HONEYWELL’S HUS is an integrated solution that brings together multiple systems – surveillance, access control, alarms, building automation, fire, etc, together in a single solution. It’s a unique solution that offers an unprecedented level of integration and this makes it ideal for the complex solution installed for Shenzhen Metro. Along with the Honeywell Security HUS integrated platform there are Honeywell encoders, decoders, cameras, burglary alarm systems and intrusion devices. Shenzhen Metro is not a greenfield site so there are encoders used to being some cameras onto the network and the ability to handle such applications seamlessly from one location is a powerful feature of HUS. According to Sufan Kan, senior marketing manager for Honeywell Asia Pacific, in the Shenzhen Metro project the HUS plays an important role as an integrated solution and management security platform incorporated with number of subsystems. “The systems at Shenzhen include an IP surveillance system with digital matrix switching as well as video content analytics system and SAN storage,” says Kan. “There’s also a burglary alarm system an access control system. The HUS also seamlessly interfaces with the metro operating systems – operation monitoring system, time sync system, transportation administration system, and passenger information system (PIS). According to Kan, like most rail applications this is a vast solution from a geographical standpoint. “There are two parts in the project – the Line 1 extension and new Line 2 construction,” he explains. “The length of the Shenzhen Metro Line 1 extension is around 24km, with construction of 15 stations (including 2 interchange stations) from Window of the World station to Shenzhen International Airport. “The district also includes two areas along the coast located at Bai Shi Zhou and Xi Xiang. In the Operation Control Center(OCC), there is installed a HUS security management system host linked to 15 HUS systems located at each of the stations. These support 1162 IP video inputs, 921 access control points, as well as 276 alarm relays. “Another metro line called the Line 2 is 33km long. This Line contains 28 stations and one main substation at She Kou west. Its OCC operates with a centralized HUS security management system linked to 28 HUS systems management systems located each of the stations, and 2,070 IP video input, 1,400 access control points, and 168 alarm relays.”The first 3 stations of the Shenzhen Metro Line 1 and its OCC were officially opened on 28 December 2008. The entire construction will be complete by 28 December 2010. The Shenzhen Line 2 construction is scheduled to be complete by May 2011.” Honeywell’s authorized system integrator handling the Shenzhen Metro Line 1 extension and Line 2 projects are Shenzhen Sunwin Intelligent Co Ltd, and Link Catic Co Ltd respectively. Honeywell Security worked closely with them to ensure smooth and effective project implementation. The system architecture was designed solely by Honeywell Security and Kan explains that as part of planning for the installation, Honeywell Security investigated the specification and required functions of each of the broader systems in order to understand the operational requirements of Shenzhen Metro. This allowed the designers to support the system integrators by proposing a d design. All components of the HUS system were developed, tested, installed and verified by Honeywell Security. Kan says that operationally, the HUS is a vital part of the day-to-day operations at Shenzhen Metro. “HUS is effectively securing each of stations at 24×7, as well as ensuring all stations can be monitored at one point in the Operational Control Centre,” he explains. “The fact HUS offers both centralized and distributed video image storage achieves the economy saving of lower capacity demand on the network infrastructure and bandwidth.” From an operational perspective, the HUS is an integral part of Shenzhen Metro’s core operations. There are 8-12 on-site security officers and operators at each railway station while the OCC is managed by 5 operators. In addition 2 the security staff there are two station control managers and one maintenance engineer at each station.Hardware and the networkThe overall hardware solution consists of switchers and storage to handle the 3232 video cameras deployed in the Shenzhen Metro project. The Line 1 extension implements FC-SAN storage system which features MPEG II 8Mbs digital storage at each station. All cameras operate, record and transfer images to the control centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Meanwhile, a minimum of 7 days storage is required. “The system also features MPEG4 with 2MB of live view transmission bit rate which includes 3 client interfaces and a decoder image output for each station, as well as 5 client interfaces and 20 decoder for video output to video wall at the OCC,” explains Kan. Cameras installed across the Shenzhen Metro are option for Wide Dynamic Range in fixed dome and high speed PTZ dome variations. The system’s full-bodied fixed cameras are fitted with standard viewing distance lenses. “The entire Shenzhen Metro project is fitted with Honeywell Security IP video solutions, including all cameras,” says Kan. “That includes the speed domes setup to handle instant surveillance and tracking and a large number of WDR cameras required to give high image quality while reducing the effects of strong backlight.” “All images are recorded in SAN storage based on the RAID technology which guarantees all stored images are complete and credible for future use. Moreover, HUS is capable of supporting the N+1 redundancy function to strengthen storage reliability to achieve zero losses over the network.”According to Kan, the system also incorporates 2,321 access control points and 444 alarm relays. All subsystem integrations are completed at the station, passed onto the