New video management system from Funkwerk video systeme improving safety and security at underground railway stations

Funkwerk video systeme GmbH is overseeing an upgrade to video surveillance on the underground railway networks in Nuremberg and Fürth on behalf of Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG), the public transport operator for the company’s home city of Nuremberg. VAG and Funkwerk have been working together for many years, with Funkwerk having installed the first video systems for VAG in the 1980s. Trust, experience and expertise as a professional problem-solver and systems provider, a rapid 24/7 on-call service provided locally thanks to the company’s Nuremberg base as well as the level of protection provided for the investment made by VAG were all decisive criteria in the latter choosing Funkwerk for the project.

Now, centralised station monitoring is intended partly to improve operational processes at VAG but partly to improve safety and security. ‘In future, it will not only be VAG employees operating the video system, but also the police and the fire service. The police and the fire service have had access to the system for some time, but this is now being enhanced with additional cameras, and the technology in general is being completely overhauled,’ explained Norbert Meissner, managing director of Funkwerk video systeme.

Funkwerk video systeme is supplying not only the control centre systems, but also the station equipment. The control centre systems include the technical equipment for the workstations at the surveillance control centre, such as monitors displaying video management and virtualisation software, as well as additional equipment such as computers with high memory capacity. The station equipment includes the technical hardware for recording images, such as high-resolution digital surveillance cameras, at the railway stations.

All information available on one user interface

For the control centre systems, Funkwerk video systeme is installing its new video management system, named posa palleon. ‘Gone are the days when users had to adjust their system requirements to suit the capabilities of the management software because posa palleon adapts its needs accordingly,’ said Meissner. The system has a configurable user interface that can be customised in line with each operator’s preferences, also enabling the integration of innovative operating concepts.

It allows all new digital cameras to be managed, while existing cameras can be connected to the system and controlled via what is referred to as a posa palleon bridge. Consequently, the old management software and the new software can run alongside each other. In addition to livestreams, operators can record and save videos as well as manage and analyse the data, all through one user interface.

Partnership with HÖRMANN Kommunikation & Netze

On behalf of FVS, HÖRMANN Kommunikation & Netze laid some 42 kilometres of wiring and installed 440 additional video cameras at 48 stations. Each camera is connected to the video network via LAN and Power over Ethernet. That takes care of both the power supply and data transfer. The cameras are configured using a remote PTRZ function. PTRZ stands for ‘pan, tilt, rotate and zoom’ and enables the cameras to be installed easily. ‘The fitters at HÖRMANN Kommunikation & Netze are thoroughly dependable partners, and we can rely on them to hand over fully operational systems to our customers,’ said Meissner.