OCTA Selects March Networks for $6.2 Million Mobile Surveillance Project
March Networks, a global provider of intelligent IP video solutions, announced two separate contract wins totaling $6.2 million with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). The contracts include a $2.6 million deal to equip more than 200 buses with its Mobile Solution, as well as a five-year, $3.6 million Managed Services contract to provide OCTA with video system health monitoring services across its entire 850-bus fleet. All video equipment is expected to be deployed by the end of October.
OCTA serves approximately 50 million passengers annually. The authority has relied on March Networks for onboard bus surveillance for more than five years, and will be completely standardized on the mobile solution once the current project is complete. The comprehensive software and systems enable OCTA to provide a greater level of safety and security to its passengers, better defend itself against false liability claims, and quickly access high-quality video evidence to support investigations and prosecutions when an incident occurs. In one such incident on an OCTA bus last year, video from solution led to the speedy arrest of a suspect. (Watch the video).
Each OCTA bus is equipped with a ruggedized Mobile Digital Video Recorder (MDVR) capturing video from up to 10 March Networks mobile cameras, as well as synchronized audio from two microphones. The onboard MDVR includes an internal 802.11 wireless card that enables it to download video wirelessly when a bus approaches a depot with wireless connectivity, rather than staff having to remove the bus from service and physically pull the video data. If an incident occurs, the bus operator can push a button to dynamically flag that moment in the video for rapid retrieval and viewing. In addition, the solution provides authorized staff with on-demand wireless remote streaming video, which is often a key requirement for Homeland Security funding.
The Mobile Managed Service offering includes a range of service options – from the health monitoring of cameras, MDVRs and other components to system audits and training. It also incorporates ongoing software maintenance and scheduled updates, which provides OCTA with the latest functionality available in the company's portfolio.
"With more than 20,000 mobile systems deployed globally, our solutions continue to deliver the reliability and intelligent video management bus and rail operators need to enhance their surveillance efforts and operate more efficiently," said Peter Strom, president and CEO, March Networks. "We are proud to work with OCTA and many other large transportation agencies worldwide."