network and are monitored at OCC centrally. As far as the network is concerned, Kan says this core component of the system was designed, tendered, installed and is operated independently of the security component of the system. Functionalities of the HUSSpecific functionalities of HUS application include a web configuration center with user management, facility management, system log and etc. The way this works is that an event and control server receives and controls events and commands of different formats via different communicating ways, integrating the third party alarm, video and access devices. A streaming server stores and forwards video from various remote DVR devices or decoders. This ensures a smooth transmission when streaming video at various bandwidth levels.Also important for Shenzhen is the HUS video client, a monitoring console of multiple mutually connected DVRs, simultaneously supervising multiple front-end DVRs and automatically uploading alarms from the front-end end. This HUS video client can implement video broadcast on a WAN through the streaming server and wide-ranging monitoring and alarm receiving through EC Server (Event and Control Server). There’s also an E-Map Client Electronic vector map system based on GIS. It implements concentrative management of multiple alarm spots and video monitors since they can be displayed in one map in the system, receiving alarms, video monitoring, linkage processes and more. The system supports importing vector map file, static picture and CAD file type as the geographical layer file. It includes the settings of video client which assists the E-Map client in playing the video. In addition, an IE browser can be used to access a web configuration centre which implements remote management. System input from sites like Shenzhen Metro includes feeds from video monitoring systems, alarm systems, access control systems and the 3rd party systems or devices. The main window of HUS video client consists of work space (operation and setting), video window, alarm information and menu. The main window includes a video list containing all videos in the system which is put in folders. Each folder can have a maximum of 16 video channels or several sub-folders; a folder represents a set of video channels and videos of these channels can be played in another video window. Other functions possible include dragging and dropping the video, adding video channels and searching video.Real-time surveillance is also possible using the video window, with indicators at the top left of the video window displaying the status. You click the button at the top right to turn off irrelevant video channels in order to relieve the network bandwidth. Real time surveillance functions include video window switching, display in full screen, alarm information list, playing alarm video, alarm log management, multi-view preview and three special view modes. There’s also a ‘My profile’ window which allows operators to view or modify the information of the current user.Management functions of HUS management solutions include adding and saving video groups, modifying the channel name, PTZ control, modifying video parameters, searching video, search video by time/event and search for multi-channel historical video by time, by event, by multi play and by video download. The HUS also offers full patrol settings to play videos of multiple channels in limited windows. Each patrol includes several patrol scenes and each patrol scene includes several video channels. It plays the videos in a patrol one by one with specified time interval.Kan says if there is a defining quality of the HUS system at this site – it’s that the HUS integrated platform is designed on module based, which is capable of connecting multiple sites with high flexibility. In the case of Shenzhen Metro, the HUS not only strengthens the security management and video surveillance, but also the capability operating in the metro application at OCC linking with all the stations, and also station to station. As a result, all sites are securely running independent as well as monitoring centralized. The features of HUS that make it ideal for this sprawling installation gravitate around the fact the HUS management system provides a total solution to Shenzhen Metro. “The HUS handles the image capture solution, transmission and display solution, recording solution, operation and management solution for Shenzhen Metro,” explains Kan. “It guarantees end-to-end reliability of such a system’s 2 major vulnerabilities — storage and network components and it offers high availability for key elements like Encoder and NVR N+1 redundancy, automatic network failure recovery and management server duplicated hot standby. “HUS also gives Shenzhen Metro a highly efficient threat detection and resolution solution, access and intrusion integration to help identify and solve threats in the first place, E-map to enable threats to be located accurately in few seconds and a programmable pre-plan that’s even more powerful than Macro command. “Without a doubt, full digital security solution is the trend for future development in railway industry,” Kan says. “As the first in China or even the first railway system in Asia Pacific to implement such large scale IP security solution, the Shenzhen Metro utilizes the IP technology offerings that are fully applicable for their systems and future developments. “Starting from 2007, the HUS deployment in Shenzhen Metro has successfully achieved the centralized security management system, efficient operation platform, total lower cost of ownership, disaster recovery have now formed in shape. “The Shenzhen Metro project has definitely set a good example for China railway development that, gradually, future railway projects in China will also opt for full IP security solution (such as Beijing Metro, Wuhan Metro, Shanghai Metro, Tianjin Metro).”
