May 2024 - 2

We've updated the AI Controller with an enhanced feature that tailors diagnostics data synchronization according to floor selection. This targeted approach to data management offers several key benefits:

1. Floor-Specific Diagnostics:
   • Focused Insights: By syncing diagnostics data based on specific floor selections, you gain more relevant insights into the operational health and issues related to controllers on particular floors. This allows for precise monitoring and troubleshooting, ensuring that any potential problems are identified and addressed quickly, specific to each floor's unique conditions and requirements.
2. Optimized Maintenance and Repairs:
   • Efficient Resource Allocation: Tailoring diagnostics data to specific floors helps prioritize maintenance and repair activities more effectively. By understanding exactly where issues are occurring, you can allocate your technical resources more efficiently, focusing on areas that require immediate attention and avoiding unnecessary checks on floors that are operating smoothly.
3. Enhanced System Performance:
   • Proactive Problem Solving: This feature allows for proactive management of the AI Controller system by providing early detection of issues on a floor-by-floor basis. Early identification helps in preventing larger system failures and ensures continuous, optimal performance across your entire facility.

This upgrade to the AI Controller diagnostics is designed to enhance your ability to manage and maintain complex systems with greater accuracy and efficiency. By focusing diagnostics data on selected floors, we provide you with the tools to ensure high performance and reliability tailored to your specific operational needs.

We've made several enhancements to the Analytics section within the BluSKY platform, aiming to streamline your experience and enhance the functionality of our analytics tools: 

1. Integration of Analytics into Dashboard Beta & Data Lake Left Pane Navigation:
   • Centralized Access: Analytics have been integrated into the Dashboard Beta and the Data Lake's left pane navigation. This integration places powerful analytical tools at your fingertips within a unified interface, simplifying access and enabling a smoother workflow.
   • Enhanced Convenience: By having analytics easily accessible from the main navigation areas, you can swiftly transition between different data analyses and other operational tasks without needing to navigate through multiple menus.
2. Added Filter Option to Individual Analytic Dash-Let:
   • Customizable Data Display: Each analytic dash-let now includes a filter option, allowing you to refine what data is displayed based on your specific criteria. This feature enhances the dash-let’s utility by enabling you to focus on the most relevant information for your needs.
   • Increased Analytical Flexibility: With the ability to filter data directly within the dash-lets, you can perform more targeted analysis, which is essential for addressing specific operational questions or challenges.
3. Added Full-screen Option for Individual Analytic Dash-Let:
   • Expanded Viewing: The full-screen option for analytic dash-lets allows you to expand the dash-let to fill the entire screen, providing a more detailed view of the data. This is particularly useful for intricate datasets or when you need a comprehensive overview to identify trends or anomalies.
   • Improved Usability: Viewing dash-lets in full-screen mode can help reduce distractions and enhance focus on the data analysis, making it easier to derive insights from complex information.

These additions to the Analytics capabilities are designed to empower you with tools that make data analysis both more accessible and more robust. By integrating analytics into key areas of the BluSKY interface, and enhancing individual dash-lets with filters and full-screen options, we aim to provide you with a powerful, flexible solution for managing and interpreting vast amounts of data efficiently.

We've enhanced our camera system by enabling manual requests for video clips by default. This update provides you with direct control over video clip generation, offering several significant advantages:

1. Direct Control Over Video Recording:
   • You now have the ability to manually request video clips as needed, allowing for on-demand retrieval of specific footage. This feature is particularly useful in situations where quick access to video evidence is crucial, such as during incident investigations or for immediate security assessments.
2. Enhanced Flexibility:
   • By enabling manual clip requests by default, you gain greater flexibility in managing your video surveillance. You can select exact moments for clip generation without relying on automated triggers, which might not always align with your specific needs.
3. Optimized Storage Management:
   • This capability helps in optimizing storage usage by allowing you to generate clips only when necessary, rather than storing continuous video footage that may not be relevant. This can help in reducing costs and optimizing resource usage.
4. Improved Operational Efficiency:
   • Manual control over video clip requests streamlines operations, as you can directly obtain the footage you need without sorting through unnecessary video. This speeds up the process of reviewing and responding to security events.

This new functionality in our camera systems enhances your control and efficiency in video surveillance, providing tailored access to footage that supports your security and operational needs effectively.

