The blazing summer sun didn't keep Seon Mobile Surveillance staff and customers from heading down to Las Vegas for a three-day Explorer DVR training seminar this past July.
 The Seon Las Vegas Promotion brought qualifying participants from all over Canada and the United States to Harrah's Flamingo Hotel in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.
The event was a first for Seon. It was designed to give specific hands-on knowledge to customers in an interactive environment and begin a dialogue with our customers to continuously improve our products and services.
 "The Vegas Training was just another facet of how Seon takes its after sales support to the next level,"
said Bob Burke, Seon School Bus Division Manager. "Talking to people everyday, you can build pretty good relationships but you can't beat a good old fashioned handshake and a face-to-face conversation."
Comments from participants included:
"Everything was first class. Thanks for everything. Good people always make for good business. Keep up the good work." Markay Hall, Suffolk Public Schools
"This training exceeded my expectations. I like the interaction and small group. Open format was great." Eliza Gutierrez, Los Lunas Schools
The seminar participants were incredibly diverse, from transportation directors to mechanics, from transit operations to bus manufacturers. This was a challenge when creating the program. We had some participants who deal with our systems day-in and day-out, others who only deal with the footage after it's recorded. For some the main concern is driver behavior, for others its overall security of their passengers and fleet. This diversity was also a huge asset in roundtable discussions allowing participants to get a range of perspectives beyond their own experience.
Chris Akiyama, Seon Transit and Security Manager, and Gino Martin, Seon Service Manager, joined Mr. Burke to lead the seminar. It was a busy day beginning with the various uses of video surveillance and an overview of our system.
The team then progressed to Seon's proprietary software and video management. This is one of the biggest challenges facing our customers. The training session was a great opportunity for each person to share how their organization deals with video management.
The biggest issue facing fleets universally is figuring out the best way to provide access to those who need to see and use the surveillance footage while maintaining privacy, said Mr. Akiyama. Some school bus fleets provide footage to principals and parents and even the media at times, and others only provide access to the superintendent and no one else. For transit organizations similar challenges are faced when determining if operator unions have the right to open access to the footage.
 A unique challenge was presented to the group by a Texas school district. They had been approached by their city's police force to help develop a plan for a hostage situation. The SWAT team would like to be able to take advantage of the onboard surveillance system and watch what is happening inside the bus. This lead to a very fast, off-the-cuff discussion by everyone present. The quick collaboration between Seon staff and the variety of customers resulted in a likely solution that can be that would vary by bus design.
"This is a perfect example of the success of this session," said Ian Radziejewski, President of Seon Design. "Here is an issue we may never have heard about and it turns out others were interested too. The discussion very quickly brought on a possible solution."
Other access issues that were discussed were of a more day-to-day variety. Such as file transfers via email:
- What are your file size limitations?
- What is the sensitivity of the content?
- Are you familiar enough with your email client to send files?
Similar factors were discussed for burning files to CD/DVD or a USB thumb drive:
- What are you file size limitations?
- How many camera views would you like?
- Who needs to view the footage?
- Are you familiar enough with transferring files and burning discs?
Like the training session participants, once you can answer the questions above you should be able to develop a policy and process for distributing video clips.
Participants also discussed the pros and cons of various methods of long-term storage. This may be a conversation you would like to have with your Seon sales representative. There are a number of options, such as:
- Local PC
- Network
- CD/DVD
- Thumb drives
- Mass storage device, ex. an external hard drive.
The Las Vegas training group also got a chance to explore Seon's Smart-Reach wireless bridge, which allows for viewing, downloading and archiving of surveillance footage without leaving the office.
 The final session focused on installation, maintenance and troubleshooting. Mr. Martin led a comprehensive installation session, the contents of which can be found in this month's eNewsletter.
Participants all had a different maintenance plan. Some tackled all systems at designated points throughout the year; others had a more constant evaluation involving a couple of systems each week. Mr. Martin emphasized that it only takes three minutes and a portable monitor to check a system.
The Three-Minute Test ensures cameras, recording, and playback functions are operating:
Tools required: Video monitor and connecting cable to recorder (RCA connector)
1. Plug in the video cable from the monitor into the front video RCA in the Seon recorder.
2. Start the bus to trigger the recorder's power-on sequence, allow the recorder to reach record status (about 1 minute with the default 30-second power-on delay).
3. While recording check the camera view(s) for required coverage (field-of-view).
4. Optional for full-featured recorder: trigger any signal that may be wired into the recorder. i.e. turn signals, brake lights, etc. While recording listen closely to the recorder itself there should be no grinding or any other audible noise.
5. After about a one minute recording:
1. Press STOP and then PLAY, you will see the last clip recorded.
2. After reviewing playback press STOP and turn off vehicle ignition.
1. Press STOP and then REWIND for 10 seconds.
2. Press PLAY, you will see the last clip recorded.
3. After reviewing playback press STOP and turn off vehicle ignition.
6. Allow Recorder to shut off after ignition is turned off; about 30 seconds with standard 30-second delay-off time.
Once this test is done and all performs properly (system powers up, cameras power up, unit starts recording, playback is proper, and unit shuts off), disconnect the monitor and lock the security box.
If during the test or at anytime you encounter a problem check your manual's troubleshooting section, call Seon Service toll-free 877-630-7366, e-mail us at service@seon.com or visit our website's troubleshooting section.
Mr. Martin also discussed the importance of regularly evaluating the harnesses, the camera housings and the hard drive.
The session closed with a roundtable discussion of all topics that were covered throughout the day.
"This was a highlight of the year," said Mr. Burke. "It was such an opportunity to get to know our customers. I think we gave them some excellent tools to improve their surveillance strategies. And they gave us valuable feedback that will influence what we do in coming years."
To receive a copy of the Las Vegas presentations, please contact your sales rep toll free at 1-877-630-7366.
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