Network World writes about how the state court system uses 350 videocams to record every comings and goings to a massive terabyte storage.
Security monitoring assures a degree of integrity of the physical plant and people of the state justice system. It can't be the end all to physical security, because the framework for image analysis (human security guards get so strained and bored so quickly – just ask the young men and women of the Transportation Security Agency at the nation's airports), seems to me to be a little weak.
The article in the August 8, 2005 issue of NetworkWorld by Phil Hochmuth reviewed the design of the network and the deployment context of the convergence network and applications environment deployed by the state system. IP Telephony for 10,000 stations. The court rolled out IP Video using Axis Communications cameras and a software suite built for video system management from OnNet Surveillance Systems to control the cameras and video archival software from Axis.
Significantly, the IP features of the environment allow court officers to capture and control the video feed on WiFi-attached PDAs.
Furthermore, the network enables attorneys in one courthouse and clients in another to connect over video and prisoners to appear in court without leaving the prison. Safety, economics, time-savings. That's what Convergence is for!
