzienda” secure
Data VPN Solution (Cisco Ipsec). In
this way, no one but authorised person-
nel can access the information.
Pero is the first city in Italy to
deploy the system, but other cities will
soon follow. In time, it is expected
that VideoPatrol will become a stan-
dard tool in law enforcement across
Italy and beyond.
Not only is VideoPatrol a godsend
for the police, but the new service also
represents a great business opportunity
for APS and 3 Italy
with the potential to
become a significant new
revenue source. There are
thousands of police patrol
cars in Italy and APS is
committed to selling at
least 5,000 VideoPatrol
units by 2005.
“The VideoPatrol service has helped
us demonstrate the real business usage
potential of a 3G network,” says Ezio
Peri, Sales Business Director of 3 Italy.
“This service increases our network
usage at night and grants us high ARPU
[average revenue per user]. VideoPatrol
has even helped us in deploying our
network. The city of Dorgali, for exam-
ple, originally denied us permission to
install a radio base transmitter needed
to further improve our services. Then
they saw the advantages of VideoPatrol
and asked us to implement the system,
so they also agreed to let us install
a new radio base station. Everybody is
happy about VideoPatrol – everybody,
that is, except the lawbreakers!”
Before the introduction of
VideoPatrol, officers were effectively
handcuffed to their desks
3G
SPHERE 17