Video analytics - Expert commentary

NVRs of the past may have been expensive & complicated to use, but today NVRs have user-friendly functionality How much do you know – or think you know – about network video recorder (NVR) appliances? Manufacturers in the sector say there is a lot of misinformation in the market about these workhorse system components. We asked several manufacturers to help us set the record straight. A common misconception among end users is that NVRs lack features and reliab...

Increases in the number of cameras and storage capacity have created an overabundance of video information that is difficult to manage  Investment in video surveillance technology continues to increase as technology improves and security equipment becomes more affordable. Companies invest in video surveillance primarily to protect people and property, for both deterrence and more crucially for incident response. While there’s no doubt that the systems can...

In casino surveillance, there must be an understanding of the behavior of thieves and cheats. In particular, casinos must understand how the behavior of a casino adversary differs from that of a legitimate guest. The end result of the understanding is that only threatening or fraudulent behavior is challenged, leaving other guests free to simply enjoy their visits to the casino. Responding to behavior anomalies requires understanding that comes from analytics capabilities eme...

The key driver to growth in the IP market is the effectiveness and efficiency of the technology Technological advances in video surveillance are allowing end users the flexibility to do more with their systems than previously imagined. 2014 saw several new technological trends that shaped the future of the security market, with 4K and cyber security being the main drivers. The drift continues this year too with end users demanding HD video surveillance and wide-spread impl...

Large busy casinos must maintain continuous surveillance of multiple tables and machines High-definition (HD) cameras are a perfect fit for the casino market. HD security cameras provide six times the resolution of analog cameras, supplying images with sharper edges that easily identify faces, cards, dice, chips, currency, and fill slips. In addition, high-definition IP cameras can reduce camera count. A single, 1080p camera can effectively cover poker, roulette or craps table...

If airport perimeter fencing is vulnerable then covert detection methods should be used Lack of airport perimeter security would be laughable, if it weren’t so serious. A recent farcical breach of security in London is drawing renewed attention to airport perimeter protection. I want to focus on airport perimeter security, but we’ll start with critical infrastructure in general: A nun, a housepainter and a gardener break into a nuclear facility. This sounds like t...

When video analytics first emerged in the security industry about a decade ago, there were high hopes it would instantly transform the landscape of video surveillance. Problem was, the technology was not mature and, in essence, was oversold as far as its capabilities. Analytics such as heat mapping, directional and license plate recognition technology have improved, lending themselves to applications beyond security and into the realm of actionable business intelligence Integra...

The ultimate goal is to predict violent incidents through analytical intelligence Potential deployments of video analytics, or my own preferred term “intelligent scene analysis,” are being worked on by some of the best minds at university campuses across the United Kingdom. Later this year I will visit Kingston University whose Digital Imaging Research Centre is one of the largest computer vision groups in Europe. Violence Prevention Through Analytical Intelligenc...

When asking exhibitors at IFSEC International 2015 about what drives their markets, many cite system integration as a key factor. And they want more of it. Integration As Business “Driving Force” For example, John Davies of TDSI says customers are now seeking out system integration. “They want a solution rather than components, such as linking access control with building management systems or with an organization’s IT network to control access to its computers,”...

Strategic management of costs is important when considering video storage systems Costs are at issue when considering any component of a video system. Strategic management of costs is especially important when considering video storage systems because storage accounts for such a large cost component of networked systems. Gartner’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) As enterprise products begin to dominate the video storage market, more attention needs to be addressed to Gar...

One key misconception is that solid-state drives (SSDs) are going to replace hard disk drives (HDDs) Like many areas of the security market, the field of digital video storage systems has its share of misconceptions and missed opportunities. We called on manufacturers of these systems to set the record straight. Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) Will Continue To Rule One key misconception is that solid-state drives (SSDs) are going to replace hard disk drives (HDDs), says Henk Van Den...

see bigger image Figure 5: Providing correct and useful results requires intersection of user intentions, VCA interpretation, and results provided by VCA tool The term Video Content Analysis (VCA) is often used to describe sophisticated video analytics technologies designed to assist analysts in classifying or detecting events of interest in videos. These events may include the appearance of a particular object, class of objects, or action. VCA technology employs a comple...

Employees are the front line of defense — as well as the most economical defense — against shrinkage losses The financial cost of retail shrinkage is huge. The latest Annual Shrink Report issued by Dr. Richard Hollinger and Dr. Read Hayes at the University of Florida puts the total at $36 billion annually. Shrinkage has several causes: customers shoplifting , employee theft, supplier fraud and administrative errors. Frequent inventories and accounting audits coun...

Kevin Brownell, principal physical security consultant at PTS Consulting Group, considers convergence of IT networks and physical security. He argues that current best practice shows that they no longer need to be separate disciplines and reassures installers that their diversity has been exaggerated. Brownell describes experiences of working with IT managers who no longer see networked CCTV and access control as ‘black arts’ and are buying into the idea of IP security as an integr...