We've made several significant enhancements to the Elevator Management System (EMS) to improve functionality, enhance communication, and streamline the user interface for better management of elevator operations: 

1. Enhanced Hall Call Displays: 
   • Destination Information: Hall calls now display the destination floor stop along with the directional arrow. This addition provides clear visual cues about where the elevator is heading next, improving the flow of traffic by helping passengers understand elevator destinations before boarding.
2. Rear Door Functionality:
   • Comprehensive Monitoring: We are now displaying indicators for rear door hall calls and the rear door's opening status. This feature allows for complete monitoring of both front and rear access points of the elevator, enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
3. Alert for Missing DDE Keypads:
   • Proactive Notifications: An alert message is displayed when you click the animation view button if the facility does not have DDE keypads. This alert ensures that you are immediately aware of potential limitations in controlling the elevator, allowing for quick adjustments or troubleshooting.
4. Intercom Integration in Elevator Car UDC:
   • Enhanced Communication: We've introduced functionality to initiate a call to the Intercom associated with the Elevator Car directly from the Elevator Car's UDC. This makes it easier to communicate with passengers or service personnel inside the elevator in real-time, crucial during emergencies or for daily communications.
   • Accessible Intercom Controls: An Intercom icon has been added to the Elevator UDC to facilitate easy access to this communication tool, streamlining the process and enhancing user interaction.
5. Static Hoist Way Component in Actual View:
   • Focused Navigation: In the actual view, the top component of the hoistway, including its name and mode, is made static, allowing only the hoistway to be scrollable. This design keeps essential information in view at all times, enhancing usability and ensuring you have constant access to key operational details.
6. Centralized Hall Call Queue:
   • Organized Call Management: Hall calls are now displayed in the All Calls Queue section on both the right and left sides of the center stage area. This centralized display organizes all calls effectively, making it easier to manage and respond to hall calls from a unified location.
7. Simplified Elevator Car Buttons: 
   
   • Streamlined Interface: We have eliminated the "i" icon from Elevator Car buttons to reduce clutter and simplify the user interface. This change focuses your attention on the most essential controls and indicators, enhancing ease of use.

These updates to the EMS are designed to enhance your ability to manage and monitor elevator functions more effectively, ensuring a smoother operation and improving the overall safety and efficiency of your elevator systems.

We've introduced an exciting new feature in the Local Video Surveillance Manager (LVSM) that enhances your ability to capture and analyze important moments captured by your surveillance system:

Snapshot Capability for Avigilon and Exacq NVRs:

• Instant Capture: You can now take snapshots directly from the live feeds of Avigilon and Exacq Network Video Recorders (NVRs). This feature allows you to capture specific moments or incidents as still images, giving you the power to document and review important events without having to scroll through hours of video footage.
• Enhanced Review Efficiency: The snapshot function enables you to quickly and efficiently review key moments from the video stream. This is especially useful for incident reporting, forensic investigations, or compliance checks where visual evidence is required.
• Reduced Storage Demand: By capturing snapshots instead of recording lengthy video clips, you significantly reduce the storage space required, leading to cost savings and more efficient data management.
• Easy Sharing and Archiving: Snapshots can be easily shared with team members or external authorities without the need for large video files. This makes communication more effective and aids in faster decision-making processes.

This enhancement to the LVSM with snapshot capabilities for Avigilon and Exacq NVRs ensures that you have more control over your video surveillance operations, providing a versatile, efficient, and practical tool for managing your security needs.

We've made several enhancements to the Person Reader configuration process to streamline setup and improve usability:

1. Dynamic Subnet Field Management:
   • Simplified Configuration: During the initial configuration of a Person Reader, selecting DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) will automatically hide the subnet field. This feature simplifies the setup process by removing unnecessary fields when DHCP is chosen, reducing potential confusion and setup time.
   • Focused Input: By hiding the subnet field when DHCP is selected, we ensure that you only need to focus on the relevant fields, making the configuration process more straightforward and efficient.
2. Automatic Naming Suggestions:
   • Consistent Naming Conventions: Initial Person Reader names are now automatically suggested for related items, such as inputs and DDE keypads. For example, if you name a Person Reader 'Person_Reader_PBI_17081', it will automatically suggest names like 'Person_Reader_PBI_17081 - input 1' or 'Person_Reader_PBI_17081 Keypad' for associated items. This consistency helps in maintaining clear and organized naming conventions across all related components.
   • Ease of Management: With automatic naming suggestions, managing multiple components becomes easier. You can quickly identify and differentiate between various inputs and devices linked to the main Person Reader, reducing the risk of errors and enhancing overall system organization.

