JERUSALEM -- Israel's NICE Systems has won a contract to provide video security camera and computerized surveillance alert systems for the metro system in China's northern city of Tianjin, company officials recently told Xinhua.
"Asia has the biggest population in the world, and we see in most, if not all of the countries, an increasing demand for security," Eran Hadar, vice-president of Security for NICE's Asia- Pacific rim operations said.
"We provide the video recording solution; in some cases -- it depends on the project -- and sometimes the storage, and of course, the video analytics," which are the brains behind the system, Hadar added, speaking from the firm's Hong Kong office.
The firm, based in central Israel's Ra'anana, said its NiceVision's IP video security system will be installed at 23 stations of Tianjin's 23-plus-kilometer metro line. The surveillance cameras will cover the network's tracks, stations and passengers.
"China represents one of our biggest opportunities in Asia- Pacific," said Hadar, "simply because of the size of the country, and the requirements of the customers to have advanced solutions."
NICE systems are already installed in eight other Chinese cities, according to Hadar.
"Nearly two dozen major cities have received approval from the Minister of Railways in China in late 2009. Tianjin is among these cities. Accordingly, we are seeing a rise in demand in China for advanced video surveillance that can effectively protect passengers," said Raghav Sahgal, NICE Asia-Pacific president.
The system will monitor more than 2,600 cameras, according to the client's parameters, Hadar said.
"Part of the analytic solution we have is baggage detection," Hadar explained, "that can detect in real time suspicious movement; the customer calibrates and defines the system ... after how many seconds he would like to get an alert" at the command and control center.
Hadar said NICE uses off-the-shelf video cameras and related gear.
"One of the advantages we have is actually the capability to integrate and interface with every manufacturer that exists in the market, and we see many camera providers," Hadar pointed out.
While Hadar did not reveal how long in specific the Tianjin project would take, he said the implementation takes three to four months on average and the installation of the video surveillance gear itself is one of the last phases before the project goes live.
In addition to Tianjin, the firm provides surveillance software systems for many public transportation projects and sites internationally, among them Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, the National Railway Company of Belgium, the Port of Miami, the New Jersey Transit system, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
However, Hadar emphasized that there are more than enough possibilities for developing the market closer to home.
"Some people say China is a country; I look at China as a continent," Hadar said, "I think the levels of opportunity in China are endless."
