The Art Institute of Chicago opts for IP surveillance integrated with the museum's aesthetics

This prestigious art institution has selected several models of network cameras from Axis Communications, which are managed with Honeywell's Digital Video Manager software and are discreetly integrated into the rooms of this museum to ensure the safety of visitors and the museum's extensive collection.

Located on Chicago's central Michigan Avenue, in front of the famous lake, The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the most important art museums in the world, with a wide and rich impressionist and post-impressionist collection, which also has an important area dedicated to training. After carrying out the construction to create the new area that already houses the collection of modern art.

Taking advantage of this expansion project, the museum's security department decided it was time to change its analog surveillance system by migrating to IP. Since this facility only closes its doors three days a year, a flexible IP-based system was required, easy installation to have the minimum impact on the operations of the museum and discreet enough not to interfere with the aesthetics of the rooms.

The security officers selected for this project several models of network cameras of Axis Communications, along with the software Honeywell Digital Video Manager, a digital cctv surveillance system, that have been installed in strategic areas and points of the museum to deter criminal activity and ensure the safety of its visitors and the extensive art collection.

Aesthetics, flexible programming and ease of redistribution were the criteria that were valued by those responsible for the museum to select axis network video technology. "One aspect in which we are very careful when it is an art museum is aesthetics," explains Michelle Lehrman Jenness., Vp. associate of the Department of Protective Services of the Art Institute of Chicago (in the image below)-. Axis network cameras not only meet our needs in terms of surveillance coverage, but because of their small size they can enter areas that analog systems could never. In some cases, the cameras have been mounted on the lighting rails of the tracks so as not to interfere with the aesthetics of the work on display.

Another advantage of the new system is its flexibility. "With Honeywell Digital Video Manager we can do more things, such as preprogram individual cameras to run during specific times and even set the frame rate per second of each camera to recode and transmit video to the monitoring station; in addition to moving the cameras around a gallery to adapt them to the rotation of the exhibitions in the rooms", points out Jenness.

Maintaining critical vigilance after visiting hours presented another challenge for the museum. "To preserve certain types of works of art, particularly works on paper - stresses this responsible - it is necessary that they are shown with the least possible light, so we turn off the lights when the museum closes, but we needed the cameras to ensure their protection.".

To address this need, several models of Axis network cameras specifically designed for low-light operations were selected ,both inside and outside the museum buildings. Depending on the coverage that was required, daylight and night light sensitive cameras were installed such as the 225FD and 233D fixed domes, as well as the 209MFD model. Devices equipped with megapixel image sensors of the 223M model have also been deployed, "that give us a greater clarity of resolution in the day/night video recording and help to identify a person and decide if they are authorized to be in that location", adds Jenness.

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