When more than a dozen newly installed computers vanished from a computer classroom without a trace, Marit Moe, Security Manager at NTNU, decided to take swift measures to improve the security of the university. That is when they installed a new video surveillance system based on the existing analog cameras and new IP cameras.

The Norwegian University of science and technology (NTNU) in Trondheim represents academic eminence in technology and the natural sciences as well as in other academic disciplines ranging from the social sciences, the arts, medicine, and architecture to fine arts. NTNU has more than 20 000 students and a staff of 4 320. Their annual budget is NOK 3.7 billion (approx. USD 500 million), and they operate in 96 buildings which total 550 000 square meters.

Thousands of people have access to the nearly one hundred different buildings on the university campus around the clock. Frequent thefts and vandalism had long been a problem for the NTNU, and causing apart from significant material loss, it also left the students and staff feeling uncomfortable, discouraged, and insecure.

The security system at the time, which consisted of a few scattered analog cameras and VCR recording in the most important buildings, was simply not enough to protect the university and its property. The quality of the pictures from these security cameras was often so poor that the pictures were useless. The non-integrated security system provided no help in catching the perpetrators either.

"I immediately decided to take swift measures to improve the security of the university and its staff and to protect public property. I decided to arrange a public tender to get as many offers as possible to choose from" says Marit Moe, NTNU's security manager.

NTNU wanted to have a surveillance solution that could be operated both locally and remotely as the university buildings are scattered over a large area. They also wanted to be able to use the existing cameras and cables as part of the new system, because some of the buildings are old and protected.

Moe explains how they decided on the new system, "Digital recording eliminates all the problems caused by poor picture quality, and so it was an obvious choice for us at NTNU. Digital recording also frees resources, because no one needs to change cassettes or clean video heads"

Roger Sommerbakk from Låsgruppen contacted ADI-Alarm System AS Norway as soon as the public tender on NTNU's security solution was announced. Låsgruppen, who has delivered the access control system on the NTNU premises, had cooperated with ADI-Alarm System Norway earlier on different projects. The two companies decided to take part in the bidding together.

"We were familiar with the quality and performance of Mirasys solutions, and we knew Mirasys solutions would be ideal for NTNU," explains Morten Haagenstad and Kato Lystad from ADI-Alarm System Norway "Mirasys solutions provide the user with highly efficient operations of video, audio and alarm management, and analysis. The solutions are scalable and flexible, and they include such powerful features as advanced motion detection, secure multi-disk recording, and one-click media clip export to CD/DVD or other media," continue Haagenstad and Lystad excitedly.

"NTNU selected three security solutions for an evaluation period that lasted several weeks," recalls Moe and continues, "One of the three solutions was based only on analog cameras; another solution was solely based on IP cameras. Mirasys offered a hybrid solution where our existing analog cameras can be used individually or together with new IP cameras". Mirasys was also the only company that offered a Norwegian user interface.

Mirasys won the public tender, the deciding factors being user friendliness, adaptability, and scalability. The system can, for instance, be easily updated and upgraded in a cost-efficient way. Mirasys security solutions are constructed so that a DVR system can be built up from four camera channels up to 50 camera channels simply by updating the license.

"The first 10 DINA recorders with 16 camera channels were installed in the main building in December 2005. Since then, we have on an average installed two new recorders every month," explains Sommerbakk "The cameras are connected to Mirasys DVR servers, which record digital images on hard disks. The DVR servers are programmed to discover and analyze movement in the camera's field of vision and to generate an alarm at critical situations. The images and alarms from the different buildings are transferred to a surveillance center where the images can be managed with Mirasys RMC software"

The RMC software can simultaneously handle thousands of cameras, and it keeps a central database of alarms. Up to 10 persons can supervise the buildings at the same time and take appropriate actions when necessary. "For the moment, the university has 30 recorders. But once the project is accomplished, the number will increase to 100 recorders that are connected to thousands of cameras. NTNU has six RMC stations that are being continuously supervised by security guards. The master RMC station includes eight monitors that cover the whole university area," attests Sommerbakk. "To further increase security, NTNU dedicated a network only for the Mirasys security solution where no other data traffic is permitted," Sommerbakk continues.

During spring 2007, all the DINA recorders at NTNU will be upgraded to Mirasys V series. The V series is constructed to support IP cameras and tomorrow's technology. With the V series, data security will be further improved - users can be assigned different levels of access and different usage rights. The V series also has its own file system, which does not cause fragmentation of data. This helps to prevent hard disk failures, which are common in other digital video recording systems. "We are really excited about this upgrade, and cannot wait for it to be installed!" Moe says.

"When it comes to the financial aspects, the investment has already paid back, as theft, burglary, and vandalism have diminished dramatically the installation," explains Moe and continues, "We could immediately see results. The buildings where Mirasys solutions have been installed have had close to zero thefts. For example, not a single computer has gone missing from the IT classrooms since the surveillance started. Before the cameras were set up, goods worth more than 535 000 NOK were stolen during a period of two months"

"The new surveillance solution as well as our close collaboration with the Trondheim police has increased the safety of the students and staff on the university premises, especially for those who stay at the premises after normal working hours," Moe explains. "If something happens, we transfer images to the police without any delay. Mirasys solutions enable us to send sharp and detailed images of, for example, burglary and vandalism, and the police have been very pleased with the images. Being able to present clear images of the culprits has facilitated the process of getting compensation," Moe continues.

"Mirasys systems are really easy to monitor and use," says Moe and continues, "Before, I could sit for hours and hours looking for images from blurred VCR recordings. Nowadays, with Mirasys search tools, I find what I'm looking for within minutes, and the images are clear and sharp". The search tools include date and time, event, movement, and activity from up to eight channels simultaneously. Moe goes on to explain, "The Mirasys watchdog reacts immediately if something unexpected happens. For example, it reacts if the system loses a video signal or if there are changes in the input signals from external devices such as a detector or card reader"

"The Mirasys surveillance system has been phenomenal for us. The system is stable, the service and support are reliable and the update of both the hardware and software has been smooth. The university and its property are protected and both the students and staff feel safe. It is quite a system!" Moe concludes.