North of Sacramento, in the city of Oroville, the Chinese Temple stands as a California landmark and an epitome of Chinese culture.
Playing the role of a museum, it’s home to hundreds of priceless Chinese artifacts including embroidered tapestries, parade parasols, medicinal herbs and gold (among others).
Beyond its rich cultural heritage, the Chinese Temple is also open to the public and provides worship services for devotees far and beyond the city. Thousands have flocked to the Temple during traditional Chinese festivals to offer their prayers and immerse in its tranquil and spiritual surroundings.
Indeed, its traditional architecture and intricate decorations have earned a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a key attraction for locals and tourists alike.
Lack of watchful eyes
As stated, the Chinese Temple showcases a wealth of Chinese relics for public viewing. Visitors are confronted by a seemingly endless array of Chinese culture. However, the limited number of staff and the lack of a large organised Security Department have rendered the Chinese Temple highly prone to theft and burglary.
The layout of the building resembles traditional Chinese architecture, with pillars and angles that make it challenging for caretakers to monitor activities when it’s flooded with visitors.
Reliance on public law enforcement is not an efficient solution due to lag between the times of reporting and the arrival of law enforcers.
No wonder, then, that the Chinese Temple’s management face a nearly insurmountable challenge of extending their watchful eyes over petty crimes, intelligently camouflaged by wave after wave of visitors. Of course, the loss of – or any damage to – property on site is unacceptable.
Defending spiritual grounds
All is not lost, though, and when there’s a will, there’s a way.
Turning to modern technology, Hikvision’s centralised security camera system emerged as a perfect solution to the Chinese Temple management team’s growing need for surveillance.
The choice was made to use Hikvision’s DS-2CD752 (I)FB(H) and DS-2CD762(I)FB(H) vandal proof network dome cameras to “defend these spiritual prenmises”.
The sizes of the DS-2CD752(I)FB(H) and DS-2CD762(I)FB(H) network cameras are 160 mm x 134 mm (6.30″ x 5.30″). They’re ufficiently small to be discretely mounted on the ceilings so as to avoid the public eye and yet provide quality supervision of the premises.
The DS-2CD752(I)FB(H) is a 2.0 megapixel camera with an angle view of 101 degrees -30.4 degrees , while the DS-2CD762(I)FB(H) has a 89 degrees -24 degrees angle, in turn providing a wide viewing range.
Both cameras support audio and video streams, with maximum image resolutions of 1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 960 respectively. More importantly, perhaps, they support Ethernet technologies and can be combined with other Hikvision products to form more comprehensive security solutions.
Comprehensive solution for a complex layout
The cameras enable the Chinese Temple’s managers to closely monitor all activities on the premises with minimal manpower, thus saving costs and minimising the use of security officers.
Both cameras can be linked to an alarm system so as to provide surveillance around the clock. A small security task force is sufficient to monitor activities at the Temple through the “meticulous lenses” of the cameras. Unauthorized activities and emergency events such as vandalism and injury can be easily spotted. Security personnel then trigger the necessary alarm to alert the Chinese Temple’s occupants and neighboring law enforcement agencies.
This is particularly useful during Chinese festivals when unlawful behavior can easily go unnoticed amid the ceaseless crowds.
Vice Mayor Thil Chan Wilcox, who holds the Chinese Temple dear to her heart given the historical links between its history and her family, is said to be “immensely impressed” by the capabilities of Hikvision’s technologies, commenting on the simplicity and depth of the solution.
“The cameras are very powerful and easily installed. A perfect fit for the layout. Without them, it would have been impossible to monitor everything that’s going on,” she said. “Indeed, even the most unnoticeable gestures from visitors cannot escape the watchful lens of the strategically positioned cameras. All it takes is a staff member or two to peruse the screens from the office and everything is within the Chinese Temple’s control.
The wide coverage of the cameras came as something of a surprise to Hikvision’s installation officer, Larry Tracy. He explained that they “installed fewer cameras than originally intended because they worked far better than expected.”
Even the weather is overcome
Humidity, dust and heat are the banes of electronic devices, and the intricate circuitry of many electronics has often fallen prey to the hands of Mother Nature.
However, the design team at Hikvisionafforded careful consideration to these issues. The robust physical designs of these network cameras enable them to withstand wide temperature ranges under different weather conditions, thereby reducing maintenance costs in the process.
No more malfunctioning in bad weather, no more routine checks for operational issues.
These network cameras provide the same optimum performance regardless of the weather. Chinese Temple staff members have praised their rugged designs: a single installation for sustainable satisfaction.