Located in the city-state of Monaco, the Grimaldi Forum serves as a prominent venue for conferences, conventions, cultural events, and world-class art exhibitions. With a commitment to visitor safety and the preservation of priceless artworks, this state-of-the-art facility hosts over 100 diverse events annually, attracting more than 250,000 people a year. In the summer of 2023, the Grimaldi Forum showcased the prestigious "Monet in Full Light" exhibition, welcoming 120 000 visitors in two months and featuring nearly 100 of Claude Monet's masterpieces, including rare and previously unseen works.

When faced with the challenge of enhancing security infrastructure while supporting organisational processes, Grimaldi Forum Monaco director of safety, fire, and risk prevention Philippe Martin, turned to Monaco-based system integrator MES I2S Security to install over 100 i-PRO cameras, including fisheye and multi-sensors with advanced AI-based analytics.

“When the Forum re-opened its doors to the public after a shutdown period due to Covid, we were looking for a solution that would help us manage the number and flow of visitors while ensuring the security of the premises. At the time, we were also planning for the much-anticipated Monet exhibition, so we wanted to find the best possible technology to protect these unique masterpieces without interfering with the visitor experience or compromising with the venue’s aesthetic values,” said Martin.

Wide range coverage without blind spots: Combining exceptional imaging performance with wide-area surveillance and IR LED lighting, i-PRO’s multi-sensor cameras allow the Grimaldi Forum security teams to monitor the activity across a large room while also enabling them to focus with great precision on a precise area of interest, any time of day or night. Grimaldi Forum was able to considerably reduce the number of cameras required, thereby saving money.

“If it wasn’t for the wide range of coverage offered by i-PRO’s multi-sensor cameras, we would have had to add another 77 cameras,” said Martin. Not only do they offer wider coverage capabilities with a larger tilt range than other multi-sensor cameras on the market, but they are small and discreet so they can blend into the design of our beautiful facility.”

Protecting valuable artworks: Grimaldi Forum implemented i-PRO’s Scene Change Detection, an AI-based analytic application that alerts security teams to anomalies within the camera’s field of view. This technology safeguards artworks by identifying unusual behaviour or unauthorised proximity to valuable pieces.

The Scene Change Detection app is operated simultaneously with other apps such as AI Video Motion Detection (VMD) of objects, allowing the security team to conduct multiple detections with one camera. i-PRO’s AI VMD can send security guards an alarm when an intruder enters a specified area or if that person loiters in an area where they are not supposed to be. It can also trigger an alarm if a specific threshold is crossed. AI-based object detection minimises false alarms due to changes of light or passing shadows.

Real-time, proactive monitoring: Using the i-PRO Active Guard plug-in, the Grimaldi Forum security team can quickly conduct real-time searches during an incident or deep forensic analysis post-event. They no longer have to spend time looking at multiple screens for persons of interest or watch hours of recorded video to search for important events. Operators can identify specific attributes in their watch lists (for instance “male wearing a red shirt and blue pants”), and the plug-in will send them a real-time alarm whenever a match is identified, a feature that is unique to i-PRO. This enhances real-time situational awareness and enables proactive security. The same process can be set up for fast data mining of events during forensic investigations.

Managing occupancy and visitor flow: i-PRO fisheye cameras were strategically positioned at entrances and major axes to monitor large areas. The advanced AI analytics in these cameras enable Grimaldi Forum to detect congestion, manage visitor traffic flow, and count the number of people in specific areas. Heat maps provide statistical insights into traffic flow.

Martin expressed his satisfaction with the implemented technology: “The technology we have implemented has precisely met the objectives we set at the beginning of this project,” says Martin. “But the human aspect cannot be understated; the teams at i-PRO, and MES i2S have been amazing to work with.”

The successful deployment of i-PRO's security systems has not only ensured visitor safety during high-profile events like the Monet exhibition but has also strengthened the Grimaldi Forum Monaco’s security posture to handle a variety of upcoming events and support future expansion plans.

For a detailed case study on the Grimaldi Forum Monaco’s use of i-PRO technology, please go here.

About i-PRO
i-PRO is a global leader of advanced sensing technologies in the fields of Intelligent surveillance, public safety and industrial/medical imaging. Established in 2019, i-PRO was built on a legacy of over 60 years of innovation with Panasonic.

The company’s products, software and services extend human senses to capture moments of truth with innovations that inform and protect. In order to help create a safer world, i-PRO, supports the work of professionals who protect and save lives.