Wind is a free and unlimited resource that provides potential energy toward the growing demand for clean, renewable power. In coastlines, islands, grasslands, mountainous areas, and plateaus that lack water, fuel and convenient transportation, wind power poses a potential boon for addressing local challenges. 

Chaka Wind Farm is located on the Gobi Desert in Qinghai Province, China. At an altitude of 3,200 meters (nearly 2 miles), Qinghai has abundant wind energy reserves. Since its commissioning in December 2012, the energy-capturing capacity of the installed wind power turbines has reached 99 MW, while the annual average power generation is about 184 million kWh and the average annual utilization hours are a mere 1,850 hours. 

However, the plateau environment experiences squally winds all year round, and in severe cold winters the temperature often falls below minus 30° C! At those temperatures, the biting cold wind carries a severe risk of freezing for wind farm employees, and the harsh weather makes operation and maintenance extremely difficult. 

Challenges: Grueling operating environment and high human costs 

A wind turbine’s transmission system is composed of blades, hubs, main shafts, gear boxes, and couplings. Its main function is to convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy of rotation, then into electrical energy. As the key element in wind power, these wind turbines require routine maintenance. 

At present, maintenance relies mainly on the on-site staff climbing up the towers to check for and predict unit failures. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that most of the wind farms are located in remote areas. When they rely solely on manual maintenance, the costs remain high enough to threaten the economics of the whole operation. 

Chaka Wind Farm hosts 62 wind towers, distributed across a wide 38,000 square meters (9.4 acres). This generous area creates a big challenge for maintenance staff who spend large amounts of time on transportation and logistics from tower to tower. Furthermore, according to the maintenance plan, workers have to climb each 80-meter-high wind tower for routine inspections each month. 

Solutions: Intelligent monitoring and remote dialogue

To solve these challenges, Hikvision provided a set of intelligent operation and maintenance systems for Chaka Wind Farm, including intelligent visual inspection equipment, personnel safety management, and real-time communication, providing a 24-hour online "Smart Examiner” for the wind farm.

First, for core unit components, thermal cameras are deployed in the wind turbine cabin to monitor equipment temperatures. This way, machine failures can be detected immediately, and staff can be automatically alerted when abnormal conditions (such as overheating) are found.  

In addition, with the wind towers located in the expansive Gobi Desert, unstable communications can leave operating personnel feeling disconnected. To resolve this, Hikvision’s one-key alarm intercom at the bottom of wind tower provides communication with the control center. Technicians at headquarters can remotely support personnel during on-site maintenance operations, assisting with diagnoses and repairs. 

Lastly, panoramic and thermal cameras and other equipment vastly expand the visual capabilities of the control center. Staff can monitor the situation and various parameters around the wind turbines at all times. If an abnormality is found, they can immediately receive an alert from the system and identify specific problems. 

Benefits: More visual management capabilities and fewer climbs 

“Originally, each wind turbine had to be inspected by staff members every month; climbing the towers was difficult and the risk factor was high. After the intelligent operation and maintenance system was installed, the engine room equipment on each tower can be inspected daily through the video system. Now each wind turbine only needs to be visited once every three months, and the frequency of climbing is reduced more than 60 percent,” said Sun, a technical operating engineer from Chaka Wind Farm. 

“More importantly, those problems that could only be discovered by personnel on the scene can now be identified by the intelligent operation and maintenance system – even proactive and early warnings of abnormal problems – which is a great help for our overall equipment operation and maintenance.”

Traffic continues to grow in every major city. But how do you beat congestion in these restricted urban spaces? In China’s ancient-walled city of Xi’an, they’re adopting an intelligent traffic management system based on Hikvision technology – and boosting traffic flow while reducing journey time. 

The Chinese city of Xi'an, known as Chang'an in ancient times, was the center of ancient oriental civilization. Thirteen dynasties spanning Chinese history have chosen Xi'an as their capital. Today, Xi'an is not simply a part of history: it’s a high tech hub, renowned across China for its scientific research and education, manufacturing, technology, and transportation. 

