Case Study

The Office of Emergency Services County of San Diego

An AV Solution That’s Small And Compact In Size, But Large In Its Capabilities

The Client

The Office of Emergency Services for the County of San Diego oversees the operations and response plan in the event of a county disaster. Responsible for coordinating and deploying emergency services, the OES is tasked with alerting the appropriate agencies to ensure prompt protection of life and property should a disaster occur.

A disaster could be but is not limited to the following events.

  • Earthquake
  • Flooding
  • Pandemic
  • San Onofre (A Nuclear Generating Station)
  • Terrorism
  • Tsunami
  • Wildfire

Should one of these sudden events occur, the OES relies heavily on its technology solutions to provide the community and the responding agencies with real-time and accurate information using digital maps, core applications, social media, and other modern resources. Having a reliable and easy-to-use AV system is critical to the work being executed at the OES on a day-to-day basis and during an active emergency situation.

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The Challenge

As a government entity that’s heavily relied on by the public, the OES was privy to the fact that having sufficient AV technology was a must-have in order to better serve the community while doing so efficiently.

Working from an older AV system that would malfunction from time-to-time, and was complicated to use, the OES needed a dedicated partner who could meet their audio, visual, and communication needs for emergency response and daily operations. 

The relationship between Spinitar and the OES goes back a long way. When the OES was first introduced to Spinitar, they were in need of finding a local team of professionals with an excellent track record and the ability to design, install, and support a high-tech AV system that was modern and user-friendly. Aware of what needed to be done at the OES, Spinitar designed a custom AV solution and established a fluid support plan that grows with the ever-changing technology advancements necessary to obtain a modern work environment.

The Approach

Throughout Spinitar’s partnership with the OES, the goal has been to design a solution that is less technical (than what they had before) and easy to use (for those less technical). Building a system that is small and compact in size but large in its capabilities was a top priority for the government organization. OES staff wanted the ability to walk into any room, plug in, and work from their personal device. Knowing the demands of the OES, Spinitar focused its efforts on designing a system that would allow anyone from any outside agency (or within), to easily connect and work from the technology integrated into the OES’ AV/IT infrastructure.

While considering the design of the audiovisual technology, Spinitar was also tasked with implementing a custom support plan that would withstand the integrity of the operation should a technical difficulty occur. Because the OES works on a day-to-day and activated schedule, Spinitar set two types of support plans in motion – a regular plan for daily work and a platinum plan enabled only during an emergency activation. 

Once the approach to resolve the outdated solution was agreed upon, Spinitar began sourcing technology from top manufacturing partners like Crestron, Legrand AV, Planar, and Samsung to begin upgrading the OES’s new audiovisual system.

At the Office of Emergency Services, we value teamwork, and it is very apparent that the people at Spinitar do too. They’re always working together to ensure we’re a success.

Stephen Rea

Assistant Director of the Office of Emergency Services at the County of San Diego

The Technology

Spinitar was aware of current issues related to existing technological infrastructures. Prior to beginning the project, existing equipment lacked the technical capabilities required for company growth and expansion. Although current accommodations worked for smaller teams, a number of technical issues existed. Microphones and insufficient computer hardware caused individuals to become frustrated and inundated with mindless tasks. Furthermore, existing equipment and sporadic technical components created frustration amongst leaders.

In collaboration with Happy Money, Spinitar used their years of AV integration experience and design expertise to create highly functional yet sophisticated and innovative technological solutions. This gave Spinitar the creative flexibility to implement a design geared towards Happy Money’s specific business needs.

Since Happy Money was moving into a brand new office building and was the first company to occupy the space—it was easier for Spinitar to create designs with specifications geared towards company objectives and goals. With a heavy emphasis centered around automated functionality, Spinitar attempted to make the interface as straightforward as possible.

The following technologies were implemented throughout the new Happy Money office space facility:

Each of the rooms contain a 65” mounted Samsung commercial grade display monitor.

 

Creston Mercury devices with built-in VoIP functionality were used with swivel mounts integrated directly into the table.

 

Cameras were then attached to the bottom of displays and USB/HDMI extenders were used for connectivity from the Mercury devices at the table to the displays on the wall.

Each room received a 55” Samsung wall mounted display.

 

Creston Mercury devices with built-in VoIP functionality were used with swivel mounts integrated directly into the table.

 

Cameras were then attached to the bottom of displays and USB/HDMI extenders were used for connectivity from the Mercury devices at the table to the displays on the wall.

The All Hands area consisted of a 4x4 video wall which utilizes (16) 55” LCD monitors mounted to form a 165” diagonal display with (8) dedicated electrical circuits.

 

A 24 port network switch and (1) POE+ injector facilitates the networking side of the equipment and is well hidden inside a credenza rack underneath the video wall.

 

The audio consists of (4) JBL speaker line arrays which were floated from multiple I-Beams along with a DSP for line level mixing, zone control, and equalization.

 

The lighting is made up of (4) Martin LED lights mounted to lighting pipes attached to I-Beams in front of the stage.

 

An in-wall transmitter is provided to allow for quick local display of video and a nearby in-wall video transmitter allows for plug and play of a local video source. By distributing this feed back to the MDF and into the NVX matrix, this allows the feed from the All Hands area to be routed to any other signage displays in the building. This includes any display on a separate floor or even the video wall in the Reception area.

 

A white Crestron 10” touch panel is mounted in-wall nearby to provide control of the whole system for on/off functionality, volume, microphone selection and lighting control.

 

Additionally an external iPad was provided which mirrors the in-wall touch panel and allows for wireless control from anywhere in the room.