These updates to the Person Reader configuration process are designed to make setup more intuitive and efficient. By dynamically managing the subnet field based on DHCP selection and providing automatic naming suggestions, we aim to streamline your workflow and ensure a smooth and hassle-free configuration experience.

BluSKY's enhanced Person Reader configuration UI significantly streamlines the setup process by introducing default gold standard values. 

With the Rs485 Baud rate now set to 11520 and the Rs485 Reply time set to 90, users can achieve optimal communication settings quickly and effortlessly. These pre-configured values eliminate the guesswork and reduce the time required for manual adjustments, ensuring a smooth and efficient setup experience.

Additionally, the new option to select a DDE keypad directly within the BluSKY > SETUP > SETUP 

 Person Reader menu items further simplifies configuration. 

This feature provides users with a straightforward way to integrate keypads into their security system, enhancing overall functionality and user experience. These improvements collectively make the Person Reader configuration UI more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly.

We've recently enhanced our Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) capabilities to provide more flexibility and guidance, ensuring a smoother and more secure login process:

1. Option to Select 'Login via Code' on Face Authentication Page: 

• Flexibility in Authentication: This new feature allows you to choose an alternative login method via a code on the Face Authentication page. It's particularly useful if you prefer traditional authentication methods or face recognition is not feasible. This option ensures that you can always access your account securely, regardless of your environment or changes in physical attributes.
• Enhanced User Convenience: By providing a choice between facial recognition and code entry, you can select the method that best suits your current situation, ensuring ease of access while maintaining strong security protocols.

2. Guidelines for Capturing Facial Data: 

• Improved Success Rates: We've added detailed guidelines for capturing facial data before you register and authenticate using face recognition. These guidelines help ensure that the facial images are captured under optimal conditions, significantly enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the face recognition system.
• Streamlined Registration Process: By following these guidelines, you can avoid common pitfalls that might interfere with facial recognition, such as poor lighting or incorrect positioning, making the registration process quicker and reducing the likelihood of errors during authentication.

These additions to the Multi Factor Authentication system are designed to enhance security while providing you with the flexibility to choose your preferred authentication method. By improving the reliability of face recognition and offering an alternative authentication option, we aim to meet your security needs in a user-friendly and adaptable way.

We've made several important enhancements to the Reports feature in our system to provide you with more detailed insights and improve the management of report scheduling:

1. Enhancements to the Access Denied Report: 

• Additional Columns: The Access Denied Report now includes new columns for 'Card start/end date,' 'Person start/end date,' and 'Error from controller/DDE.' These additions give you a comprehensive view of the factors contributing to access denial. Understanding the start and end dates helps in verifying whether access issues are due to expired credentials, while the error details can pinpoint system malfunctions or configuration errors, facilitating quicker resolution.
• Better Security Management: With this detailed information, you can more effectively manage and rectify access control issues, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access when they should.

2. Updated Event History Detail Report:

• Independent Component Selection: The event history detail report now allows you to select different component types independently. This flexibility lets you customize the report to focus specifically on areas relevant to your analysis, such as doors, cameras, or alarm systems. By tailoring the report to specific components, you can streamline your analysis and focus on the data that matter most.

3. New Stale Reports Tab: 

• Track Report Validity: We've added a new Stale Reports tab on the Reports page. This tab lists all the scheduled reports that have completed their occurrences and are no longer running. This feature helps you manage your reports more efficiently by identifying which reports are inactive and may need updating or removal.
• Cleaner Reporting Environment: By keeping track of stale reports, you can clean up unnecessary data and maintain a more organized and efficient reporting system. This not only simplifies report management but also ensures that you are focusing on reports that provide current and actionable insights.

