Sofia’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) is one of the largest, most complex public sector institutions in Bulgaria, responsible for preserving the safety and security of its borders and citizens. When the time came to step up security across the city, they turned to the Milestone XProtect® video software platform to bring their surveillance system together.
In 2018, the MoI recognized the need to upgrade and harden public security. Implementing proactive detection and prevention measures was designed to help the ministry stay ahead of threats and reduce incident response times.
Since the city already had an extensive video network, a major goal in upgrading civic security involved consolidating varied sources of city-wide information into a unified system. Previously, each system had to be monitored separately.
Fortunately, the Ministry already had the infrastructure needed for the upgrade. The only thing missing was a powerful platform of video management software (VMS) with open architecture for the integration of sensors from different manufacturers.
- Implemented an integrated automated security system (IASS) to link video surveillance and information exchange systems
- Video streams consolidated with Milestone XProtect® Corporate VMS
- Agent Vi’s savVi™ video analytics software to monitor video feeds and accomplish post-event analysis quickly
- Flexibility to expand the system and integrate new features
The Milestone VMS was further integrated with various internal systems such as people and vehicle registration and access control, and it is used to manage thousands of indoor and outdoor cameras from nine different vendors (analogue and IP).
The video surveillance tools introduced into the consolidated system work around-the-clock and can be used in emergency situations such as an “attack” scenario.
With Milestone’s XProtect Mobile Video Push, security officers can transmit live video from problem areas to a central security office. Interactive maps and the Camera Navigator can be used to easily follow views across a wide geographical location with thousands of cameras.
The IASS, with Milestone XProtect at its core, quickly analyzes a large mass of information. And Milestone’s open architecture allows a continuing incorporation of products and tools to upgrade the Ministry’s system. The unified IASS system has proven to be so successful in Sofia that it is likely to be replicated in other major cities of Bulgaria.
The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria is charged with the national security and the upholding of law and order in the country. The ministry was established in 1879 and is a state organization financed by the national budget. Its areas of activity include countering criminality, maintaining public order, protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, responding to fires, accidents or catastrophes, guarding the national borders and protecting the state’s economic and financial credit system and cultural wealth.
The National Palace of Culture (NDK) is the largest, multifunctional conference and exhibition center in southeastern Europe. It was opened in 1981 in celebration of Bulgaria's 1300th anniversary. The conference center is equipped to such events as concerts, multilingual conferences, exhibitions and shows. The NDK has 13 halls and 17,000 square meters of exhibition area, a trade center and a car park. The main hall can seat over 3,000 people. The building's total functional area is 123,000 square meters over eight floors, four panoramic terraces, and three underground levels. There are 12 multi-functional halls seating 50 to 4,000 attendees. There are also 54 offices and seminar rooms plus five restaurants and catering companies.
