Challenge
Cambridge City faces the typical security challenges of a small city, from petty theft to break-ins to illegal dumping of garbage at various locations. And like other government entities, they use a security camera system to find and resolve these incidents. In 2022, Cambridge City came to Spot AI because they had challenges with their existing camera system that were costing them both time and money. They were spending hours and hours searching for relevant footage to investigate incidents, and there was no way to easily share video clips. On top of that, their camera system was outdated and required proprietary hardware. This presented a big problem. Replacement equipment was costly to purchase and install, and they were facing supply chain issues with the only hardware that was compatible with their existing system.
They began looking for a modern video system that would be easy and cost-effective to deploy, maintain, and use across departments to rapidly investigate incidents. The other requirement: the system had to be flexible so that it was no longer a headache to replace hardware when necessary. When Cambridge City began their evaluation of camera systems, they found that most vendors either only provided software (hardware had to be purchased from another vendor), or both software and hardware were provided but there was no ability to use existing cameras. Cambridge City had existing cameras that were in good condition and didn’t want a full, costly rip and replace project. When they spoke to Spot AI, they knew they found the right partner.
Solution
One of the primary reasons that Cambridge City chose Spot AI was because the system allows them to use their existing cameras. What’s more, if replacement cameras are ever needed, Spot AI provides them for free. This significantly reduces hardware and maintenance costs for the city each year, and the headache of trying to source new cameras. It also made deployment quick and easy since a complete replacement of cameras wasn’t necessary. Cambridge City’s IT team was able to rapidly deploy the system across seven locations including the City Hall, Public Works Building, Marina, and Public Safety Facility, using their existing cameras to save time and reduce cost.
The system is shared with numerous stakeholders across city departments, and the system’s ease of use and remote accessibility gives team members access to footage they need at their fingertips. Footage that previously took hours to find can now be surfaced in less than 30 seconds. The City often uses the Spot AI system to draw a zone in the frame where they know an incident occurred over the course of several days, surface footage only when there was motion in that area, and quickly find the event such as an unauthorized person entering a building. The Cases incident management system enables the City to easily save and share video and other documentation in one central location, saving significant time and hassle for employees.
Cambridge City knows they have a partner with Spot AI. Dale Price, IT Coordinator for Cambridge City explains, “Other companies gave me the feeling of, ‘I’m going to sell you this product and then it’s out of my hands.' The contract’s been signed with Spot AI and they’re still reaching out to us. If I fire off an email, somebody is getting back to me pretty quickly. One of my favorite things about Spot AI is the customer service." Spot AI also provides Cambridge City with free access to new features for the life of the contract, free Spot AI cameras, and a full hardware warranty and refresh policy that reduce the long-term cost to maintain the system while ensuring that it stays cutting-edge, forever.
“Other companies gave me the feeling of, ‘I’m going to sell you this product and then it’s out of my hands.' The contract’s been signed with Spot AI and they’re still reaching out to us. If I fire off an email, somebody is getting back to me pretty quickly. One of my favorite things about Spot AI is the customer service.”
Results
Spot AI’s ability to integrate with other camera brands and offer free Spot AI cameras to replace any non-functioning cameras saved the city over $10,000 in hardware costs, in addition to the labor required to replace those cameras. With Spot AI, The City’s staff are saving significant time using Spot AI’s dynamic search features. They’re able to rapidly find footage of incidents in less than 30 seconds, whereas similar searches with their legacy system routinely took two hours or more.
