Security and Access Solutions for Educational Institutions
Safety and security are top priorities in our schools. Administrators and educators are faced with the evolving challenge of providing secure access to authorized personnel and guests, while keeping unauthorized visitors out of the building.
Maintaining security has never been simpler with the use of access control systems for schools.
Security and Access Control for Safer Education
Providing a video surveillance solution for Educational facilities presents numerous unique challenges, particularly in the era of the smart campus. Perimeters, campus grounds, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure all need to be secured in order to keep thousands of students, lecturers, and visitors safe, while simultaneously taking into account their privacy and preventing cyber security invasions.
Cathexis and OMNIA seamlessly integrate and meet the demands of campus security across North America, PMTronics has proven results in over 1000 schools.
Key Features
- Reducing the risk to campus infrastructure, as well as health and safety by applying intelligent surveillance techniques.
- Implementation of technology to provide an effective and efficient “smart” campus environment through the use of sophisticated management tools.
- Through our cutting-edge Video analytics/AI, we can perform many automated functions like detection of loitering and abandoned objects or tracking people and vehicles across a broad space, creating a campus that is transparent, easy to monitor and safe for staff, students, and visitors.
- Providing fast, real-time alerts, making it possible for response teams to react quickly to incidents such as protests, fire, intrusion, and other threats.
- Our suite of surveillance tools reduces the burden on control room operators. Our product does the thinking for you, creating an effective, efficient environment.
- System reliability and maintenance, maximizing up-time and reducing risk.
- Addressing privacy and cyber-security compliance on various levels.
As the first point of entry to the campus, perimeter protection is of paramount importance.
Cathexis offers numerous sophisticated tools, which work seamlessly with normal or thermal cameras to provide
real-time alerts, assisting security staff in making informed decisions.
For example, CathexisVision has its own Video Analytics suite which can be configured to detect people crossing
perimeter boundaries. The software also integrates with 3rd party electronic fence monitoring systems, which provides a double layer of security when used in conjunction with CathexisVision Video Analytics.
These methods, in tandem with the sophisticated control room and alarm management solution, facilitate an effective environment and speedily guide operators to areas of concern, allowing them to take immediate action in pressurized situations.
Public spaces are some of the most difficult areas to monitor on campus. Recreational areas, parks, and sports fields attract a great deal of thoroughfare. The scenes and events that take place in public spaces are not always predictable and require a superior surveillance solution.
There may be many hundreds of cameras for operators to monitor, so it is extremely important to be able to allocate
cameras, or groups of cameras, to specified users. It is also imperative to ensure that these users can easily view
unusual events, and take action when they occur.
The system needs to provide operators the ability to:
• Easily follow people or vehicles across multiple cameras without having to choose specific cameras. This
objective is made possible with our Adjacent Camera mapping feature.
• Use the SMART search feature to easily find events of concern.
• Quickly review footage on one or more cameras.
• Control PTZ cameras for object tracking.
• Use Video Analytics to trigger events after hours or during periods when these areas should be vacant, or when
there is unusual activity.
• Detect loitering or abandoned objects.
• Archive video across one or more cameras to media devices.
There are a broad spectrum of buildings within an educational facility; from public corridors and recreational areas to lecture halls, examination rooms, canteens, staff quarters, residential accommodation, and more. Each area in an educational facility requires unique, tailored solutions.
In this context, CathexisVision has many features that enable operators to take immediate action and make informed decisions.
Video Analytics with Artificial Intelligence algorithms enable the system to create alerts when there is unusual activity in a designated area. In a complementary manner, our extensive suite of search tools empower operators to easily find footage relating to specific incidents.
Integration with third party products like access control, intrusion, and fire panels is a special strength of CathexisVision. This gives Cathexis the capability to associate, display, and record cameras with events from other systems. Alerts can be created and databases mined, while more sophisticated procedures such as arming or disarming of intrusion panels can be performed either locally or remotely from the CathexisVision software. Integration with intercom systems also enables operators to use bi-directional audio communication.
In most campuses there are parking areas, and on larger campuses there are roads within the campus grounds.
Controlling and monitoring traffic in these areas is vital in ensuring the security of students, staff, and visitors on campus.
