Maybe he didn’t think anyone would notice, but the middle-aged man who decided to help himself to a couple of ski poles——after he’d forgotten his own——ended up playing the starring role in Sierra-at-Tahoe’s daily “whodunit” video show.

With a network of 36 indoor and outdoor video cameras, Sierra has increased the odds of foiling illicit activity, from equipment thefts to dope-dealing.

Sierra started eight years ago with a no-frills analog camera system and videotape recorders. It has since upgraded continuously to more feature-rich digital video recorders (DVRs) and multi-functional pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras. The result: As “gotcha” arrests have climbed, thefts of everything from snowboards to sandwiches have dropped dramatically.

Resort security manager Rick DeFressine said that five years ago, ski and board thefts were averaging 200 a year, with only two arrests. The first year with the new DVR system—which allows for faster review of video than with tape—arrests jumped to 15, and thefts dropped to 90. The following season, arrests remained high, at 14, but thefts plunged to 58. And last winter, they were at a low of 47. Clearly, the word is getting out.

Like many resorts with security systems, Sierra-at-Tahoe’s involves closed-circuit TV (CCTV) and a combination of analog and digital cameras. The area uses two 16-channel DVRs and one quad system. Outdoor cameras include two Arm Electronics PTZ units, mounted on top of the main lodge building, which can zoom into three of the area’s five parking lots as well as scan the two main lodge entrances and lift ticket windows. In order to cover two remote parking areas, DeFressine recently added an Axis dome IP camera that can be programmed to follow movement or “go on a tour” of preset locations.

Indoors, there are six cameras in the cash room, five cameras in the retail store, three in the ticketing and pass sales office, three in the main bar, and one covering cashiers’ stands at two food outlets. Inside the security office are two large monitors, which together can display views from the two networks of indoor and outdoor cameras.


STATE OF THE ART
While some ski areas have cobbled together makeshift camera surveillance systems, often using generic brands and their in-house electricians to string cable, the security industry has evolved to a point where it makes sense to replace some of the outdated equipment that is less efficient and more labor-intensive than new gear. Maybe it’s time to upgrade—and to consult a systems integrator who can provide a customized plan, recommend new hardware and software, and make everything work seamlessly.

Upgrading is, for many resorts, an ongoing project already. Typical of the fragmentation found at many resorts, Whistler/Blackcomb, like Sierra-at-Tahoe, continues to use its legacy analog cameras while gradually upgrading to new Panasonic digital cameras. “No one wants to flush their investment down the drain,” says Kevin Rea, the resort’s security and loss prevention manager.

Upgrades can make good sense. As with most electronics, surveillance equipment is constantly being refreshed with new technologies and sophisticated refinements. Here are a few of the latest trends:

• IP, or Internet protocol, digital cameras, which can be connected to a personal computer, are rapidly replacing the analog cameras that have formed the basis of closed circuit monitoring for many years.

• Analytical or “intelligent” cameras that contain programmable software can detect certain preset conditions—movement at night, for example—and issue an alert. These features require less reliance on watchful humans to notice suspicious activity.

• Affordable, higher resolution digital cameras, in the 2- to 10-megapixel range, and better processors mean that even wide-angle video can be sharp enough to capture license plate numbers and facial features when small sections of a field are enlarged.

• New outdoor housings are tamper- and weather-resistant, providing durability in harsh climates (from -40º to 150º Fahrenheit).

• Some digital video cameras can output two types of video: a high-resolution version that can be stored on a local DVR or server, and low-resolution compressed video that can be sent over the Internet for quick, remote retrieval and analysis.

• Cameras connected to an IP network enable live access of the camera network from a laptop or a mobile phone. Also, technology exists to automatically send alerts, including text messages, when something is amiss.

• Wireless routers and antennae have improved sufficiently in quality to make wi-fi an option for remote locations, especially if there is good line-of-sight between nodes.

• For security vehicles patrolling a base area or village, a new product called Aware, from SRI International, can provide situational analysis, remote access to video networks, and live video communications among mobile units through on-board laptop PCs loaded with special software. Thus, an Aware network can operate independent of a central dispatch. This technology was developed for the military but is now in commercial release.

• Watching hours of digital video to find an event can be accelerated with recently-introduced analytical and synopsis software tools. One new application, called BriefCam, allows a reviewer to isolate specific objects in a field and rapidly track hours or days of their movement in just minutes of real time.