Anything that can incite a crowd surge is a security threat in a sports arena Security at sports stadiums is making headlines across several countries during a week when UBM announced that Protection & Management 2015 (which includes the IFSEC International trade fair) will feature Karren Brady (Baroness Brady), a career soccer executive, as one of its inspirational keynote speakers. As I type, inquests are being held into the deaths of some of the 96 people who were kill...

According to a recent MarketsandMarkets report, video surveillance storage solutions and services are experiencing a rapid adoption in the industry, estimated to grow 16.3 percent each year until 2018, eventually reaching a market size of $10.41 billion. In addition to the specific image content of surveillance cameras, there are also huge amounts of data surrounding it – everything from the location to the time of day, the duration of the video, and more. And the amount of data in the ima...

Thermal cameras can often be used to cover larger areas than standard visible light cameras Smart thermal cameras use on-board video analytics and a high degree of video processing to detect people very accurately in complete darkness, bright sun, and bad weather over the typically large perimeters associated with transportation applications. Combining manpower and smart thermal technology makes security for transportation assets more effective. At the end of the day, it takes...

Improvements in the technology have lowered – but not eliminated – concerns about false alarms False alarms have plagued the video analytics market since the beginning. Improvements in the technology have lowered – but not eliminated – concerns about false alarms. Companies providing video analytics systems say the question isn’t whether false alarms can be eliminated, but rather how they can be managed. “We’re still very far away fro...

Combining thermal imaging with analytics provides a robust system Prices are dropping for thermal cameras. Now they are much more affordable for non-military customers – and more likely to be used in combination with video analytics. Combining thermal imaging with analytics provides a robust system; the technologies work well together. Thermal cameras make it easier to detect motion because you are eliminating much of the detail and only emphasising temperature “c...

Analytics at the edge provide the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered There are multiple benefits to using video analytics at the edge (i.e., near or inside the camera). For one thing, analytics at the edge provides the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered. This can be faster and less expensive than the original video analytics model of using a separ...

Retail has the greatest potential for analytics because it can be used both for security and for marketing & operations Video analytics isn’t just for security. In general, the ability to leverage data from video provides a new wealth of information and “intelligence” about all aspects of the business. The retail vertical is leading the way in reaping the benefits of video analytics beyond the security function.   There are two reasons retailer...

The ability to clearly see facial features and other identifying characteristics on each passenger greatly enhances security Some of the video technology used in the transportation vertical is purpose-built, but the wide range of applications and environments is conducive to a variety of general-purpose technology, too. Leading IP camera makers like Axis, Sony and Panasonic have introduced new products to enhance safety and security of travel in  trains, bu...

Intelligent searches of video archives provide investigators faster access to any needed video clip That video analytics can be immensely useful in forensics is relatively less known. However, forensic search capabilities offered by some modern video analytics solutions can not only save investigators significant amounts of time but also help them find results more accurately. These solutions leverage facial recognition and advanced object tracking, demographic analytics, lice...

Various vertical markets such as retail, airports, and transportation have benefited from video analytics Video analytics systems have progressed far beyond the theoretical and are now being used effectively in a range of applications. Let’s look at some of the real-world scenarios that have taken advantage of the latest video analytics systems. Video analytics aren’t just for security. For a traffic application, Agent Vi provides business intelligence on the ave...

The better the sensors, the better the analytics Garbage in, garbage out. The familiar cliché is just as applicable to the area of video analytics as any other field of computing. You simply must have a high-quality image in order to achieve a high-functioning analytics system. The good news is that video cameras, which are the sensors in video analytics systems, are providing images that are better than ever, offering higher quality – and more data – for us...

Many purpose-focused stand-alone systemsaddress business goals aside from security Transportation gets passengers and goods to their destination safely and in a timely manner. Making transportation possible are purpose-focused stand-alone systems – many that address business goals and others that achieve safety/security goals. Some systems can impact both business and security goals. For example, access control can eliminate the expense and maintenance of locks and keys...

Whether you are a contractor, installer, dealer or systems integrator depends on where you live and how you are perceived by the real world Because I have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time, I have seen quite a few changes, albeit the bulk have come over the last five or so years. Before that, the advent of the digital dialer was our big innovation – that tells anyone with any history in the industry just how far back I go! But today, change is fast a...

The focus of Fusion Center is all about video - surveillance, analytics, verification, license plate recognition, VMS, wearable cameras and more Growing demand for surveillance that offers better quality video continues to fuel growth in the IP camera market. According to Transparency Market Research, the video surveillance market will realize a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19 percent by 2019, surpassing $42 billion in sales. High-definition video and network-connect...

The aviation and transportation industries are using video analytics to provide operational cost savings and performance enhancement Video analytics are now increasingly being used for the critical infrastructure, airports, transportation and city surveillance sectors, among other high-value markets. These markets need robust video analytics solutions that can be integrated into an overall security solution to deliver totally reliable results without any significant level of n...

Video analytics allow users to automate the use of video and extract more value Almost anyone in the video analytics market will admit that the capabilities of the technology were initially oversold. The first generation of analytics simply didn’t work as promised, and an undercurrent of distrust of the technology in general still haunts the market. Ironically, video analytics capabilities have now matured into a robust and dependable option for a variety of applications...