The challenge: allowing a city to grow and flow within ancient walls

In spite of being a modern hub, Xi’an still retains its ‘checkerboard’ layout from the Tang Dynasty, complete with its border of tall and ancient walls. Nevertheless, while economic growth has enabled the city to develop, the walls place great restrictions on the city’s daily movement – especially to its burgeoning traffic. Vehicles can only enter and exit through the city gates, but with some three million vehicles in the city, the limited number of entrances was beginning to cause serious congestion. 

What’s more, there are also many ancient ruins in the city, which were further limiting the development of the urban area. Plus as of 2018, the city was home to over 10 million people, while the number of construction projects was steadily increasing. 

Managing a growing city while protecting its history presented a serious challenge to Xi’an. So to address this, Xi’an Urban Traffic Administration turned to Hikvision and its intelligent cameras.

The Solution: an intelligent traffic management system from Hikvision

“Xi’an’s city walls make it impossible to increase the size of the urban area. So it was only through technology that we could allow the modern city to grow and develop,” says Lihu Ma, the Project Manager from Hikvision. “A core part of the Hikvision solution involves our AI-powered video technology.” 

The Xi'an traffic police worked with experts from Hikvision, as well as urban planning experts, internet service providers and other technology companies, to design and implement an intelligent traffic management system. The construction of this system fully utilizes Hikvision's core advantages in urban transportation intelligence, employing AI-powered video to create a powerful traffic sensing system. “Effectively, we are building a bridge between an intelligent digital world and the physical urban transportation network in Xi’an,” explains Lihu. 

The technical solution

The intelligent traffic management system analyzes comprehensive and detailed information about the movement of traffic through the urban Xi’an area, and uses the insight gathered to make the flow of traffic more smoothly in three key ways.

1. Comprehensive road traffic violation monitoring

Xi'an traffic police have installed Hikvision’s Checkpoint Capture Cameras and Intersection Violation Capture Units as part of a monitoring system that can detect illegal vehicle behavior at intersections. 

These full view ultra-high zoom cameras record vehicles making illegal maneuvers – such as running red lights, making banned turns and illegal lane changes – in real time. What’s more, the latest sonar monitoring equipment is being used to detect illegal use of car horns in banned areas.

2. Visual integrated command and dispatching platform

Using real-time video streams from Hikvision Traffic Flow Capture Cameras, a number of road condition perception technologies, plus intelligent mobile applications, Xi'an traffic police has created a visual command and control center, coupled with an intelligent police dispatch system. 

All information is aggregated and dynamically displayed on a large screen in the command and control center. In the event of a traffic incident, the system generates dispatch recommendations intelligently, according to the location and distribution of traffic police officers throughout the city. Those closest to an incident receive an automated message to their mobile terminals, enabling them to arrive at the scene quickly. 

Cities all over the world are looking at ways to reduce and manage illicit incidents. One such city, Mennecy, turned to installer Ibson for a solution, who then installed Hikvision cameras and equipment.

Challenge

The city of Mennecy lies to the south-east of Paris, in the Essonne department of France. It has a population of around 14,500, and it’s Mayor – Jean-Phillipe Dugoin-Clément – wanted to take steps to make his city safer, both for these residents and visitors.

They had already identified areas where offences were more likely to happen and needed to make these more secure. They also wanted to make local festivals more secure.

With new measures to monitor these issues, the aim was to detect any suspicious behavior and allow these incidents to be flagged with the emergency response agencies and departments, who could then intervene.

Although, of course, these measures could help combat more serious offence like assaults, they were also instrumental in reducing ‘community offences’ like urinating in public.

Solution

The installation team put in 78 cameras around areas that they see as strategic - schools, shopping malls and train stations. They chose Network IR Speed Dome (DS-2DF8836) in the Smart IP series  because these cameras give very good quality images both day and night, using DarkFighter technology to 0.002 lux.