We've enhanced the Person Activity Report by adding a Facility column, providing several key benefits to improve your reporting and data analysis:

1. Improved Data Organization:
   • Clear Facility Identification: The addition of the Facility column allows you to easily identify which facility each activity entry is associated with. This clear categorization helps in organizing and sorting data more efficiently, making it easier to understand activity patterns across different locations.
2. Enhanced Reporting Accuracy:
   • Precise Activity Tracking: With the Facility column, you can precisely track and report on person activity within specific facilities. This level of detail ensures that your reports accurately reflect where each activity occurred, leading to better-informed decision-making and resource allocation.
3. Streamlined Analysis:
   • Comparative Insights: Including facility information in the Person Activity Report enables you to compare activities across multiple facilities. This comparative analysis can help you identify trends, discrepancies, and opportunities for improvement, enhancing your overall operational strategy.
4. Simplified Compliance and Auditing:
   • Detailed Documentation: The Facility column provides an additional layer of documentation that can be crucial for compliance and auditing purposes. Detailed records of person activity by facility ensure that you have the necessary information to meet regulatory requirements and conduct thorough audits.

These updates to the Reports function are designed to enhance your ability to monitor, analyze, and act on various data points across your system. By providing more detailed information, customizable reporting options, and better management tools, we aim to empower you with the resources needed to make informed decisions and maintain optimal operational effectiveness.

We've recently introduced significant updates to the Universal Device Control (UDC) across the BluSKY platform to enhance its functionality and performance:

1. Adjustable Layout for Elevator Car UDC Overlay:

• Dynamic Sizing: When you increase the size of the Elevator Car UDC, the layout of its overlay adjusts accordingly. This feature ensures that all critical information remains organized and visually accessible, no matter the size of the display. It enhances the readability and usability of the UDC, especially on larger screens or when more detailed viewing is required.
• Enhanced User Experience: This adjustable layout allows for a more customized and user-friendly interaction with the Elevator Car UDC, ensuring that you can easily monitor and control various aspects of elevator operations in a format that best suits your viewing preferences.

2. Improved Events Timeline Performance:

• Faster Loading Times: We've enhanced the performance of the events timeline, making it faster and more responsive. This improvement means that you can navigate through events more smoothly, without lag or delay, enhancing the efficiency of your monitoring and review processes.
• Enhanced Efficiency: By optimizing the timeline performance, we ensure that you spend less time waiting for data to load and more time analyzing and responding to critical events.

3. Default Settings for Snap24 & Snap-Shot Time in Events Timeline:

• Simplified Viewing: By default, Snap24 and Snap-Shot Time will now be unselected in the events timeline. This change reduces visual clutter, allowing you to focus on the most pertinent information without the distraction of less frequently used data points.
• Customizable Display Options: While these features are unselected by default, you still have the flexibility to enable them as needed. This customization allows you to tailor the events timeline to display only the information that is most relevant to your specific requirements or interests.

These additions to the Universal Device Controller in the BluSKY system are designed to improve the overall functionality and user experience, making it easier and more efficient to manage and monitor your devices. By offering flexible, performance-enhanced features, we aim to ensure that the UDC serves as an effective and reliable tool in your security and operational strategies.

We've enhanced our video surveillance capabilities with a significant update that allows you to view up to 36 cameras or video dashlets simultaneously (increased from 25). This new feature offers several key benefits to enhance your monitoring efficiency and operational oversight:

• Expanded Viewing Capacity:
  • Increased Surveillance Coverage: With the ability to view up to 36 cameras at once, you can monitor larger areas of your facility or multiple locations without the need to switch between different camera feeds. This comprehensive view ensures that no critical area is left unobserved, enhancing the security and safety of your premises.
• Enhanced Operational Efficiency:
  • Time-Saving: Managing multiple video feeds simultaneously reduces the time spent navigating between different cameras, allowing you to quickly assess situations and respond to incidents more efficiently. This streamlined approach to monitoring can significantly enhance your ability to oversee operations and react in real-time.
• Optimized Resource Management:
  • Resource Allocation: By displaying multiple cameras in a single dashboard, you can more effectively allocate your security resources, ensuring that attention is given to areas with the highest need. This capability helps in prioritizing surveillance efforts based on real-time data, improving overall security management.
• Customizable Layouts:
  • Flexible Display Options: The ability to customize how these 36 cameras are displayed allows you to arrange the video feeds in a way that best suits your operational needs and preferences, providing a tailored surveillance experience.

This new feature is designed to empower you with greater control and visibility over your surveillance systems, ensuring that you can maintain a high level of security with ease and efficiency. Whether you're monitoring a large complex or multiple dispersed sites, this enhancement helps you keep a vigilant eye on all areas of interest without missing a beat.