CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
(CALTRANS) DISTRICT 4 SURPASSES SEVEN YEARS OF OPERATION USING VIDSYS
MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
VidShield Significantly Reduces Incidents for Caltrans District 4 Enabling More Efficient Response for the Region’s 1,400 Miles of State Highways
VIENNA, Va. and MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - May 21, 2007
-VidSys, the leading provider of Physical Security Information
Management (PSIM) solutions for safety, security, commercial,
surveillance, military and transportation organizations, announced that
its VidShield™ Intelligent Transportation
Management System (ITMS) software is now entering the eighth year of
full operation at the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) District 4 Transportation Management Center (TMC). VidShield
ITMS enables Caltrans to more effectively manage traffic with access to
live, real-time video and camera images from highway cameras using a
simple graphical user interface.
Caltrans
District 4 TMC is a 24x7 regional operations center that boasts one of
the most technologically advanced centers in the nation, including a
giant, high-resolution video wall consisting of 35 fifty-inch rear
projection cubes built on a custom-seismic platform. The center handles
all incident management for the San Francisco Bay Area’s 1,400 miles of State Highway, spanning nine counties.
To
better manage and analyze all of the data streaming into its Joint
Operations Center, Caltrans implemented VidShield ITMS, an operations
center management platform with a feature set that enables the
efficient management of a transportation system. The open hybrid
architecture of VidShield ITMS has enabled Caltrans to integrate both
its analog and digital technologies and leverage its existing
technology resources. Since its initial implementation back in 1999,
VidShield ITMS has played an integral role in the number of rapid and
appropriate responses, increasing the efficiency of response to the
large volume of roadway incidents: 2,400 per day, with 400
investigation and 50 actionable events. The successful deployment of
ITMS for Caltrans was recognized globally in 2001, when the project was
nominated as a “Best of ITS” award finalist in the Best Deployments for Saving Money category.
One
of the more prominent features of VidShield ITMS and its unique
communications architecture is the ability to share live camera images
and TMC information among remote sites, offices, agencies and other
TMCs by creating an interactive visual communications network for the
host TMC.
“Our
mission at Caltrans is to aggressively implement and utilize
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) elements to reduce congestion
and provide the safe and efficient movement of people, goods, services
and information that provides economic vitality to this region,” said Pete Cardenas, Project Engineer, Caltrans Office of Traffic Systems. “With
this said, VidSys software and technology has been a vital tool in
support of our transportation and incident management strategy for
Caltrans District 4 and its key stakeholders.”
Specifically
designed for the needs of ITS professionals, VidShield ITMS client
software enables the efficient management of a transportation system –
whether an interstate highway, airport, seaport or subway. VidShield
ITMS provides transportation departments and other traffic management
organizations the ability to deploy an entire network of physical and
virtual security/surveillance technologies to prevent, detect, deter
and respond to traffic situations on public roadways and rail systems.
With VidShield ITMS video surveillance technologies, including cameras,
network video recorders (NVRs) and video display systems, can be
integrated with road sensors, ramp meters, signs, mapping, global
information systems (GIS) and e-collection devices, all managed from a
single user interface.
“With
the deployment of an integrated network of physical and virtual
security and surveillance technologies, VidShield enables Caltrans to
focus on managing events in the Highway System instead of worrying
about technology communications compatibility,” said Chuck Teubner, CEO of VidSys. “It’s
always exciting to work with innovative organizations like Caltrans who
are pushing the capabilities of the operations center and taking
advantage of technologies new and old to better address and serve the
public’s needs.”
About Caltrans
The
State of California, Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is
responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of
the California State Highway System, as well as that portion of the
Interstate Highway System within the state’s
boundaries. Alone and in partnership with Amtrak, Caltrans is also
involved in the support of intercity passenger rail service in
California, and is a leader in promoting the use of alternative modes
of transportation.
About VidSys
VidSys
is a leading provider of Physical Security Information Management
(PSIM) solutions and the only operations center software company that
provides truly collaborative situational awareness for safety,
security, military and transportation organizations. The VidSys
platform is based on an open, hybrid architecture that integrates data
from any video source, as well as any detection, monitoring or control
system, allowing public safety and security personnel to focus on
awareness, assessment and action. Founded in 2005, the company’s
solutions are deployed in transportation, federal government,
enterprise and state and local government applications, including some
of the largest state and city command and control centers in the U.S.
Privately funded by IDG Ventures Boston, the company has offices in
Marlborough, Massachusetts and Vienna, Virginia. For more information,
visit www.vidsys.com.
Media contact:
Lorena Magali
703.883.3737
magalil@vidsys.com
Liz Campbell
617.758.4149
vidsys@famapr.com