They also put ANPR cameras on major roads to curb speeding, unsing new AI innovation to improve the system. This meant that the city could process speeding tickets, and essentially led to a reduction in speeding on those main roads.

Finally, the solution was brought together and managed using iVMS 4200 and a video wall in the city monitoring center.

The results were impressive. They saw a drop in incidents in the areas where the cameras were installed. In those places, deliquency was reduced or even removed altogether.

The images from the cameras make the job of the emergency response agencies and departments easier to do - also providing them with good quality images if they need ot put together a case.

Dominique Ancher, Director of Ibson, says: “The return on investment was excellent. The city saw fewer complaints, and we see that people were much more relaxed and happier because of the drop in illicit incidents, but also because of the peace of mind that the cameras give.”

The City of Mennecy plans to ramp up the coverage through the city, installing 200 cameras within five years. This is the first stage of a plan to set up a new urban supervisory center to establish live management of camera streams throughout the city, providing a crucial resource for the emergency response agencies and departments. They will be able to do this using Hikvision technologies, like DarkFighter X and Rapid Focus.

Securing a whole city is a massive undertaking, but it’s clear that by tackling the key areas which have typically higher illicit incidents, a security solution can do wonders for the local feel good factor.

Watch the video below for more about the Mennecy project.

Food Plus Supermarkets operate 18 locations in and around Nairobi, Kenya, as well as offer a state-of-the-art online shopping and delivery service, extending their service range even further. In early 2018, this first-rate supermarket business needed to add new security equipment at a number of stores, as well as upgrade some existing systems. They called in system integrators AUA Industria for this crucial project, and Hikvision’s cameras, NVRs and VMS were chosen for the job.

As with all large retail markets in densely populated areas around the world, loss prevention and the protection of human life are critical. To protect their goods, services, personnel, and – most importantly – their valued customers, the management at Food Plus contacted fellow Nairobi business AUA Industria. AUA boasts a broad repertoire of successful high-tech solutions and integrated systems – not just in Kenya but in a long list of neighboring African countries as well. The request: establish a cutting-edge security system across all retail locations and create a single command center for centralized monitoring.

And that’s just what AUA did.

Security Challenges

Nairobi is a dense, faced-paced, international and cosmopolitan city, bustling with commerce, tourism, family life, and much more. One of the most important regions on the continent, this lovely “green city in the sun” of 6.5 million people added several massive critical infrastructure projects just in the last few decades. With constant activity day and night, business owners must remain vigilant at all times to protect their assets and investments. And with advanced security equipment becoming more and more affordable all the time, it’s becoming easier to do that.

Food Plus stores feature entrances and exits that are welcoming to the public. To shoppers, the entryways make stores look inviting and appealing. To the security staff, however, this makes them vulnerable to clandestine opportunists. The staff must be aware of anything from petty theft to fraudulent activity. While expansion of the business has been exciting for the owners of the supermarket chain, shoplifting and other security breaches have challenged security. And monitoring 18 locations with all their critical points and nodes is a big job. A new and more potent approach was needed.

Solution

AUA system integrators considered the big picture of the supermarket chain along with any necessary details for a particular store’s unique needs. To tie everything together, Food Plus needed a centralized communications and monitoring setup at its main office in the Kilimani neighborhood of the city. AUA chose Hikvision cameras for their superior capabilities and image clarity.

A total of 450 compact Outdoor Dome Cameras (model # DS-2CD2122FWD-I) with 4 mm lens were ordered and installed. These small and powerful cameras really pack great features and high performance into relatively discreet housings. Features like 1/2.8” progressive scan CMOS sensors, infrared lighting up to 30 meters, wide dynamic range for make them the best choice for what this supermarket chain needed most – namely, sharp 24-hour imaging and alarm linkage.

Food Plus uses motion detection from the available VCAs to provide a critical alert system, while E-Mail linkage triggers automatic notifications in the event a video feed is lost. These little giants include IP67 and IK10 ratings, which are critical for the grocery stores’ outdoor installation areas. Add to that the ability to render color imaging under extremely low lighting conditions – and of course black and white imaging in complete darkness with IR lighting – and these cameras are well-equipped for the job.

