Special Project 1: Quiet please!

Located just outside Bristol city centre, Clifton College has 40 separate buildings including boarding houses. Every building is networked and linked back to a communications centre using Fast Ethernet technology. Computing resources include 25 servers and 500 personal computers plus 250 pupil-owned systems.

For Office Services Director Colin Lewis, this impressive network sat uneasily beside a proble-matic analogue CCTV system in various locations.

One of the most important buildings monitored by cameras is the Victorian-built Percival Library, widely recognised as the college's centrepiece. Used extensively, the 16,000-book library also had two adjacent Information & Communications Technology rooms.

When £1 million was made available for the Library's refurbishment, it also meant installing a replacement CCTV system to protect the upgraded facilities. A particular objective was to enable staff to monitor all areas from the Librarian's desk. Lewis says the Percival Library had to be maintained as a place for proper study.

  "There was inadequate supervision in the Percival Library because of several areas located away from the view from the Librarian's desk. The goal was to maintain an appropriately studious environment," said Lewis.

Inadequacies of old system
Although a new analogue CCTV system was considered, the Library Committee became aware of digital surveillance technology. This brought to light the inadequacies of the older system including poor images, deteriorating tapes and tedious searches. Several companies were approached for advice.

There were several objectives for a new digital surveillance system. Spare network capacity was available to capture and store high quality images from a standards-based solution. It also had to be managed centrally while giving anyone the means to view images via a web browser. And expansion into a campus-wide system in future years was likely too.

CNL conducted a site survey and gave advice about camera positions, server configurations and cabling. Experienced consultants then modified the college's network design for optimum surveillance with minimum adverse effects on the building.

Once the Library Committee agreed the proposals, the college provided its own network-linked server. CNL then installed Milestone Surveillance Xprotect software, nine cameras and video servers. The company also provided training and currently supports the system through an annual maintenance agreement.

  Said Lewis: "Computer Network Limited designed a digital surveillance solution to give Clifton College the maximum value for money. Installing a surveillance solution in a listed building is difficult, yet all the work was done very sympathetically."

Pupil behaviour assured
The Milestone Surveillance Xprotect software runs on a dual processor server under Microsoft Windows 2000. Full colour JPEG images at four frames per second are stored automatically into a seven-day archive from nine positions including several specialist infrared cameras. Automatic motion detection supports round-the-clock monitoring of entry and exits, study areas and the ICT Centre. Library staff use a web browser at a desk for image monitoring, while access is available on demand from anywhere else.

Thanks to the digital surveillance system, appropriate pupil behaviour and security of the library in general are now assured. Should there be any incidents, staff have rapid access to high quality stored images. For example, some damage to computer equipment was quickly proven to be non-accidental.

Said Lewis: "Our digital surveillance system is a proactive management tool to avoid issues. We can now manage pupils effectively in a large area, investigate any problems and make the appropriate decision. The Percival Library is a first class learning environment."

The new investment is a small step towards a campus-wide system. Clifton College believes that its flexible and scalable digital surveillance system will support cost-effective future expansion, whilst protect its heritage.