Page 72 - Security Today, March 2018

Security on a High Note Musical instrument museum implement surveillance system upgrade with intelligent devices
BTy Sydny Shepard
he Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix is a 200,000 square-foot building with two floors of spa- cious, light-filled galleries and a collection of nearly 13,000 instruments and associated objects. The distinc- tive architecture evokes the topography of the South-
west, suggests the museum’s international scope, and expresses the universal role of music across all cultures.
MIM hosts more than 300,000 guests each year. As the world’s only global musical instrument museum, MIM creates an exciting experience for guests, immersing them in cultural traditions from around the world. Each exhibit includes high-quality audio and vid- eo that allows guests to see and hear the instruments being played in the cultures where they originate. Other popular attractions include MIM’s Artist Gallery, which features musical instruments linked to world-renowned musicians and music innovators, such as the Stein- way piano on which John Lennon composed “Imagine.”
Spanning the two floors of the museum is the 300-seat MIM Music Theater. Designed with spacious seating and state-of-the-art acoustics, the intimate hall is a premier venue for performances, films and seminars about musical traditions from around the world.
With a mission to collect, preserve, and make accessible an as- tonishing variety of musical instruments and performance videos
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from every country in the world, MIM offers guests a welcoming and fun experience throughout the day with multiple live evening perfor- mances each week. The safety and security of visitors and staff and the protection of the museum’s extensive collection is an essential as- pect of fulfilling its mission. With an active facility during both day and evening hours, the museum sought to upgrade its outdoor secu- rity surveillance system to improve the quality of the images around the clock.
The museum worked with IES Communications, a nationwide provider of integrated security solutions, to upgrade its outdoor surveillance system. Choosing HD cameras to replace the exist- ing cameras, the system now consists of a combination of Bosch AUTODOME IP starlight 7000 HD, FLEXIDOME IP starlight 6000 VR, and AUTODOME IP 5000 IR cameras. The cameras pro- vide high-quality images of the museum’s outdoor areas, which in- clude an impressive courtyard at the main entrance, an additional courtyard at the student entry, an outdoor café and seating area for guests, as well as special events, and two parking lots.
Cameras with starlight technology provide clear images regard- less of lighting conditions, delivering full-color images in the dark beyond the point where other cameras turn to monochrome images. As part of the project, the museum also installed new exterior LED
MUSEUM SECURITY