Development EAL voice recorder ...

Although the first EAL digital recorder development was already done in 1984 and started as a Last Call Panel (LCP), specially designed for the 06-11 emergency centre, it appeared to be the first step into the era of the Digital Voice Logging. The high voice quality of the logging and reproduced conversations in combination with the extra functionality that was obtained by using software to enable customer specific adjustments, was the main reason of a growing demand for this technology from the market. This first step into the digital era opened the growing process of the EAL voice Recorder over the years to come.

More that 21 years back, EAL launched the first multi-channel recorder in the market, and the first customer ever to have this system combined with the LCP operational, was the Police in Amersfoort The Netherlands. The enormous success was the main reason for EAL to enter other markets than the public safety, as well. One of the memorable successes in the first period was a contract with Philips, regarding a worldwide delivery of the EAL recording system to her customers.

The customers using the EAL Voice Logging Portfolio in the public safety market are Police, Fire Department, Medical sector and Penitentiary environment. But also Multinational and the Banking environment that use the systems in the financial departments and for instance Schiphol Airport that has the system operational throughout the organization. Approximately 85 % of the public safety market in the Netherlands is using the EAL Digital Voice Logging and of course there is an impressive amount of interfaces towards equipment like BT Megalink, Siemens Hipath, Ericsson MD110, Philips Sopho and Aspect. In no way this list of interfaces and customers, is complete and growing weekly. Due to the fact that EAL specialized in Customer specific developments based on analogue and digital interfacing, recording of radio communication that shows the CLI and many other variations, demanded a flexibility of the EAL equipment that is still unparalleled. Whatever interface or combination of interfaces is used, it is all on one and the same recorder and database and accessible by EVA (EAL Voice Archiving Application). That was the wish of the customer and that development was in line with the EAL ground rule, that a customer should be able to recognize his own organization in our equipment.

The EAL voice logging being a total system ...

It didn’t take long after the first EAL recorder was developed, EAL realized there was not only a great need towards a logger that was able to mix analogue and digital interfaces, but the customer needed the option to grow to a complete system without meeting disinvestments. A system is will exist out of an unspecified number of loggers, whilst the system manager and end-users wont see a difference. Due to the fact that the EVA Software was extremely suitable to manage a great number of recorders, regardless of the incoming signal, EAL decided this to be an inalienable part of the concept. The fact that functionality should be kept at all cost, physical cabling between different parts of the system was unwished for. This would mean after all, limitations to the extreme flexibility of this unique concept.

The whole system is IP based and therefore can be situated centrally or de-central throughout the organisation. Due to this concept it is possible to spread the system not only over a specific building but it can be done over several buildings that belong to the organisation. As long as there is a network available several cities and even countries can be involved, without loosing any functionality to the system management or users.

IRIS in general ...

The IRIS (Intelligent Remote Interface System) is developed to be the ultimate interface towards several products out of the EAL portfolio. Focussing on the Digital Voice Logging system(VRS) the IRIS is an important part as well and taking care of all communication between what has to be recorded, where is recorded and towards EVA. The EVA software will not only take care of all the registration necessary but is the tool for system management to enable all functionalities and authorisations.

You will only get a clear picture of the unique character of the IRIS if and when you will learn how versatile it is. The IRIS is equipped with 8 slots that can be used with interchangeable interfaces, basically prints that can be added or changed whilst the system is operational. This can be 8 analogue or digital interfaces, but nearly every combination is possible as well. ISDN Primary rate or Basic rate van be used and still we are only mentioning a few of the 25 different interfaces at this moment in time. For the recording of a line, the choice can be made to use voice activation, or using start stop via a CTI or CDR link, whilst fine-tuning can be done per line if needed.

Due to the unique setup and own MAC address of the IRIS it proved to be suitable for a number of different installations, simply by installing a different standard or customer specific interface. More than 20 different interfaces are available and for that reason the IRIS can not only be used for the VRS but is part of the WINBAS (Fire department Alarm system) and the SMS (Security Management System) being the EAL access control system that includes our biometric solutions as well.

Due to the fact that the IRIS is so multifunctional and like all other products in the EAL portfolio, a result is from own development and production, the price is very competitive.

EVA being operating and Archiving system ...

EVA (EAL Voice Application) being the operating and Archiving system is needed whenever a single recorder is installed, but it will only show its full power when several recorders are in place and working as a single system.

EVA is not only indispensable finding conversations or other information in the system in a quick and organized manner, it enables the possibility to program the extensive range of functionalities to authorize users or groups of users on different levels. There are numerous possibilities within the system to authorize a user, starting with listing to the own line only up to being the system manager.

One of the options within the system is telling the system if a certain number is not allowed to be recorded. Although the data will be in the system, the conversation will not be recorded.

In contradiction to what other systems the conversation is NOT recorded, instead of it IS recorded but you can’t find it. To many of our customers this was not sufficient for the reason that in a number of cases is simply forbidden by law. One example is the Penitentiary institutions and in this age of technology, it is not so hard to find someone that will find the conversation on the disk, even when it is not obvious in the database An organization can get in trouble if this happens or at least find itself in an embarrassing position.

Just to mention a few of the functionalities that are available to the system manager, whilst authorizing users to those functionalities is purely to his discretion. Just naming a few – programming line security on analogue lines – The time data has to be stored per line or system wide – a personal play list – rooting of ISDN lines – generate or receive alarms – access to the voice archive – enable to set your own categories ( bomb alarm etc) – program extra DVD archiving per line or group of lines. As you can imagine, this are only a few out of the many functionalities the system manager can offer the end- user.

