Building a safer region: unifying citywide video surveillance

Across many regions, public safety initiatives face a persistent challenge: video surveillance systems are abundant but siloed. Cameras installed by municipalities, government agencies, and private businesses operate independently, making real-time access to critical footage for law enforcement inefficient.

In a densely populated region with complex infrastructure needs (15 cities, mixed urban/industrial zones), the challenges were acute. While thousands of cameras were already deployed across multiple cities, there was no centralized access point. When a public safety incident occurred, authorities had to navigate a complex web of system owners and protocols just to retrieve video from a single location. Time was lost, and opportunities to act quickly were often missed.

To address this, regional telecom operator partnered with Flussonic to design and deploy a unified access system that would bring interoperability, scalability, and intelligence to a patchwork of legacy installations.

The starting point: a maze of disconnected systems

Before the integration, surveillance infrastructure across the region included:

• Cameras installed by local governments in parks, on roadways, and in central districts
• Monitoring systems in public service offices
• Private security systems in malls and commercial buildings

Each of these systems was managed independently, with different vendors, protocols, and user interfaces. For law enforcement, accessing footage meant locating the owner of a specific camera and securing temporary permissions: an inefficient and reactive process.

The objectives: unify, secure, and scale

The joint team at the telecom operator and Flussonic set out to solve several critical problems:

• Unify access to all cameras in the region, regardless of their vendor, type, or original system.
• Protect data integrity with strong access controls and secure storage.
• Ensure future scalability to allow easy onboarding of new cameras and systems.
• Enable external analytics tools to support rapid investigations and real-time monitoring.

The approach: integration over replacement

Rather than dismantling existing infrastructure (a costly and disruptive proposition) our partner chose a strategy of integration. The solution was built on Flussonic Watcher, selected for three primary reasons:

• Efficient resource use: High-density storage capabilities allowed the reuse of existing server infrastructure with room for growth.
• Flexible APIs: Seamless integration with diverse systems enabled real-time data consolidation and analytics.
• Scalability: The architecture supported regional expansion without major architectural changes.

“We weren’t looking for just another video surveillance system,” said us the head of the telecom operator. “We needed a technological backbone that could unify a fragmented environment and evolve with it. Flussonic Watcher was the right fit.”

System architecture: a centralized backbone

The new system was designed around a centralized architecture:

Video Ingestion

• All camera feeds (new and legacy) are routed to Flussonic servers via lightweight agents.
• Servers are hosted in a secure data center, ensuring resilience and continuity.

Video Processing

• Control servers bridge modern infrastructure with legacy city systems.
• A custom analytics module developed by our partner processes video streams.
• Storage is optimized to minimize footprint while preserving quality and access.

Video Access

• Law enforcement agencies access live and recorded video through Flussonic Watcher.
• Public administration staff use familiar interfaces, now enhanced with unified access to all citywide cameras.

Results: a seamless safety network

The rollout has already delivered tangible improvements:

1. Instant access for law enforcement to over 15,000 cameras across multiple cities.
2. Full visibility across public spaces, government buildings, and commercial centers.
3. Centralized interface for all agencies, removing delays in cross-system coordination.
4. Integrated analytics tailored to law enforcement use cases.
5. Preserved investments in existing infrastructure, no hardware needed to be replaced.

Most notably, the region gained a cost-effective and future-ready platform. Storage optimization and custom analytics helped achieve significant savings compared to competing solutions.

What’s next: expansion and intelligence

The system continues to evolve. Plans are in place to:

• Connect four additional cities in the coming months.
• Increase the number of surveillance points, especially in commercial districts.
• Expand analytics capabilities with advanced modules for incident detection and behavior analysis.

Crucially, the system’s modular design allows for organic growth. Adding capacity is as simple as deploying new servers—no reengineering required.

This project illustrates how regional governments and technology providers can collaborate to transform a fragmented network into a cohesive tool for public safety. With minimal disruption and maximum reuse of existing assets, the region has laid the groundwork for a smarter, safer urban environment — one city at a time.