Billund Airport monitors its parking lot with Panomera cameras

The four Dallmeier cameras installed, on a mast oriented in different directions, provide detailed, sharp images of a surface that has the capacity to 7.000 places that are managed remotely from the Apcoa control center, located in one of the parking buildings.

At Billund airport (Denmark) the probability that travelers will suffer some type of eventuality in the cars they have in the parking lot is practically zero. The main reason is the surveillance system that has been established. “Before taking charge of the operation of the parking areas in 1997, there was more than 500 complaints per year. Today there are only a few. In fact, in 2014 “There was not a single report of theft from parked cars.”, informa Thomas Holm, technical director of Apcoa Parking, operator of airport parking areas.

The company, formerly called Europark, has increased the level of security through fences, specialized personnel, barrier systems and systematic video surveillance. A project that has been carried out in cooperation with Dallmeier and its Danish partner Scanview A/S of Fredericia, with whom Apcoa Parkering has been working since 2002.

“Due to the expansion and modification of parking areas, we wanted to establish surveillance of the P6 areas, P7, P8 y P9. After receiving advice from Scanview, “We opted for the Dallmeier Panomera system.”, explains Thomas Holm.

Panomera cameras enable super-clear surveillance of very large areas. Each team has several objectives (The models used in Billund have 14), each of which covers a section of the surface of interest. These 'image quadrilaterals' do not present cracks and can be displayed in a large image that the security guard in the control room can easily see with his eyes..

The system provides detailed images of the entire scene, captured with a rate of 25 fps. Until 175 meters approximately, The sharpness is so optimal that it is possible to read a license plate without problems. This means, that a Panomera multifocal sensor system can replace several conventional HD cameras.

In the case of Billund airport, a mast with four Panomera cameras oriented in different directions was installed to cover a vast area with almost 7.000 parking spaces. "According to our calculations, With a conventional solution we would have needed a total of seven masts and some 30 cameras. This means that we have achieved significant cost reductions in terms of excavation and sealing work., cable laying, maintenance of cameras etc.”, continua Thomas Holm.

This innovation also represents a great improvement for the security guard who sits in the Apcoa control room in one of the parking buildings and from here he completely monitors what is happening in the area..

“We can follow a vehicle or a person, without having to switch from camera to camera, and zoom in on an incident without losing the overview of events happening elsewhere. With conventional controllable cameras there was a risk that we would concentrate on one place and not have images when something happened elsewhere.. Now, we always have images of the entire area, which is a big advantage. This makes us much less vulnerable.", underlines the technical director.

Besides, the new cameras can be combined with existing Dallmeier products. “We are still using many of our previous cameras, the oldest of 2002. We have, among others, of cameras in the barrier installations in case someone 'forgets' to pay, as well as at the automatic checkouts in case someone needs help. Besides, we have more than 1.200 “spaces in parking buildings that must also be monitored”, comments Thomas Holm.

Another novelty is that Apcoa has installed a Panomera camera so as not to lose sight of the front part of the entire parking complex in front of the terminal building.. “We would have had to install four cameras in different locations to do the same job that this single Panomera camera does.. We only have to monitor an image that, besides, It is of much better quality”.