Photos: Shopping gets the IP treatment
Welcome to Portugal's Palácio do Gelo...
This is the Palácio do Gelo shopping centre in the town of Viseu, east of Porto in northern Portugal.
The facility - which is one of the biggest shopping malls in Portugal - was opened a year ago and uses an integrated IP network to support a variety of technologies including a video security system, VoIP and access control.
Tim Ferguson visited Viseu to see exactly how IP is helping with the running of the mall.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
This shows the scale of the mall that covers around 175,000 square metres and houses around 200 shops and restaurants (including an ice bar) which cover five floors. Since opening a year ago, the shopping centre has seen around 700,000 visitors pass through its doors.
Using the same Sony software as FC Porto's football stadium (Real Shot Manager), the team at Palácio do Gelo is able to have a comprehensive view of the various parts of the shopping mall.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
This is the central control room for the shopping centre where the 200 cameras on the IP network are controlled along with a number of other technologies such as the public address system.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
Here you can see a shot of one of the public areas in Palácio do Gelo captured by one of the 200 cameras.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
This is one of the Sony mini-dome intelligent network cameras that run on the IP network and provide the security team with a view of the shopping centre. Many of the cameras can be rotated to cover different parts of their location.
The cameras run on Sony's distributed enhanced processing architecture that ensures the IT infrastructure isn't overloaded.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
The CCTV network also covers non-public areas such as the delivery area as seen here. The network supports access control technology which uses swipe cards to record when staff enter and leave the building.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
Here you can see the screen that the shopping centre's team use to control the PA system. Different zones of the facility can be selected so that announcements are only heard in those areas.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
The IP network is powered by the HP servers seen here. This particular rack supports the CCTV as well as the digital signage around the building. The security team can store up to 30 days of video footage.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
From the central control room, shopping centre staff can change what is being shown on the digital screens dotted around the building. This is one of the news feeds that can be broadcast across the shopping centre.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com
The shopping centre also has a number of these digital information displays. This one is being used to provide information on the films being shown in Palácio do Gelo's cinema.
Photo credit: Tim Ferguson/silicon.com