University of Kentucky Installs New Video Management System

The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced a partnership to deploy a new video management system from Salient Systems. A press release notes that the system, CompleteView VMS, ties together more than 3,000 cameras across multiple campuses to improve situational awareness and video monitoring around campus.

“With Salient, we have moved into a more flexible and scalable software-based environment for video storage,” said Nathan Brown, deputy chief of the University of Kentucky Police Department (UKPD). “This more virtualized environment has allowed us to no longer be so physically reliant on hardware, which requires a lot of upkeep. Now, we can pivot by increasing or decreasing storage without manipulating the entire system as a whole.”

The university has more than 30,000 students, 15,000 employees, 18 residence halls, three medical centers and two sports facilities. The centralization simplifies the ability of university police to monitor everything from sporting events to move-in day. The campus’s two large video walls, one at the UKPD Emergency Operations Center and the other at Kroger Field, allow dispatchers to view the feeds of all associated cameras simultaneously. It also offers features like Dynamic Resolution Scaling—which scales video resolution at the server level to match the client, be it a desktop computer, web client or mobile device.

“Large organizations such as the University of Kentucky demand a high degree of scale, flexibility, and power from their video management systems,” said Sanjay Challa, chief product officer of Salient Systems. “CompleteView is engineered from the ground up to meet those fundamental needs, as well as easily adapt to future needs, as the business of the organization continues to evolve.”

The software also helps the university expand its reach of cameras at off-campus and satellite locations with minimal hardware installations or bandwidth issues. The software-focused approach allows for significant cost savings in hardware, system maintenance and upkeep.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.