Outdoor Video Perimeter Security Protects BAPS Religious Complex

When taggers spray-painted the canvas construction fence at a 21-acre religious and cultural complex in Chino Hills, California, the incident indicated a need for better security. For the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan center located at the site, a robust perimeter protection system would be required to keep destructive intruders from possibly damaging an intricate and elaborate construction project going on inside the fence.

To protect the entire site, and in particular to protect construction of their new temple, the BAPS community turned to an intelligent outdoor surveillance solution from SightLogix.

The new temple, a traditional Hindu Mandir, is currently being built of carved, pink sandstone blocks, each block created by artisans and sent one-by-one from India, together reflecting millions of man-hours of work. Five existing buildings on the Chino Hills site include one whose exterior is intricately carved in teak wood – making the removal of graffiti virtually impossible.

The Chino Hills complex is part of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), an organization that began in a small village in India in 1907 and has since grown into a worldwide socio-spiritual organization dedicated to community service, peace and harmony. The complex includes a reception building, cultural assembly hall, classroom building, gymnasium and residences for the Swamis, in addition to the Mandir under construction. Much of the 21-acre site will be landscaped along with access roadways and parking, with several more buildings planned in the future.

Looking To Protect The Perimeter

Before turning to SightLogix intelligent video surveillance technology to protect the site perimeter, BAPS had considered using a fiber-optic type system to detect intruders based on vibrations of a sensor cable attached to a fence. “We gave them the cost comparisons and the minute we did a demo on SightLogix they were instantly decided,” says Ron Nyberg, regional sales manager of Focus Micro, who introduced the SightLogix technology to BAPS. “For aesthetic reasons, they were happy with the fact that they didn’t have to physically strap something to their fence.” Aesthetics will become even more important when the current temporary chain-link fence is later replaced by a permanent ornamental concrete and wrought iron fence surrounding the complex.

“We had looked at other options around the perimeter,” recalls KV Swami. “We found they would be very expensive, hard to do, and there would be a lot of false alarms. We had a demo of SightLogix equipment, and I was very impressed. Their product is clearly durable and well-built for the outdoors and I liked that it would give me the results I needed.” SightLogix was also “very considerate” of BAPS’ status as a non-profit organization funded by donations.

The System at BAPS

Six SightSensor visible cameras are positioned on 30-foot poles located between 400 and 1,200 feet apart around the perimeter of the 21-acre site, each viewing an area that overlaps the adjacent camera’s field of view to avoid any blind spots. Designed for long-range protection of high-value assets in any outdoor environment, the SightSensor cameras can actually detect a human target over an area covering as much as 1,500 feet, providing redundant coverage in critical areas for the BAPS facility.

Each SightSensor camera uses on-board video analytics that determine when an intrusion has occurred, and will create an alarm if a person tries to breach the BAPS perimeter. These alarms are set by rules which can include size, direction, and other variables. Multiple image processors in each camera compensate for outdoor issues such as camera motion (from wind, for example, when the camera is positioned at the top of a 30-foot pole) and also dynamically correct lighting and eliminate tree motion. The SightSensor also uses AES encryption to eliminate network intrusion and tampering.

At BAPS in California, each 30-foot pole also has a Pelco pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) dome camera automatically controlled by a SightLogix SightTracker. When the SightSensor camera detects an intruder within the viewing area, it provides the target’s precise location to the SightTracker which sends a control signal to direct the pan-tilt-zoom camera to zero in and continually track the source of the alarm. All of the information showing detected targets, as well as the SightSensor and associated PTZ field of views are displayed onto the SightLogix SightMonitor topology map of the facility. At BAPS, each SightSensor camera shoots down the fence line and each PTZ dome can zoom in on any alarm point within the intelligent camera’s broader field of view.

“Going with this system gives me views of my whole perimeter, and it gives me the option of reviewing these areas visually,” says KV Swami. “Most important, it gives me early notice of an intrusion so any damage can be prevented.”

The SightSensor camera is built for long life and is contained in a ruggedized enclosure that enables the camera to operate in outdoor and harsh environments, including extended temp range (from minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 158 degrees Fahrenheit). Such packaging extends its life and detection accuracy in any environment.

Full Situational Awareness

The SightLogix perimeter security solution at BAPS is integrated with Genetec’s video surveillance management system. As a Certified Genetec Partner, SightLogix’ outdoor video surveillance system is fully compatible with Omnicast. The pre-integrated solution enables all alarm and target information detected by SightLogix cameras to be displayed by the Genetec video management software (VMS). When a SightLogix camera detects a target that violates a user-defined security policy, the camera provides the precise Geographical Information System (GIS)-based target location to Genetec, which displays the nature of the threat and enables easy viewing of the video on the Genetec system for full situational awareness.

Nyberg says a lesson of the BAPS installation is the need to look broadly at system costs rather than fixating on the price of a single component, such as the high-end SightLogix cameras. “If you look at it from the overall design perspective, in the end the SightLogix system will be much lower priced based on its long-range performance and outdoor packaging,” he says.

SightLogix has become a global “preferred vendor” at other BAPS sites throughout the world, which will translate into additional future installations, says KV Swami. “Hats off to SightLogix for their support, consideration and determination to make a customer happy,” he says. “They are very friendly, understanding and supportive.”



Leave a Reply