Hikvision’s NVRs provide the flexible and intelligent back-end support needed for this multi-site operation. The 64-channel Pro Series NVRs boast up to 4K resolutions. The Food Plus staff appreciate these NVRs for their ease of use and generous amounts of data storage, along with Hikvision’s tech support, which is always there to resolve any speedbumps along with way.

HikCentral Makes Centralized Management Effective

The Kilimani control office utilizes Hikvision’s home-grown HikCentral Cloud Platform. Hikvision’s newly released HikCentral V1.2 integrates more advanced products and technologies to make centralized management more effective, bringing together a convenient, efficient, and unified security system. It centralized and expanded Food Plus's extensive system, and enhanced control to achieve maximum security. The management reports a noticeably higher streaming speed from the store sub-streams to the central monitoring station, enabling much more effective security.

Based on a client-server model, HikCentral provides a video management system for Food Plus to manage and run daily security tasks. Security-related functions are simple to operate, such as live viewing, recording, and playback on the platform, along with other integrated functions, such as access control, alarm management, and more.  And with the ability to manage up to 100,000 cameras, there’s plenty of room to grow.

Results

By March of 2018, the installation across all Food Plus stores was complete, much to the approval and appreciation of the chain’s executive management. Mr. Mark Kavita is the systems administrator for Chandarana Supermarkets, Ltd. He reported to us that, since installation, Food Plus has been able to reduce and control pilferage (shoplifting) and that the system is easy to use, provides a good alert system, and reaches higher streaming speeds from the stores to central location than their previous equipment. Additionally, Hikvision was found to be the most cost effective solution available with the best on-going support after completing the installation.

With all hardware running over IP and the new HikCentral platform bringing everything together, this powerful system has been up and running for months and is protecting customers, personnel, and goods day and night. Grocery shopping at Food Plus is the safest it has ever been. Hikvision is proud to be the choice for AUA integrators and hopes to provide more in the days to come. And if you visit a Food Plus store, don’t forget to check out the sushi bar!

To speed up journey times and maximize road safety and security for residents, commuters and local businesses, the municipality of Tres Cantos in Spain has deployed an innovative smart city solution from security and AI leader Hikvision.

The challenge: Optimizing traffic flow, road safety, and security

Wikipedia describes smart cities as "urban areas that use data insights to manage assets, resources and services efficiently". Other key benefits of smart cities include better traffic management and planning, real-time responses to road-traffic incidents, enhanced engagement between citizens and local government organizations, and improved security for local people and businesses. 

To achieve all of this and more, Tres Cantos, a municipality of Madrid in Spain which was founded in 1991, decided to adopt a smart city strategy. The area, which enjoys tree-lined streets, parks, and natural spaces, is home to more than 50,000 residents and 3,000 businesses, which attract 36,000 commuters from other areas of Madrid each day.

With constant movement of people and vehicles in and out of Tres Cantos, the municipality specifically needed smart city solutions that could monitor traffic conditions in real time – enabling 're-routing' and rapid incident responses to minimize congestion. It also needed new security monitoring technologies to keep local residents and businesses safe, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

The Hikvision solution: smart city infrastructure for a real-time view of vehicles and traffic 

Tres Cantos has deployed a smart city solution from leading security and AI company, Hikvision. This incorporates a total of 23 cameras located at the entrances to the municipality – including Pan Tilt and Zoom (PTZ), PanoVu cameras, and license plate recognition (LPR) cameras that provide situational awareness of traffic conditions in real time. 

To help the municipality create a visual traffic command and control system, real-time traffic and vehicle information, such as the flow of traffic and car accidents, can be aggregated and dynamically displayed on a wall of screens (videowall) at Tres Cantos Police HQ. Local council officials can view real-time traffic information via Hikvision's HikCentral video management solution and use the gathered insights to respond to changing traffic conditions effectively, in real time.

