Diebold designs video monitoring system for Panama Canal
All seafaring vessels crossing the Panama Canal are under the watchful eye of maritime traffic controllers who will soon be using equipment installed and implemented by Diebold. Working with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Diebold designed a 20-screen, high-resolution video wall for the canal's Marine Traffic Control Center, the company says. Diebold's solution enables controllers to view multiple surveillance camera feeds at once, as well as ships' Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, providing high visibility of vessels traversing the canal.
Serving as the gateway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Panama Canal uses a system of locks to raise ships from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake. Ships then sail the channel through the Continental Divide, completing their 50-mile journey. Over 3,000 container ships, cruise ships, tankers, submarines and other vessels cross the canal each year.
Maneuvering the canal requires precise traffic control to ensure the safety of vessels, their occupants and the canal itself. Using the Diebold-designed video wall, Marine Traffic Control Center operators will monitor the location, direction, speed and maneuvers required for a ship to enter, navigate and exit the canal.
Diebold designed, installed and implemented the video wall and its video processing matrix. The video wall measures nearly 300 square feet, with 67-inch monitors mounted four high by five wide. Monitors display feeds from 24 cameras covering critical points of the Panama Canal site, including its three main locks, two lakes, primary waterway and two staging areas. In the future, the scalable system may accommodate 40 camera views as part of the canal expansion.
In addition to surveillance camera feeds, the high-resolution video wall monitors also display telemetry and GPS signals from ships in transit, as well as from the ACP tugboats maneuvering ships through the site's staging areas. This information helps officials accurately monitor every move of every ship to ensure safety and mitigate the potential for accidents.
"Diebold has an outstanding legacy of helping to secure high-profile locations, and we're honored to add the Panama Canal to our portfolio," said Octavio Marquez, Diebold senior vice president, and managing director, Latin America division. "Participating in the secure operation of this renowned waterway demonstrates our ability to integrate complex systems with seamless results."
The Panama Canal Authority is the autonomous agency of the government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The operation of the ACP is based on its organic law and the regulations approved by its board of directors.
Diebold is a global leader in providing innovative self-service technology, security systems and related services. Diebold has approximately 16,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered near Canton, Ohio, USA.