Italian university uses tech to strengthen campus safety

Motorola Solutions has provided the University of Palermo with AI-powered video security and access control solutions to help protect thousands of students and staff, securing every site of the college’s campus. These intelligent solutions, designed to proactively detect potential threats, can automatically alert security personnel and lock down physical access to classrooms and campus facilities. Additionally, the university can centrally manage classroom access before and after lectures.

Founded in 1806, the University of Palermo is one of Italy’s largest universities, with over 1700 staff members and 45,000 students working and studying at its sites in Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta and Trapani. With 16 departments and a School of Medicine and Surgery, the University of Palermo is a generalist university and a central hub for some of the most important domains of scientific and technological research.

“The security of people, facilities and equipment is one of our top priorities,” said Professor Pietro Paolo Corso, Rector’s Delegate for Extraordinary Projects and University Digital Infrastructure at the University of Palermo. “We need to manage access to our campus and have an understanding of any potential emergencies or threats in real time to create a safe environment where creativity, culture and knowledge can thrive.”

The university has deployed its new video cameras across five urban areas at indoor and outdoor locations, covering departments and the rector’s office. Motorola Solutions’ powerful AI-powered Avigilon video management solution helps security operations teams centrally manage, analyse and process video and data from across the network. Advanced analytics can detect and flag unusual activity, such as crowds running or smoke, and appearance search technology can locate people and belongings using descriptions of their physical traits or clothing to find them in video footage.

The system issues real-time alerts for events such as unauthorised entry, significantly reducing the need for manual monitoring and minimising false alarms. The technology enables and supports centralised access control activities across over 400 gates.

“Our security and access control solutions provide unprecedented oversight, allowing control room staff and security personnel to manage activity and react to incidents anywhere on campus in real time,” said Lorenzo Spadoni, Sales Director Southern and Western Europe and Country Manager Italy at Motorola Solutions. “We’re providing the university with a unified video security and access control solution that replaces many fragmented legacy video systems, enabling the security staff to enhance safety for students while improving operations.”

Image: Supplied.