Hikvision's open, scalable, cloud-based solution is compatible with a range of equipment, and able to support up to 5,000 connected devices – ensuring that Tres Cantos can easily expand solution to meet future needs. 

The solution also offers both wired and wireless connectivity options to support municipality wide situational awareness, with simple management tools that minimize training requirements and costs. 

Benefits: Improved road safety and security, with faster journey times

With its innovative smart city solution, Tres Cantos has optimized traffic management, accelerated incident responses, and improved safety and security for citizens, commuters, and local businesses. Jesus Moreno, Mayor of Tres Cantos, says, "We are improving road safety and mobility for both residents of Tres Cantos and for the nearly 35,000 commuters from Madrid who visit our municipality to work each day."

Maximizing road safety and security for the citizens of Tres Cantos

The local Tres Cantos police department can respond to security incidents faster with the Hikvision solution. 

Pedro Álvarez, Chief Intendent of Tres Cantos Police Department, says, "Real-time video feeds from the camera network allows us to respond to security incidents much faster and more effective, while also saving resources compared to physical, routine patrolling."

Enhancing traffic management and reducing congestion

With the Hikvision smart city solution, Members of the Tres Cantos local council are gaining vital insights into traffic flow across the municipality, supporting better, more timely planning and traffic management decisions and helping to reduce congestion on key roadways. 

María Del Mar Sánchez Chico De Guzmán, Councilor for Mobility, HR and Security, says, "This system allows us to assess the flow of cars entering and leaving the area. This means we can make decisions that help to ease traffic flow and improve the quality of life of the citizens of Tres Cantos."

The system has been particularly useful in terms of reacting to planned and unplanned road and lane closures. In such cases, traffic can be rerouted quickly and effectively to minimize delays and other negative impacts for residents and commuters. 

Find out more

For more information about this deployment, or to discover how Hikvision smart city solutions can help you improve public safety and traffic management in your own city or municipality, please contact us today. 

"Large teams are often needed to monitor industrial and oil and gas sites in remote areas, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, creating significant challenges in terms of staffing and the associated costs. The good news for such companies – especially if they operate in remote locations – is that smart video and AI solutions can help increase site security, safety, and efficiency – all at a fraction of the cost of manual patrols," says Igor Mashkeev, Director of Business Development in the Ural Federal District, Hikvision Russia

Like many large engineering operations, oil and gas sites present a range of security and health and safety challenges, typically associated with heavy industrial equipment and moving machinery. However, extracting, refining, and transporting hydrocarbons presents particular fire and explosion risks that require all equipment and installations to operate at safe working temperatures.

Such are the complexities and risks of these kinds of operations that large teams are required to monitor equipment and employee safety. What's more, the high value of hydrocarbon-related products means that security – and especially perimeter security – is paramount to prevent unauthorized people from entering restricted areas. 

Security and safety risks are amplified at remote sites

These challenges apply to all heavy industrial and oil and gas operations worldwide. Where sites are located in remote areas, however, companies are exposed to an extra layer of complexity and risk. Where hospitals and other care facilities are not so readily accessible, health and safety provision becomes even more critical. 

Remote sites may also be more susceptible to intrusion and other security risks, requiring constant monitoring of site perimeters and of all people and vehicles entering and/or leaving the area. To make matters worse, finding staff to work in such locations is often a particularly challenging task, particularly if there are no major urban centers nearby. 

For all these reasons, remote heavy industrial sites – and particularly remote oil and gas fields and mining sites – require monitoring and security solutions that are not only highly effective, but also as automated as possible. Only in this way can these kinds of operations reduce the need for physical teams and manual processes, while also ensuring that employees, assets, and hydrocarbon products are protected 24x7. 

Transforming security and safety at remote sites with smart video and AI 

Overcoming these challenges in remote industrial operations is only possible with the adoption of digital technologies. In particular, solutions are needed that deliver more advanced, automated security and monitoring capabilities – from perimeter security monitoring to the monitoring of equipment temperatures – with automated alerts for all kinds of breaches and incidents. 

