Antwerp police commando truck
New Antwerp police commando truck relies on Draco tera KVM system
The Customer
In summer 2015, the Antwerp police put their new mobile command vehicle into use. This high-tech command truck came about by Cofely Fabricom and Antwerp IP service provider Digipolis, in cooperation with AV specialist Crosspoint and connectivity expert and IHSE partner Intronics. Since the system is being used by the police, stability and reliability were the key requirement in this mission-critical installation.
The Challenge
The previous mobile command truck was built in 1999, a vehicle which was only suitable for commanding, meetings and coordination. In 2015, being able to work digitally and having a 100% reliable solution is essential for the police. Especially during emergencies, the police can’t afford the system to let them down.
24/7 access to live footage from all police cameras in the city was an essential requirement. The images are used to estimate the magnitude of an event and to coordinate response from the command truck.
The challenge was to develop a reliable system with much more possibilities, while keeping everything simple to operate, user-friendly and low maintenance. Police officers just have to be able to quickly intervene and defuse situations, not having to deal with switching and figuring out the systems.
The Solution
Searching for a suitable solution, Crosspoint found Intronics and IHSE. IHSE is known for it’s stability, reliability and easy maintenance. Although the new system was very complex to install, the IHSE matrix provides fordetailed settings and features. The future integration of new emerging technologies is possible due to the flexible, modular system architecture. The user can have various input and output signals such as DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, VGA, USB and audio signals combined. The solution is easy to use.
To operate, the police uses a simple control panel, and by adding an Application Programming Interface (API), the Draco tera KVM matrix is able to communicate with the AMX control panel. It’s a small effort to show and control images on any screen connected to the system. Each table in the truck includes a modern touch screen built in, to manage the entire truck and screens.
The 4 meters high and 12 meters long command vehicle provides two workspaces. Both rooms have their own dispatching for two operators. On the roof of the truck, two antennas, 6 meters and 12 meters in length, can be extended to pick up live images from the citys over a 100 cameras, through satellite, mobile or fixed connection. It’s also possible to stream live bodycam images, chat with other officers through videoconferencing.
The Benefit
The police can now view and control the images of all urban cameras and intervene quickly in emergencies. The truck can be used for various applications, such as threats, disasters, events and coordinated actions. The possibilities greatly expanded within as well as outside the command truck, thanks to the addition of IHSE KVM equipment.
The truck is expected to be used about 20 times a year. The command car has become a high-tech extension of the digital tele-command room and can even function as redundant system, able to take over all operations from the tele-command room.
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