Video Analytics

In the world of Video Surveillance and my last topic of Analog vs. IP, the trend or emergence of Video Analytics has been very prevalent. Video Analytics is the operation of servers and software which provide Object Motion. This is different from conventional methods of Pixel motion detection, which records activity on pixels. The pixels in a particular filed of view have to be changed in order to trigger a motion event which can provide multiple outputs. Some of those outputs can be either to record video, sound an alarm, or send an email. With Video Analytics the field of view concentrates on the object in the scene not the pixels.

There are many different facets of Analytics, some of them being Object left behind, Object Removed, Advanced Tracking, License Plate Recognition, Facial Recognition, and People Counting. Those are just a few of the main ones, with analytics the parameters can be defined for specific applications.

Object left behind and removed are used heavily by major public areas to target terrorism. We have all seen the news reports about a suspicious package left behind at an airport or train terminal. Well with the help of Video Analytics these are preventative methods for ensuring public safety quickly! What happens is when a package or bag is left unattended or removed in a cameras field of view, the “server” will send off an emergency alert for human intervention.

License plate recognition is the ability to capture license plates and store them in a database for retrieval later. This can help in capturing vehicles that are known offenders. Having this capability for most Transportation Departments, which cover Highways can effectively pick out offenders that make the Amber Alert which usually has to do with Child abduction cases.

The use of Advanced Tracking Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) through analytics can ensure that you don’t lose a “target” while surveilling them. The feature can have abilities such as selecting humans and vehicles which use advanced algorithms to track them through a PTZ cameras which can follow the individual or vehicles where it moves within the PTZ’s field of view and can also transfer to other PTZ’s on the system.

People counting is the ability to track the number of people going and coming out of a specific location or doorway. It actually enables an administration function for the user of the system to track how many people have entered or exited, or to restrict the amount of people for fire code purposes, which is an example from a safety standpoint. An example from an administration standpoint would be a retail outfit keeping an on the number people on line at checkout or the number patron in their establishment at any given time.

Facial recognition is very intricate system of analytics which utilizes biometrics and complex algorithms to identify or match people from a set database. Many major public areas such as stadiums and concert halls use this technology for the purpose of finding persons who are wanted for crimes and usually incorporate tapping into international databases such as INTERPOL.

So, as you can see the world of Video Surveillance is drastically taking a turn for the better with improved technology and what we in the industry call Artificial Intelligence. It is becoming the biggest growing trend for many organizations to have such a feature as well many governments.

The next topic of discussion will on Biometrics and how it is revolutionizing the way we incorporate into access control.

Kal