SYOSSET, N.Y., June 16, 2005 – When race officials at the Dromo One indoor race track in Orange, Calif., wanted to crack down on overly aggressive drivers, they didn’t realize they were about to create a new way to entertain the crowd.
Racetrack officials teamed with Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and California Systems Integrators (CSI) to install a new DVR, 15 stationary cameras and one Honeywell RapidDome PTZ camera. But the surveillance system ended up doing more than catching aggressive drivers in their cart-style cars – it allowed spectators to watch live, up-close footage of races on Dromo One’s large plasma screen.
The entertainment application was brand new for the RapidDome camera, but Bill Wendlandt, regional sales manager for Honeywell, and CSI principal Mark Ostgaard were confident that RapidDome could serve the dual purposes of security and entertainment. Using a joystick, they set the camera to follow an automated tour around the racetrack. Then, using the camera’s unique “mimic” function, they saved the automated tour route in the camera’s memory, so no joystick or operator is needed.
“We were able to use the RapidDome PTZ in a whole new way with this project,” said Wendlandt. “Dromo One received two major benefits in one product: insurance against aggressive drivers, plus a business tool to attract new drivers and fans.”
The camera can travel at speeds of up to 400 degrees per second, and zooms in and out, making it easy to identify a car number when there is a complaint of aggressive driving on the course.
“Before, drivers would complain about getting bumped by speed demons on the racetrack, but the management couldn’t pinpoint the aggressive driver because the image was fuzzy,” Ostgaard said. “Now, if there’s a complaint, Dromo One’s management can go straight to the footage, project it up on the plasma screen and know exactly which car bumped the other. Drivers can’t argue when the incident is played back instantly.”
The racetrack also upgraded to a 16-unit Fusion DVR from Honeywell, which provides resolutions up to 720x480 and can capture 480 images per second with premium image quality. Fifteen stationary cameras are located throughout the Dromo One’s facilities for security purposes only.
“We chose to go with Honeywell for this project because they’re the industry leader,” Ostgaard said. “The Fusion DVR’s image per second capability and overall performance are among the best in its class.”
In the future, Dromo One plans to use footage captured by Honeywell’s RapidDome cameras to create DVDs for patrons who want a memento of their race.
California Systems Integrators has been providing security solutions for high tech companies in California since 1994. They now have offices in Irvine, Calif. and San Jose, Calif., and can be found on the Web at www.csisecuritygroup.com.
For more information about the Honeywell equipment used in the Dromo One racetrack project, please contact your local Honeywell dealer, or visit www.honeywellvideo.com.
