AD
Group, the team’s major sponsor,
invites between forty and
sixty
guests
to every round
of the
Le Mans
Series,
as well as to
special
events
like the
Le
Mans
24 Hours. It is an
opportunity
for
AD to “network”
(in every
sense!)
with
existing and potential
clients.
This select
group is offered
a
rare
insight
into the
way a race team
operates,
not
only
through
guided
tours
of the
garage,
and
talks
and
discussion groups with the drivers
and
team management,
but
also
through
the
ground-breaking
technology
that
AD
Group can bring to the race circuit.
As
a world leader in video surveillance
technology,
AD Group is in the unique position of
being able to develop
and demonstrate new systems that enable
their corporate
guests to gain a much better understanding
of what happens
in motor racing. On-board video cameras
record images from
within the cockpit of the team’s
Lola HPD, while cameras located
at strategic positions in the garage,
overlooking the pitlane, and around
the team’s race transporter show
the engineers at work. From the comfort
of the hospitality facility, guests enjoy
privileged access to areas normally
restricted to members of the public,
and can witness final preparation of
the
car, emergency repairs, pitstop routines
and driver changes, all in real time.
To
offer this kind of interaction demands
a high degree of technical expertise
and the latest video networking technology
equipment.
The Challenge
AD Network Video, part of the AD Group of companies,
was challenged to put together a sophisticated
NetVu Connected CCTV solution that would not
only provide effective 24 hour security for the
RML sportscar team at race meetings, but also
offer unrivalled visual access for guests. The
solution was required to deliver security at
several locations around the circuit, all seamlessly
integrated and controlled from a central location
that could also act as a demonstration facility.
The Solution
The NetVu Connected CCTV solution devised by
AD Network Video meets all the desired requirements.
The race team benefits from comprehensive security
monitoring of the race transporter and pit
garage area throughout the entire period of
the race meeting, both day and night. AD
Group can draw upon the facilities of a state-of-the-art
control suite to demonstrate the latest NetVu
Connected products, with the unit located adjacent
to the hospitality area. This demonstration
suite, housed in a mobile trailer unit, is
also self-monitoring during transit and whilst
located at the circuit. Lastly, but by no means
least, the installation offers unprecedented
coverage of the pit and paddock area from within
the guest hospitality suite.
Wireless Connections
Due to the potential distance between sites it
was decided that the race truck, pit area and
paddock hospitality would all be connected
to the main control suite via a wireless network.
Due to so much traffic running over the wireless
network, bandwidth management was employed
on both Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and
viewing clients.
Mixed Inputs
The first issue that became apparent, due to
the geographic problem posed by the various
site locations, was that the solution required
a mixture of video input sources, both analogue
and Internet Protocol (IP) – the whole
solution demanded that its video servers could
handle a mixture of sources.
Pit Garage
For the Pit Garage, where much of the behind-the-scenes
drama of an endurance race is played out, the
key items of equipment are all set up to connect
locally, within the pit area, to a wireless
access point.
Installed Products Include:
1 x Oracle PTZ Dome
1 x Encoder ICR
1 x CamVu2000 Megapixel Camera (employed
to create the video sequence below)
1 x CamVu HyperD
Paddock Hospitality
During some events, an additional hospitality
area is utilised for guests, often directly
overlooking the pitlane. Usually located remotely
from the rest of the installed network, visitors
are able to access live footage directly from
the pit garage cameras.
Installed Products Include:
1 x High Defi nition NetVu Console
1 x Composite Monitor
1 x CamVu HyperD Camera
Main Hospitality
From a viewing, recording and control perspective,
the main hospitality facility is the hub of
activity. The Demonstration Suite itself stands
adjacent, and provides the combination of dedicated
display facilities for a wealth of AD Group
products as well as acting as a rapid deployment
control room for the race team’s security
requirements.
Installed Products Include:
4 x PC (Running AMS, SNMP Monitoring via Cacti,
Remote Viewer and NetVu ObserVer)
2 x Static analogue Cameras
2 x PTZ Cameras (1xOracle Dome, 1x Infi niti)
6 x CamVu IP Cameras (Megapixel, Day/Night and
WDR - internal/external)
1 x High-Definition Decoder with Pick-a-Point
control solution
2 x DV-IP RT (high end VMS controlling CamVu
products on a dedicated network)
1 x DV-IP Server
1 x SD Advanced
1 x High Definition NetVu Console (with HDMI
Monitor)
1 x FireVu
1 x Pure IP Solution (CamVu IP Cameras, 3rd Party
IP Camera, Encoder ICR, High
Definition Console, AoE Storage)
The Car
The RML AD Group Lola HPD is fitted with two
camera systems. One camera, sited within the
cockpit and forward-facing, monitors and records
every second of action, both on track and within
the garage. Under the requirements stipulated
by the race organisers, and for security reasons,
this feed cannot be displayed live, but can
be reviewed after each track session. The low-resolution
sequence below, optimised for YouTube, was
captured at a recent test at the Hugaroring,
and is a typical example of the resulting
footage:
This
provides the drivers with valuable information
that they can use to enhance their technique
and improve their understanding of a circuit.
It can also be linked to on-board telemetry and
data recovery systems. A second camera, fitted
below the rear wing ((illustrated right) and
linked directly to a monitor on the dashboard
(visible in the footage above) offers the drivers
an unobstructed live rearward view, and is a
valuable aid as they negotiate traffic on track.
Images from this camera are also recorded and
can be appraised later by the drivers.
Further
information about the team's on-board video
recording systems can be found here.
Conclusion
Using a mix of intelligent planning and high
technology applications, AD Network Video has
provided an elegant solution to a complex and
challenging assignment. The needs of the team,
AD Group and the company’s guests are
all satisfied, and the solution has drawn together
all branches of the relationship in a cohesive
and effective way.