Naval Ordnance Test Unit Improves Observations With Camera Upgrades

October 20, 2011 SSI Staff

Millennium Communications installed four Samsung weather-resistant p/t/z cameras around the Naval Ordinance Test Unit. Photo courtesy Samsung.

The Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) at the Cape Canaveral, Fla., Air Force Station supports and tests sea-based weapons in a safe environment. The unit also operates the Navy Port at Port Canaveral, supporting submarines and surface ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and of foreign navies, as well as the assets of the Military Sealift Command. Surrounded by ocean on three sides, the unit’s location poses a challenge for electronic devices to operate dependably due to its corrosive, salt-water environment.

Video surveillance at the NOTU previously consisted of an outdated system using four black-and-white pan/tilt/zoom (p/t/z) cameras, a p/t/z controller and four black-and-white video displays tied to video cassette recorders (VCRs). The system needed to be updated, and new components had to withstand the corrosive environment.

NOTU turned to Millennium Communications of Melbourne, Fla., a Samsung Strategic Integrator, to design and install a new system. Founded by Angel Echevarria, Millennium Communications has a 10-year history of providing surveillance and two-way radio systems to commercial, hospitality, educational and federal facilities throughout Brevard County. Echevarria and Millennium Communications President Mark Soliman designed the NOTU system and oversaw its installation.

Millennium designed NOTU’s new system based on Samsung technology for its security and efficiency benefits. Due to the outdated black-and-white cameras, their overall goal was to improve the image clarity. Additionally, the Samsung solution provided automatic p/t/z tours and vastly improved video storage capacity.

Millennium opted not to use IP-based network cameras but decided instead on the capabilities of Samsung’s analog technology, which fully met their needs. The new system includes four Samsung weather-resistant p/t/z cameras, which capture high-resolution images and are protected by integrated housings.

The cameras come equipped with 128x wide dynamic range (WDR) and digital image stabilization with a 37x optical zoom lens, and auto-tracking capabilities. They also incorporate super noise reduction to minimize random and fixed noise under low illumination in order to achieve excellent low light performance while reducing digital video recorder (DVR) storage space by as much as 70 percent.

“We knew that the installation at the NOTU required cameras that combined high performance with outstanding value,” Soliman says. “The Samsung p/t/z camera with its integrated housing fit the application well and provided a high-end product at a good mid-range price.”

The cameras at NOTU provide video across fiber-optic cabling to a Samsung DVR/storage system. The DVR at the NOTU location provides high-resolution real-time recording capability. It also provides smart thumbnail and bookmark search capabilities, fast DVD backup (with a DVD writer included as a standard feature) and easy control with intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and mouse. The DVR can also accommodate up to two internal SATA HDD disk drives.

The NOTU system also uses a Samsung keyboard p/t/z controller to provide system compatibility with multiple protocols. Its intuitive keypad, large LCD window and ergonomic design provide for easy operation. The system is monitored locally on base and uses fiber/RS-485 transmission to control the cameras.

The Samsung video surveillance system is one of several security and surveillance systems deployed at the NOTU. Soliman says the benefits of the system cannot be easily quantified beyond the “priceless” benefits of security to protect a military dock. Samsung Techwin America’s sales and technical support teams have been very responsive to the installation, according to Soliman.

“Mission critical applications like that of the NOTU clearly demonstrate the performance and value advantages of Samsung technology for high-end applications,” says Frank DeFina, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing at Samsung. “As we continue to develop new imaging and recording technologies, we are applying them across our entire product line of IP and analog solutions. The analog system installed at NOTU is a perfect example of Samsung innovation at work.”

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