St. Cloud Deploys Cameras to Improve Safety
The City of St. Cloud, Fla., has deployed Axis Communications network cameras at its water and wastewater plants as a first step in modernizing its existing analog video surveillance capabilities.
St. Cloud’s most recent video surveillance project for the water and wastewater treatment plants was originally designed for analog cameras. However, after completing a return on investment project analysis with SiteSecure, the city determined that it could obtain superior monitoring capabilities and better fault-tolerance by implementing a fiber-optics IP-based system in a redundant ring configuration.
The cost savings realized by purchasing fewer cameras combined with the minimal infrastructure wiring required and ability to remotely monitor the IP video allowed St. Cloud to essentially pay for the new network camera implementation.
Beginning in 2008, St. Cloud deployed AXIS 233D Network PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom), AXIS 221 Fixed Network and AXIS 223 Network Megapixel Fixed Cameras at numerous locations throughout the town to protect against intruders and remotely manage operations.
To date, Axis network cameras have been installed at a new water treatment plant, a wastewater treatment facility and a water repump station. In addition to discouraging vandalism and improving safety, St. Cloud will be leveraging the capabilities of the network cameras for such operational purposes as reading metering equipment, checking water levels and monitoring hazardous chemical deliveries. The network cameras are part of an integrated alarm system, in which certain events can trigger alarms to improve operational efficiencies and alert operators of security incidents.
According to Bud Peck, CAD/GIS analyst for the city, “Axis network cameras provide higher video quality and increased reliability and redundancy, while providing faster access to archived material. Its encoders enable us to gain many of the benefits of IP systems today without having to immediately install a new system citywide. All told, we have obtained huge operational improvements at a significant cost savings with the new network camera solution.”