Fast and efficient search for persons, cars and images
RTS has been servicing the cameras and intercoms in the underground car parks of the city of Ghent for over 15 years. The innovative VMS system and the ANPR cameras provide assistance to customers in the car parks and are particularly user-friendly for the company's employees. Erwin Vanhoeijen, deputy of the management - Team parking buildings, explains.
The city council of Ghent came to RTS when their supplier at the time indicated that camera surveillance was no longer their core business. After market research, RTS emerged as the best provider. What exactly does a maintenance contract involve?
"The digital high-resolution cameras receive a full maintenance and cleaning service annually. Corrective maintenance is also included in the contract. For the system offered, RTS guarantees the availability of the cameras, management software and other items supplied 99% of the time. This is always correctly respected. The intervention speed of RTS remains a major plus point. They tackle and solve problems very quickly. The short lines of communication within the company are undoubtedly an added value."
The Mobility Company of Ghent decided in 2017 to renew the outdated digital camera system in 7 car parks. Two more car parks will be added in 2022. RTS came forward in the public procedure with high-quality IP cameras with a high-performance VMS.
"The camera equipment and software is one of the most important technical tools. We monitor a number of car parks remotely. Based on the camera images, security guards offer assistance to customers. A high-performance system guarantees quality and safety. Thanks to a tight plan defining the roles of the different parties, the integration went smoothly. We use the cameras in the event of incidents and accidents in the car parks, among other things. At the request of the police, we save the images of such incidents and transmit them to the security services. The software makes it possible to search for images, cars, people, etc. quickly and efficiently. The VMS is very user-friendly. RTS provided good training for each specific user group. Based on the access and user rights in the software, RTS provided a training course with an accompanying manual."
In the parking garages, the Mobility Company uses ANPR cameras. Can you give some examples of situations where the images from the cameras were useful?
"We use the images from the ANPR cameras in incidents and damage cases, among other things: if we enter a number plate in the software, we very quickly find all the images of a car within a certain time span. We also use the images to track down vehicles that leave the car park illegally (so-called tailgating) so that we can still issue the driver with a fee. The cameras are also a handy tool for locating a vehicle if a distracted customer has forgotten where he/she parked it."
Intercom system of the Ghent car parks
About ten years ago, the city of Ghent renewed the intercom system of its car parks. RTS connected the new system to the city's telephone exchange. We placed the intercoms at strategic points in the car park: at the entrances and exits, in the payment machines, near the stairwells and in the parking area. Customers use these intercoms when they need help paying or entering and leaving, but also in case of an emergency in the car park.
What does the public address (sound) system do in the parking garages of the city of Ghent?
"The Mobility Company pays a lot of attention to the customer's feeling of safety in the car parks. On-site security plays an important role in this, but so does a well-maintained car park and pleasant music in the background. The public address system is also linked to the safety equipment (fire detection, CO detection, LPG detection). In emergency situations, an evacuation alarm goes off and visitors can leave the car park safely. Fortunately, we have not yet needed to use these alarms very often. We hope to limit their use in the future to evacuation exercises."
“De oplossingen die RTS aanbiedt, voldoen aan de eisen die het Mobiliteitsbedrijf vooropstelde in de bestekken en openbare procedures. RTS komt de afspraken tijdens de procedures en de uitvoering van de opdrachten na. De apparatuur en software voldoet aan de eisen en verwachtingen. De communicatie met de helpdesk verloopt zeer vlot: je wordt onmiddellijk geholpen met problemen of je wordt met de juiste persoon binnen het bedrijf in contact gebracht. Op basis van prijs/kwaliteit kwam RTS bij de openbare procedures die het Mobiliteitsbedrijf organiseerde steeds als beste uit de bus. RTS komt al ruim 15 jaar alle afspraken na. Wat hen tot een zeer betrouwbare en aangename partner maakt. De prijs/kwaliteit is ongetwijfeld een troef van het bedrijf, net zoals de snelle, efficiënte en persoonlijke aanpak.”
- Erwin Vanhoeijen, adjunct van de directie – Team parkeergebouwen