The conference room was outfitted with an 82” wall mounted Samsung commercial LED display and a Vaddio 30x PTZ USB camera.

 

A Shure MXA910 in-ceiling microphone was used in conjunction with a Crestron sound bar allowing for VoIP calling and echo cancellation.

 

A white 10” table mounted touch panel allows for control of systems on/off, microphone muting, audio volume control, camera adjustment and VoIP call dialing.

The Experience Center is a two way combinable room.

 

Each room consists of a 2x2 video wall which utilizes (4) 55” LCD monitors mounted to form a 110” diagonal display.

 

USB PTZ cameras were installed next to each display to allow for video conferencing sessions.

 

The audio is made up of (1) Shure MXA910 in-ceiling microphone which is pole-mounted to the ceiling along with (8) Crestron pendant speakers in each room.

 

When combined both rooms act as one utilizing all (16) speakers and both Shure MXA910 microphones in conjunction with each other.

 

Each video wall mirrors the other depending on which room you select a source from.

 

The system is controlled by (2) Crestron 10” wall mounted touch panels, one for each side of the space.

 

Additionally an external iPad was provided which mirrors the control panels and allows for wireless control from anywhere in the room.

An 82” wall mounted commercial grade Samsung display was used along with Creston Mercury devices with swivel mounts integrated into the tables. The Mercury simultaneously acts as both the speakers and microphone while an HD Huddly GO camera is attached to the bottom of the display in the front of the room.

 

An Intel NUC with bluetooth capabilities functions as the processor in these spaces and acts as the Zoom Rooms hub.

An 82” wall mounted commercial grade Samsung display was used along with (8) Crestron pendant speakers.

 

This area functions as one of the main controllable zones for background music which utilizes a Sonos Connect box on the network, one of four distributable background music sources that can be changed on the fly throughout the building.

The reception area contains a 2x2 video wall which utilizes (4) 55” LCD displays mounted to form a 110” diagonal display.

 

A nearby in-wall video transmitter allows for plug and play of a local video source. By distributing this feed back to the MDF and into the NVX matrix, this allows the feed from the Reception area to be routed to any other signage display in the building. This includes any display on a separate floor or even the All Hands video wall.

 

A 10” in-wall touch panel is used for control to turn the wall off/on, select a source and control volume levels for the speakers.

The room consists of (4) 40” wall mounted commercial grade Samsung displays and (4) HDMI input wall plates for local plug and play at each display.

A 55” wall mounted commercial grade Samsung display was used in the area. This location also acts as part of the distributed digital signage destinations and can be controlled wirelessly via an iPad.

A total of (13) 65” wall mounted commercial grade Samsung displays were used along with 2 NVX Encoding/Decoding card frames and (16) NVX box decoders located at each digital signage location (This includes the All Hands Space, Reception area and Coffee Bar).

 

A total of (4) BrightSign media players are used for signage content management along with a Mac Mini, while (4) mobile iPads act as the main interface for control of the signage locations.

 

The system was set up with user friendly “pick and poke” routing for simple management of all content. Simply pick a source and then pick a destination to route the desired content. If a display is off it automatically turns on. A scheduling system can also be put into place to have all displays turn on and off at specified times of the day.

A total of (112) speakers were used along with an (8) channel QSC digital amplifier and a (12) channel Biamp DSP.

 

Audio systems consist of (5) audio decoder cards, (1) paging microphone station, and (4) Sonos players.

 

There are a total of (7) speaker zones that can be controlled from touch panels on the 3rd and 4th floors with optional passcode protection.

A well engineered Biamp/Cambridge sound masking system is used in the 4th floor open office areas to allow for noise management between the call centers and private office areas.

The technological infrastructure was made with the help of several top notch manufacturers, most notably including several products from:

The Solution

In the effort to integrate a system that was easy to use, flexible, and reliable for a 24/7 operation, Spinitar designed an AV solution and support plan around the following requirements:

AV System 

  • Functionality – based on the daily operations and needs of the EOC, it was critical for Spinitar to design a solution that would serve as an alliance to the IT/AV ecosystem already in place within the organization. 
  • Aesthetics – adopting a ‘less is more’ mentality when sourcing the technology was an essential factor for the team to consider. The EOC was in need of a clean and compact solution that not only functioned properly but also looked good.
  • Manufacturer Support – Working as a 24/7 operation, the EOC relies heavily on AV industry experts to keep their equipment up and running at all times. Selecting manufacturers with a good track record for support was essential in choosing the right partners for the project.  
  • Project scope – Staying within the project scope and integrating a solution that met the needs of the EOC was top of mind for Spinitar when building the design and implementing the overall solution.  

 AV Support Plan

  • General Support Plan: This comprehensive support plan combines parts and labor coverage, plus proactive preventative maintenance.  The goal is to minimize system downtime.
  • Platinum Support Plan: this is provided during an emergency activation.  It includes an onsite technician during emergency situations to address system failures with repair or workarounds so that the County can focus on the emergency at hand, and not AV system functionality.

We’ve had a wonderful relationship with Spinitar for at least a decade and we’re really looking forward to continuing our work in the future.

Patty Jordan

Information Technology Principal at County of San Diego, Office of Emergency Services

The Results

With the help and guidance of OES representatives, Spinitar’s team Waveriders (led by account manager, Michael Janke) designed and built a universal audiovisual system that allows anyone from anywhere to securely connect from their personal device to the OES’ internal AV/IT system. 

After updating just about every room on the property, including the main emergency operations center, conference rooms, and breakout rooms, Spinitar successfully implemented a Covid-friendly work environment that is reliable and efficient. The AV upgrade allows city officials to respond to emergency needs quickly and effectively, regardless of their physical location.

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