campus security: [april 2008]
Published: 03/14/08
- University of California-San Diego Develops High-Tech Campus Security Measures
From "University of California-San Diego Develops High-Tech Campus Security Measures" by: , 10News.com (San Diego) - The University of California-San Diego (UCSD) uses MIR3's notification software to alert students and faculty on campus of any emergencies. The notification service only requires the click of a mouse to send out a phone call, text-message, e-mail, or fax. "All of those, with the exception of the fax, give you the ability to respond in real time. So you send out 2,000 messages and quickly get back 2,000 responses to understand the situation you're in," says Ken Dixon, executive vice president of MIR3, a San Diego-based company whose notification platform is used by over 100 colleges and universities. The university made sure the system works by performing drills and had to put it to use this past October when wildfires engulfed the area. UCSD also uses a signage system across campus to which police can make changes. "They can see the campus, an aerial display of the campus, circle the building and issue a specific message for that building," says UCSD researcher Douglas Palmer. Another part of UCSD's alert system is Gizmo, a device used to send real-time video and audio into a closed network. Augmenting these security measures are a reverse 911-type system, towers equipped with speakers, and surveillance cameras.
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