• Storage can be less expensive with new video compression tools that create archival versions—that is, lower but adequate resolution—that phases in over time as the video becomes older and less relevant. This can reduce the proliferation of more DVRs or servers.

• If storage demands vacillate substantially—high in winter and low in summer—consider a “cloud computing” storage solution that streams the video off-site to a server bank, such as one operated by online e-tailer Amazon. That can save hardware and maintenance costs. Cloud storage is a still emerging application for security purposes, but it is rapidly gaining adherents because of its scalability.


BEYOND SECURITY
Although security, both for the ski area and its guests, still represents the main reason for having a network of video cameras, there are other ways this equipment can be used.

For example, at Colorado’s four Vail Resorts properties, hundreds of cameras are deployed throughout the mountain and base operations. One creative use: monitoring areas that are closed for wildlife migrations. (Speaking of wildlife, Whistler’s video cameras recently proved that an unsecured door in a loading bay was not caused by a careless employee. The culprit was a smarter-than-average bear who had figured out how to undo the latch.)

At Vail, cameras are also used to confirm fire and water flow alarms at any facility on the mountain; this allows responders to remotely assess the situation. This season, the VR central security monitoring station is gathering data for snow reports. Using Bosch EnviroDome perimeter cameras, staffers can zoom in on snow stakes to get up-close readings of snow accumulation. “But this is viewable only to the security department, because our system lives behind the firewall of the company,” says Neil Colclough, risk manager for hospitality at Vail Resorts.

The potential exists for other camera applications. Mike Maddox, sales engineer for Panasonic System Networks Company, suggests that resorts consider using video systems for operational intelligence. “You could, for example, use cameras to determine if lift lines are too long, or if there are emergencies on the slopes,” he says. Maddox emphasizes that cameras chosen for mountain ops must be of sufficient quality to cope with high contrast scenes and still provide discernible images of people or objects silhouetted against an all-snow background.

Whistler’s Rea agrees that cameras can become key elements for managing traffic on the mountain, as well as in parking lots and restaurants. At Whistler/Blackcomb, the security team is also exploring ways to access cameras from their Blackberry phones, as well as allowing officers from the RCMP to log on during high priority alerts. “We can view cameras from any PC that has the software, and as long as they have a wireless connection, the police could get access through our VPN,” he says.

Beyond operations, video systems could be integrated into resort marketing efforts, going beyond the popular webcams that many areas use to broadcast ski conditions. Consider the hospitality division, says Bob Kusche, vice-president of sales for Ojo Technology, a systems integrator based in California. “You can use outdoor cameras to do live webcasts of weddings, concerts and other special events,” he says. And how about allowing skiing parents to look in on their kids in ski school by calling up live video on a smart phone? That’s not beyond the realm of possibility, he adds.


HIGH TECH, LOW COST
The good news is that what cost $4,000 five years ago is $500 today. A good quality indoor camera can be under $200. To get an idea of a system price, says Kusche, figure that cameras represent one-third of the cost, storage hardware (DVR or server) represents one-fourth, and the rest—nearly half—goes for the labor in running cables, installing equipment and fine-tuning cameras. With everything included, the cost per camera can run between $3,000 and $4,000, he says.

In the end, the cost of the system becomes well worth it when you consider the many applications of a good surveillance system.

SAMMY Guest Editor’s Take
Ken has provided a great guide for anyone considering a camera-security system, or anyone who's got one that could benefit from incorporating the new technologies he outlines. The most important point is that price has come down as dramatically as capabilities have improved.

The security and incident-investigation benefits of a camera and storage system are pretty straightforward. They are incredibly helpful after the fact when we have thefts or misbehavior. Over time, I believe that they can become a deterrent, too. For example, we had an incident with a group of young guys who cut through our gondola line and got into a harassing interaction with other guests who were waiting in the line. They wanted to argue that they were not at fault, but when we played the video for them, they accepted the suspensions of their season passes without another word. I suspect that they have spread the word for us among their buddies.

It will be interesting to see how creative operators evolve the use of cameras and the web over the next couple of years to enhance their guests' experiences. Like many resorts, we've had webcams for years, but suddenly, we have opportunities to get beyond just the static photo of some aspect of our resort. After hearing about our use of a camera to measure snow, a guest asked why we don't just put the camera view on our website. We're going to try to solve the firewall issue and do it next year. We've got some other mobile-device applications for live cameras that we're developing, too, but they're too cool to share just yet—you'll have to watch the video next season!

—Chris Jarnot, SVP/COO Vail Mountain