MOBOTIX Video Camera Solution Enables Remote Monitoring And Real-time Viewing Of Le Marchesine In Italy

The MOBOTIX video camera is capable of guaranteeing high quality images that can be accessed in real time

In the Biatta family, the craft of producing excellent wines is passed from generation to generation. Back in 1985, Giovanni Biatta, the forefather of the Le Marchesine operation, purchased the first three hectares in the area of Franciacorta, but the family has dedicated itself to a single passion for at least five generations: excellence in wine-making. Heir of an ancient family from Brescia, the great-grandfather of Giovanni, Camillo Biatta, was a negociant eleveur, a noble and ancient trade inherited from father to son, all the way to Giovanni.

Born as a small and innovative firm in Franciacorta, Le Marchesine is today one of the most prestigious agricultural success stories in this well-endowed region of Lombardy: from the three original hectares the company has grown to cover 47 hectares of vines, all registered in the Doc and Docg, and managed directly by the heir of Giovanni, Loris, who manages the wine cellar and the vines together with son Andrea and daughter Alice.

Presently production hovers around 450 thousand bottles per year, of which 230 thousand of Franciacorta Brut and Extra Brut, 40 thousand of Rose’ vintage, 40 thousand of Franciacorta Saten, 30 thousand of Vintage from only the best years, in addition to 10 thousand of Secolo Novo cru vintage, 15 thousand of Curtefranca Bianco, and 15 thousand of Curtefranca Rosso. Starting from the Fall of 2012, two new wines were added to the Le Marchesine production, the Franciacorta Brut Giovanni Biatta Secolo Novo, of which 5,700 bottles were produced, and the Franciacorta Brut Blanc de Noir with 6,700 bottles.

Certified (And Monitored) Quality

Loris Biatta, presently the owner of the farm but also a gifted entrepreneur and technology enthusiast, had long expressed the desire to showcase the beauty of the farm and the care with which the wine is produced to customers residing outside Europe, even on other continents.

An ambitious and innovative idea that was not met with a positive response, in terms of feasibility, when proposed to some of the technicians in the market.

The solution was provided by Informatica Lombarda, a company located in Rovato that specialises in integrating computer and technology systems.

“When we were contacted by Le Marchesine we immediately accepted the challenge - according to Fulvio Baresi, the general manager of Informatica Lombarda-. This was a new idea, that would start a pilot project in the wine making sector; a project with a far reaching outlook, that would provide the opportunity to fully exploit the great potential of the technologies we are implementing”.

Integrating Security Technology

Implemented in the span of only three months, the project included the installation of a MOBOTIX video security system integrated with an open VOIP infrastructure (based on an Asterisk switchboard) and a wireless network based on antennas built by Meru Networks. The integration of the entire installation on the Asterisk switchboard provided many opportunities for development in the project, including during the implementation, both in relation to the integration of new technologies and - no less important - controlling costs.

“My main objective - which has been a lifelong dream of mine - was to be able to show in live images, especially when shipping products abroad, and not just in photographs or brochures, the beauty of our land - the Franciacorta - the elegance of our wine cellars, and the care with which we produce and store the wine, which stands for quality even for less pretentious customers”, says Biatta.

Providing High-Quality Images

“But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...”, said Saint-Exupery in the famous novel The Little Prince.

In this project there is a lot of heart: The love of our land, the love for our company and the family it belongs to, the love of a craft, that when is done with the heart produces notes and flavors that preserve the taste of artisan passion and skill. When the hearts are far away, MOBOTIX provides the solution as the only video camera capable of guaranteeing high quality images that can be accessed in real time thanks to the software integrated on each device: A video security system where the hardware and software are integrated into a single product.

“Thanks to MOBOTIX we were able to exploit the high quality of the images and the power of the free proprietary application, which, in our capacity as the system integrators, allowed us to develop truly state of the art projects. Not least important, thanks to the software integrated in the device, which is a unique technology in the world, the MOBOTIX decentralized system is able to provide the possibility of managing the images recorded by the video cameras remotely and in real time, when necessary, or when the client on the other side of the world has special requirements”, added Baresi.

The advantages of the MOBOTIX decentralized concept are also evident in other terms. In fact, the video cameras do not leverage an external PC – or the efficiency of the connection - the analysis of the recordings and images are already scaled by the software on board.

Video Surveillance With Light Control

Today there are 11 MOBOTIX eyes pointing outdoors - to the vines - and indoors - to the production facilities and the wine cellars - of the well known wine producer, not only because of security, but also and most of all within the scope of the commercial and marketing promotions of the company and its products.

Wherever they may be, the business associates of Le Marchesine are able to view the images recorded by the video cameras by means of the MOBOTIX application installed on an iPad. In case of issues of lighting as a result of time zones on the other side of the globe, they are able to remotely turn on the lights directly from the video camera by selecting an icon on the application.

 “The saying ‘see it to believe it’ has never been more appropriate for me, in the sense that until I tried the system I did not believe that it was possible! The project also received the same positive responses from our traditional clients and potential buyers, who were often incredulous at what they were seeing thanks to MOBOTIX”, says Biatta.

Video Camera Integration With Weather Station

Shortly, a pole will be installed in the vines, which, thanks to solar panels, will power a weather station, which will be in turn connected to a MOBOTIX video camera. The objective is to allow Le Marchesine to remotely broadcast in real time the data concerning the humidity and the level of acidity of the soil, the presence of potential bacteria, the color of the leaves, the state of ripening of the wine, etc. Activities that until today were carried out manually by the agronomists, who will now be able to base their manual activities on precise data and measurements carried out at periodic intervals. The objective of this new system is to track both annual and multi-year statistical trends, which will allow Le Marchesine to evaluate the production of a particular type of wine in a given vintage and make predictions about the years to come.

5-Megapixel MOBOTIX Wireless Video Cameras

The results obtained by Le Marchesine went well over the expectations, preserving the standards of quality and excellence the owners first of all require of their own products, providing much more than a simple video security installation.

The new 5 megapixel MOBOTIX video cameras installed – 3 M15 Day&Night models for monitoring the vines, active round the clock, 3 D15 models for remotely monitoring and viewing the wine cellars, 2 Q25 models installed in the production facilities, and 1 T25 video door intercom - are integrated with the VoIP switchboard and allow authorized parties to directly connect with a complete mobile wireless solution.

Moreover, the T25 video door intercom is provided with an RFID reader that manages access control for authorized personnel, an application that provides the best results especially in the harvest season, when external personnel is brought on the premises during periods of large volume.

“The project implemented for Le Marchesine is the feather in the cap for informatics in Lombardy and represents the true meaning of ‘automation’, a term that is sometimes overused and often utilised in the wrong - and restrictive - manner with respect to what it really means. In order to implement true automation it is not enough to improvise, select what is available on the market, and install it. It is important to understand the technology on which each product is based and the capability to interconnect them. I am completely convinced that 70 percent of the success of a system integration project resides precisely in the evaluation and design stage before the implementation. Obviously, as in most things, it is not necessary to know everything, but to be able to discern the best; and for us in this case MOBOTIX is certainly in first place”, concluded Baresi.