Back-up recorder (N+1) ...

For the EAL development, it was clear that in order to deliver a complete system to our customers an N+1 option had to be available and should be part of the concept as of day one. Keeping up with our principle “Nobles Oblige”, it was obvious to EAL that developing the N+1 option should not only be part of the total concept, but adding and emphasizing the strength of it.

Not only the concept of working with an IP based system, should be kept at all times and preventing unnecessary and expensive extra cabling, the N+1 option was not to disturb the archiving or have a negative influence on the system for IT management and end-users.

An operational system should not change in any way, regardless whether the N+1 solution was part of the configuration. Therefore it was considered to be an immature development if the N=1 would only take over a failing recorder for 100%.

“Intelligent Dynamic Back-up recorder“ was the first name for the EAL N+1 solution, but the name was too long and EAL decided to call it simply back-up or N+1, and let is prove its original design name to the customers. And we are proud to see it does, time after time.

The EAL N+1 solution that is developed is indeed part of the high standard concept and capable of monitoring a number of recorders at the same time. We do not take over from a single recorder at the moment if fails, but we are taking over the active lines from the recorders in the system. We keep on monitoring the lines when they become idle or active en respond to it. So the situation that a simple fuse refuses service (E 1.50) and as a result 5 recorders go down, the EAL back-up recorder will take over all active lines and that is only the dynamic part. The intelligent part is that the recordings will store the information in the database at the same place the original recorder would do. The system manager and end-user will never know the difference, searching for a conversation. The name “Intelligent Dynamic Back-up recorder“ was too long and we saddled for N+1, but never gave up on the functionality belonging to the original name.

Selling an extra recorder or back-up recorder is less important to EAL than keeping a customer happy and go for a long term relationship. Therefore EAL will take any afford to prevent loss of information from the Customer. Of course it is important to see if one back-up recorder is sufficient and it is up to the customer to have one or more. The EAL technology will allow more than one in the system, but eventually it is up to the customer organisation how important the recorder database is. Having one or more back-up recorders within one single system, will have no negative influence on data or voice storage.

Last call panel (LGP) ...

As we mentioned before, this panel stood on the base developing the EAL Voice recorder and Voice recorder system. The LCP is still one of the favorite options to our customers, as we speak. It does not need explanation that development on the LCP went on as well.

The LCP today is provided with his own MAC address and therefore always unique en recognisable within in the network. The panel can be offered being a desk model or flush mounted.

Although other documents go into the specifics on what is available on the panel today, we mention just a few of the functionalities we are offering.

If the LCP is in idle position, the LCD can display the company logo next to the time and date indication.

Depending on the authorization of the user, every channel on the recorder system is accessible, single button use to listen back to the last conversation and programming a default line if wished for, single button to go to the next or previous conversation within the last 24 hours. But also a time and date that the conversation was recorded in the display, at the moment you are listing to it or listing live to a conversation that is being recorded at that moment in time and the functionality to go back in that conversation.

EAL Voice archiving ...

Although some vendors are still convinced that data and voice storage has to be compressed using the best (and expensive) compression algorithm, in order to store as much data on the disk as possible, EAL adapted total different point of view.

The development of an suitable compression algorithm and keeping it up to date, requires a lot of attention of the development, whilst at the same time compression / decompression always results in lose of quality. In the days that disk space was one of the most important items, this was not only logic but necessary. These days however the available disk space grows daily whilst at the same time the prices are going down.

Keeping in mind that he output never can be of better quality than the original input, EAL decided already years ago not to compress any data anymore and storing the data as it is. Just a sensible use of the situation the market is offering more disk space than needed.

Whilst the EAL raid 5 server, as a result of own development and production, reached 6 Terabyte and this amount of disk space is nothing special anymore, the client still has the choice to choose for the option to use their own data server for storage without damaging the EAL installation or providing problems in the maintenance.

References ...

Customers that use the EAL Digital Voice Recorders are among others:

Luchthaven Schiphol	Luchthaven Zavetem
Regio Politie Groningen	Regio Pol. Zaanstreek Waterland
Regio Politie Friesland	Regio Politie Twente
Regio Politie IJsselland	Regio Politie Gelderland Midden
Regio Politie Gelderland Zuid	Regio Politie Brabant Noord
Regio Politie Midden West Brabant	Regio Politie Brabant Zuid Oost
Regio Politie Limburg Zuid	Regio Politie Limburg Noord
Regio Politie Kennemerland	Regio Politie Flevoland
Regio Politie Drenthe	Regio Politie Noord Holland Noord
Regio Politie Haaglanden	Regio Politie Rotterdam Rijnmond
Regio Zuid Holland Zuid	Regio Pol. Amsterdam Amstelland
Brandweer Amsterdam	Regio Noord en Oost Gelderland
Tweede Kamer Den Haag	Ambulance Amsterdam
Endex Amsterdam	Essent
Saen Options Amsterdam	AK Bank
Connexxion Nieuwegein	Theodoor Gilissen Bankiers N.V.
SMC Tiel	SMC Roermond
Total Raffinaderij Vlissingen	RWS Lelystad
RWS Kornwerderzand	RWS Enkhuizen
Shell Raffinaderij Rotterdam	Shell Den Haag
Shell Moerdijk	Akzo Nobel

 

Printable document ...

Here you can find this document in Portable Document Format [PDF].

Info Recorder [PDF] - Dutch version
Info Recorder [PDF] - English version

For other documents go to Documentation [PDF].