CathexisVision offers ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), which complements the surveillance solution in several key ways. Licence plates can be compared to lists of plates in configured groups, for instance blacklists, staff
groups, or contractor groups. There are automated actions configured for when a recognised plate falls within a
designated group. For example, one may want to raise an alarm when a plate contained in the blacklist group has been detected. Conversely, when a plate within a staff group is identified, one may choose to open a boom-gate. The software also offers a comprehensive database search facility for finding license plates.
The Cathexis Object classification algorithm (AI), allows users to search for vehicles by type, for example car, truck,
motorcycle, bicycle, or person. In addition, the algorithm enables searching by colour; one may want to find all “red
trucks” within a specified time period on a specific camera, or across multiple cameras.
Our Speed algorithm can also provide alerts and recordings of vehicles travelling at speeds higher than a desired limit.
While this is not to be used for law enforcement, this feature will alert operators to unusual behaviour of this sort.
Cathexis has integrated with many premium, globally used access control systems. Integration provides important video verification of access control transactions and delivers an effective management solution.
Access control integration enables the system to create events on specific transaction types (like anti-passback or after-hours transactions), which will in turn, trigger site actions. Examples of site actions include playing a notification, switching a camera to a monitor, and moving a PTZ camera in order to automatically inform the security staff of crucial events.
The Cathexis system gives users the ability to search the access control database to find specific transactions as well as the associated video footage.
In order for all features and integrations to add value, the control room environment needs to provide an effective user interface.
CathexisVision achieves this through the following features:
Interactive Maps
A multi-layered map enables users to “drill-down” into areas of interest within a campus. From a general overview map, users can click on a map area, zoom into the area in question, and then select and view cameras from this section of the map. The map provides graphical alerts from one of the many events that can be configured on the system and also enables users to control third party devices.
Alarm Management Gateway
The Alarm Management Gateway is a complete event management solution. Events can be allocated a priority level, as well as event-specific cameras, sites, and maps. Operators will be automatically guided to the exact camera and/or map upon the event reception. In addition, operator procedures will be automatically presented. A log of all events and operator activities is kept in the history database.
SMART Search Features
As discussed in previous chapters of this document, Cathexis has several SMART search features, which enable users to quickly find video footage of specific incidents.
Video Wall
The video wall facilitates the control of many monitors from a single “mimic” panel. The video wall also enables tours of cameras, and tours of layouts, on selected panels or monitors. Furthermore, cameras can be automatically switched to selected monitors on events.
Multi-site Connection
Some educational facilities opt for a central command centre to manage several sites. The CathexisVision software enables simultaneous connection to multiple sites and concurrent viewing of cameras from these sites.
OMNIA Pro & Enterprise
- Proven track record in the K-12 market. Many large multi-site systems installed throughout North America
- No cost for Omnia software version upgrades and security updates
- Steady availability of hardware in the US and Canada
- Browser based software without cost for additional users
- Easy to use Dashboard interface, customizable to each software users specific job duty
- Threat level management facility included for a customized Lockdown & Emergency Management
- Vandal resistant reader selection built for the elements
- Deep integration with industry leading Wireless Lock and Biometric reader solutions
CATHEXIS Vision
- Proven Track record in the US K-12 market with large multi-site installations
- Cathexis have been developing video management software for 25 years
- Non-Proprietary Hardware architecture, upgradeable and scalable to meet growth requirements
- Direct driver integration support for most camera & peripheral manufacturers & latest ONVIF support
- Extensive 3rd party integrations including, Intercoms, Facial recognition, Alarm Panels and Halo vape detection
- Health monitoring, designed to notify and provide status reports when system problems are detected across the district: (camera failures, communication, environmental & hard drive analysis etc.)
- Software features designed to assist resource officers and staff to be notified, locate and follow threats throughout the campus. (Camera adjacent mapping)
- Cathexis Video analytic suite designed to make monitoring hundreds of cameras possible
- Black Screen monitoring to assist first responders in threat location
- The most feature rich Mobile App in the industry with Multi-tab customizable layouts, Interactive maps and notifications
CATHEXIS & OMNIA Integration
- Access control and Video Surveillance on a single platform for streamlined operation.
- Associate cameras with access control events for real-time visual identification.
- Search and filter the database to find access control events and associated video footage.
- Generate reports in CathexisVision on data received from the OMNIA Pro software.
- Control doors and cameras in a comon site map.
- Create unique actions triggered by access control events, such as: Record or control cameras
- Send event info to local or off-site control rooms
- Send email or SMS notifications
- Play audio clips
- Control the device