Q&A with Mark Romer (Pelco by Schneider Electric)

Mark Romer, National Security Manager for Pelco by Schneider Electric.

 

Tell us about Pelco by Schneider Electric..

Pelco by Schneider Electric is a world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of IP-based video security cameras, recording and management systems, software, and services ideal for any industry. With a long and prestigious history of offering high-quality products and exceptional customer service, Pelco is a highly respected and trusted supplier in the surveillance industry. From an ever-expanding portfolio of network-based video surveillance cameras ideal for any lighting condition, environment, and application to a suite of video management systems, IP accessories, and more, Pelco is focused on delivering the products our industry demands. From shipping guarantees and 24/7 technical support to industry-leading training and a growing array of online tools, Pelco strives to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction possible.

 

 Are you launching any new or innovative products at the show this year?

We are pleased to be showing a couple of very exciting new offers at Security Expo 2014 — Sarxi TI with Thermography and our new Evolution 360-Degree Cameras.  Sarix TI brings a new functionality in Thermography — the ability to measure the temperature of objects. Thermography opens up a whole new world of applications — from electric utilities to manufacturing to oil fields and beyond — in which temperature measurement can monitor operations and identify potential operational issues before they become problems that can cause operations to cease and loss of revenue.  Our new Evolution 360-Degree Cameras are the key to total situational awareness. Tight integration with Pelco’s Digital Sentry video management system provides de-warping of the 360-degree camera images, providing clear, intelligible images in both live and recorded video. What’s more, the tight integration between camera and DS VMS allows users to retrospectively zoom into areas of interest in recorded video, to get a full view of what actually just happened, while still recording the entire scene.

 

What do you think are the greatest challenges in video surveillance today?

While there is a lot of interest in multi-megapixel imaging for enhanced detail, video surveillance still deals with challenging lighting conditions — low light, zero light, glare, wide dynamic range — that continue to pose obstacles for multi-megapixel imagers. What’s more, end-users and integrators alike continually have to balance the need for image detail and image quality with constraints on bandwidth and storage budgets. While storage costs continue to decline, camera counts continue to rise, and end-users do not have unlimited budgets to spend on huge storage farms for all that video data they’re recording.

 

How has this trend impacted the industry as a whole?

Customers need solutions that provide optimal image quality while not breaking the budget for bandwidth and storage. Pelco is uniquely positioned to serve these needs with our Sarix IP cameras with SureVision 2.0 technology — which are designed to provide the best image quality in changing, challenging lighting conditions, while providing consistent, controllable bandwidth consumption without huge spikes in usage.

 

Tell us about your case study- The Chilean Mines?

Pelco solutions have been the choice for installation in mining centres throughout the country. From assisting operators who control the largest of machinery in the Andean Cordilleras
to keeping watch over the rail system in the Teniente mine – the largest underground mine in the world located just south of Santiago – Pelco systems play a vital role in protecting the significant investments made in mining
infrastructure, advanced-technology machinery and – most important of all – the miners themselves.

Teknos, a local system integrator in Chile, has provided Pelco video security solutions for several mining sites in Chile, including Codelco North, Codelco Salvador Division, Codelco Andean Division, Codelco Teniente Division, Codelco Ventanas, Mining Company Doña Inés de Collahuasi, Altonorte Foundation, Escondida Mining, Spence Mining, and AngloChile Mining.

In general, Pelco products, including Esprit and Spectra positioning systems, a comprehensive offering of digital video recorders, and explosion-proof and day/night camera systems protect industrial infrastructure, restricted areas,
buildings, warehouses, parking lots, machinery, access roads, and perimeters. While many mines are currently using analogue-based systems, there is a migration being witnessed to the deployment of network-based technologies
and systems, many times such systems with other security applications, including Access Control, Fire Detection, Alarms and Biometrics.