Satellite surveillance

Two companies are implementing an

project to introduce a solution for alarm monitoring and video surveillance via satellite to meet the increasing demand for security systems from the government and corporate market.

The two companies are UK based satellite operator Orbit Research and the German company MediaMobil Communication. They announced their intention to introduce the Satellite Alarm and Surveillance System (SASS) to the UK market at the BAPCO 2007 conference and exhibition, which was recently held in London. SASS is independent of terrestrial infrastructure and can be interfaced with standard video surveillance systems.

SASS is said to enable the interconnection of alarm and video surveillance systems to security centres via satellite. Alarm messages and live video images can be simultaneously transmitted.

The video images can be used for alarm verification or for surveillance. Bi-directional audio and internet-like data channels provided emergency voice communications and remote control of devices such as cameras. The system can provide primary or redundant connectivity for security systems where terrestrial networks are either not available or are unreliable.