Arecont Vision Megapixel Cameras Monitor Crowds At Hsing Tian Kong Temple In Taiwan

Hsing Tian Kong Temple in Taipei, Taiwan, is devoted to Kuan Yu, the patron god of businessmen. The popular Taoist temple is relatively new in origin – it was constructed in 1967 – and is located on a street corner near the center of the country's capital city, occupying more than 7,000 square meters (75,000 square feet). Sculptures of dragons adorn the Hsing Tian Kong Temple's ornate design, which has become a popular attraction in the city.

The temple's huge number of visitors suggested the need to enhance an existing analog video surveillance system installed at the large facility. Specifically, visitors to the temple tended to leave their handbags under the table as they prayed, and the bags were often stolen. The previous analog system provided insufficient image detail to identify the thieves. Given that the temple is a preserved cultural site, installation of the system had to be simple and as non-invasive as possible to preserve the building's beautiful architectural design elements. Any enhancement of the existing video surveillance system also had to preserve the previous investment made in the analog video surveillance system. These parameters established two primary design objectives for the new system enhancement project: 1) increase the video coverage capabilities of the system while minimizing alterations to the existing architecture/construction, and 2) complement the existing analog system to capitalize on previous investments in video surveillance.