Redvision’s cameras help to protect Dunsfold Park airfield.
Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, near Guildford, Surrey, was constructed as an emergency airfield in 1942 and operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, throughout WWII. It briefly became a charter airline base before the Hawker Aircraft Company Ltd., now BAe Systems, took control in 1950. Following that, until 2000, it was operated as a flight test-centre and plane refurbishment site supporting British air-force operations abroad.
Today, Dunsfold Park is thriving business park and designated private, unlicensed airfield managed by the Rutland Group, in partnership with owners, Trinity College Cambridge. Although it is home to over 100 businesses, employing more than 1,100 people, viewers of the BBC’s Top Gear will recognize it as the programme’s motor car test circuit. The Park has appeared in blockbuster films, such as Casino Royale and The Da Vinci Code and plays host to the Wings & Wheels Air and Motoring Show, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
The Rutland Group recognized that a high-quality surveillance system was needed at Dunsfold Park to provide security; help protect staff and tenants; protect the 500,000 sq ft of high-tech office space; protect high-value assets on the site including planes; and help with site management and health & safety. The new system had to deliver far higher image quality than the previous analogue system and bring flexibility for expansion, as the ‘multi-use’ site continues to develop. Operators needed the capability to zoom in on specific areas of interest using PTZ cameras, to view site activity and identify people, in all weather conditions, day or night.
24/7 surveillance was required across the entire site, including at remote entrance gates and isolated buildings. This was to give an immediate, real-time, operator response to incidents. Needless to say, the system was also to be user-friendly, reliable, robust and offer good value for money.
The Rutland Group awarded the installation contract to specialist security integrator, ISD-Tech, which has a proven track-record in the public and private sectors, following a successful, pilot system trial at the park.
A new, sustainable, network infrastructure was installed by ISD-Tech, with a fibre-optic back bone and wireless connections to remote buildings and gates. A state-of-the-art surveillance system was installed, designed using the IDIS DirectIP product range. The seamless integration with Redvision’s, X-SERIES™, RV30™, rugged, PTZ dome cameras enabled long-range, night-time visibility of remote areas of the site, meeting a specific part of the Rutland Group brief. Operators could now zoom in and identify intruders, ensuring evidential-quality recording was taking place on the IDIS, HD network video recorders (NVRs). The system was controlled locally by ‘IDIS Center’, central management software, which also enabled secure, remote viewing access for designated operators and staff from their PCs and smartphones.
Nicky Stokes, managing director of ISD-Tech, explains, “Dunsfold Park is a large site with a diverse security and surveillance requirement. The IDIS DirectIP range is ideal because it delivers seamless plug-and-play integration, ease of use and high-quality, real-time images with no visible latency. Redvision X-SERIES™, RV30™, rugged PTZ dome cameras along with fixed cameras are now in operation at Dunsfold Park. The X-SERIES™ PTZ cameras have a wiper to remove rain, essential for outdoor use in the UK, and they include IR illumination for operation in total darkness, at night. The camera quantity is expected to rise, which the IDIS DirectIP system can easily accommodate.
“We were able to optimize the surveillance system to meet Dunsfold Park’s diverse requirements, from the expansion of estate facilities, perimeter protection along fence lines and remote buildings, through to coverage of the park’s show, film and television commitments. It also allows the Rutland Group to add new technologies, such as ANPR (automatic number plate recognition), as site requirements evolve.”
David McAllister, Estate Manager at Dunsfold Park added, “As a fast-growing, multi-occupancy site, our security needs are complex and varied. We‘re absolutely delighted with the quality and performance of the new IDIS and Redvision solution. We can easily monitor everything from a single platform, both from on-site control points, and remotely via smart devices. It has given us the improved operational support we wanted to meet the health, safety and security needs of everyone on site, whether business tenants or film crews. It also provides peace of mind for the public attending events like Wings & Wheels.”
ISD-Tech successfully delivered a high-performance, reliable and robust surveillance and security system using Redvision PTZ cameras and the IDIS DirectIP suite of fixed cameras, recorders and software. It offers a reliable, future-proof surveillance solution that has exceeded Dunsfold Park’s expectations.