The key to achieving this is to implement the latest generation of smart video and AI solutions. These use a range of technologies and capabilities that improve security and safety, while also dramatically reducing the need for manual patrols and other interventions. 

These kinds of solutions help industrial, and oil and gas companies achieve their security and operational safety goals in five key ways. 

1. Remote inspection to reduce human exposure to hazardous environments

Oil and gas plants are complex facilities where flammable fossil fuels are created and stored. Due to the high-risk nature of these unique facilities, traditional and manual inspections might not be safe or efficient enough. Remote inspection with smart video technology can help visually check all sites and equipment using high-definition cameras based on inspection schedules. With Hikvision explosion-proof cameras that are designed for the most hazardous environments, assets and operation of oil fields can also be continuously monitored and protected from potential risks. They could be useful in monitoring the tankers and critical zones, for detecting oil leakage or equipment failure in real time, and for enabling quick responses to hazards. In this way, manual inspection requirements can be greatly lessened, and the human exposure to hazardous environments can be reduced accordingly.

2. Thermal imaging to minimize fire and explosion risks

Using intelligent thermal monitoring solutions, industrial, and oil and gas companies can track equipment temperature constantly to ensure fire safety. For example, gas is often pumped through high-pressure pipelines at a temperature of up to 400 degrees. In such cases, thermal imagers can be deployed to monitor the pipeline route and to generate real-time alerts in the event of leaks or critical temperature increases, allowing teams to attend the location much more quickly than would otherwise be possible. Increasingly, thermal imaging technology is being integrated with optical camera technology. This type of device, known as a two-spectral thermal imager, allows events recorded by thermal imaging to be verified with high-resolution video footage. 

3. Automated monitoring for health and safety compliance

Until recently, compliance with health and safety policies in industrial and oil and gas settings has required extensive manual monitoring by large teams. Now, smart video and AI technologies allow health and safety monitoring to be automated to a very great degree, with algorithms to detect that personal protective equipment (PPE) such as helmets, masks, and suits are being used when required. The same kinds of technologies can also trigger alarms if employees come too close to dangerous equipment, helping to further reduce health and safety risks. In addition to these capabilities, the leading AI-enabled smart video solutions also trigger alerts when other types of dangerous incidents take place, such as employees falling over, for example.

4. Site access control and security, 24x7 

For industrial and oil and gas sites, access control is a key issue, both to prevent theft of assets or materials, and to reduce the risk of vandalism. To ensure that only authorized personnel enter sites and installations, a new generation of access control solutions can identify employees and site visitors using either biometric information, such as fingerprints, card-based systems, QR codes, and a range of other access tokens. The most advanced solutions also provide the option to integrate with AI-powered solutions, such as facial recognition, to further increase site access security and control. In all cases, access control systems should offer intuitive software that makes it easy to register and manage new devices and users on the network. 

5. Optimizing perimeter security for industrial and oil and gas sites

The latest generation of smart video and AI solutions allow organizations to optimize their perimeter security. In the most advanced solutions, multiple technologies can be combined for effective perimeter protection, including infrared sensors, radar, and pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) cameras. In one such combination, a radar is used to detect the movement of a person or vehicle in a protected area, and a linked PTZ camera immediately focuses and tracks the target. One radar device and PTZ camera can cover a large area, reducing equipment requirements and costs and significantly enhancing perimeter security compared to traditional CCTV cameras. 

Delivering next-generation smart video capabilities in the Urals region of Russia

Recently, we have delivered all kinds of smart video and AI solutions for customers in the hydrocarbons, mining, metallurgical, and nuclear energy sectors. These range from advanced perimeter protection solutions and access control systems, to thermal imaging for equipment and site monitoring. 

Our AI-powered solutions are also helping customers in these sectors to monitor health and safety compliance – including the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and to ensure that only authorized employees and visitors enter sites.

Whatever your security, safety, or monitoring challenges, Hikvision can help. If you would like more information about our advanced AI-powered smart video solutions, please visit our website. You can also contact us today and we'll be happy to help.