Vari-focal dome cameras from Rainbow have been installed at an Asda store in Dagenham, north-east London, as part of a pilot programme.
The lenses have a focal length of 3.3-12mm. This is an unusual range for a dome camera unit and the versatility allows installers to adjust the field of view in order to accommodate end-users who may have varying ceiling heights within the same property. The unit frees installers from the constraints imposed by fixed lens domes.
The Rainbow cameras are mounted in the supermarket's checkout areas and allow management to monitor the activity of both customers and till operators. The equipment is particularly well suited to point of sale surveillance.
Glasgow-based City Facilities Management, the UK's leading facilities management company, whose track record servicing Asda's 254 stores has led to a 10-year nationwide contract, performed the installation. The range of services includes security, landscaping, refrigeration and civil works.
These dome camera assemblies feature an F1.5 auto-iris. They offer 470 TV lines, are dual voltage (12VDC/24VAC) and will operate at a minimum illumination of 0.4 lux. The picture elements (pixels) are 752 (H) x 582 (V) and signal to noise ratio is more than 48dB. Asda are using the PAL version. The NTSC version is used in the US.
City Facilities Management purchased the cameras through ADI International with whom Rainbow have increasingly close ties both in the UK and Europe.
Asda is a subsidiary of the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart, and is currently the second largest chain of supermarkets in the UK. The group is Wal-Mart's largest overseas subsidiary, accounting for almost half of the company's international sales. Asda has been winner of the Grocer Magazine "Lowest Price Supermarket" award for the past eight years.
