The software was installed in early 2013 and had only been in place for a few months when it helped solve a mystery. McCormick Place had installed siding along an underpass. Shortly after the installation, maintenance crews reported that the siding had incurred $8,000 in damage. No one knew exactly when the damage occurred, only that it had happened within a two-day time frame. However, the damage was clearly caused by a semi truck because no other vehicle was large enough to do it. Using the BriefCam software, security viewed footage from the camera that overlooked the damaged siding and isolated images of semi trucks. The system brought back one hit—the image of the truck hitting the siding. Solano was able to contact the company that owned the truck for compensation. “My boss was very happy with the result,” says Solano.
In late 2013, Solano agreed to test a pilot version of BriefCam’s upgraded software, Syndex. The upgrade allows users to tag individual movers by time, speed, and color. According to Solano, the new software allows for more filtering. For example, he notes that if security gets a report of a perpetrator wearing a red jacket, it can tell the software to show only people wearing red. Similarly, the software can further limit the footage to those going only in a certain direction.
Solano says that the installation of the initial software as well as the upgrade went smoothly. He notes that McCormick Place already had the infrastructure in place to allow the data to move quickly. The convention center has three networks: an administrative network for internal traffic, a network that hosts Internet access for trade show participants, and a network dedicated entirely to security. “The network is a big piece of the puzzle,” says Solano. “We are lucky that we could design and deploy a network of this size.”
Because of the available network space, Solano is able to offer the BriefCam software as a way to add value for exhibitors. Security allows exhibitors to rent cameras during trade shows and use the BriefCam software to analyze traffic at their booths.
Solano also plans to use the software to protect the new buildings being erected as part of an ongoing expansion project. By 2017, McCormick Place will have a 10,000-person arena and a new hotel. The designs for the buildings were approved with the security components, including BriefCam, built into the design. “No matter what our plans for new buildings in the future, we want to be ‘future-enabled,’” says Solano. “We have created the security backbone and can add on when needed.”
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