Page 78 - Security Today, September 2018

Go Beyond Security Smarter video systems play a clear role in generating data
BDy Sean Murphy
espite the huge amounts of video data collected, sta- tistics say that only 10 percent of data is ever used and most of the data collected loses its value within sec- onds of being generated. Why are we only using such a limited amount of data? We are mainly focused on
delivering the right information in case of an emergency or providing the correct evidence after a criminal act.
So what about the hidden potential of that unused data and un- derutilized resource? Video analytics is a powerful tool that can help to manage and improve the usability of the vast quantities of video data. Acting as the brains of a security system, video analytics built in to the IP camera enables the network camera to become smart— understanding what it is seeing and alerting guards to any potential threats the moment an alarm rule is met. Operators can take the ap- propriate action faster, easier and more efficiently, significantly in- creasing security levels.
Video analytics acts as a never-tiring operator assistant within the security system, capturing data on everything that happens in each monitored scene around the clock. Content analysis information, in the form of metadata, is stored alongside the video images. This adds sense and structure to video footage and enables scenes to be ana- lyzed for reasons that go far beyond security. By facilitating smarter business decisions, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency, intelli- gent cameras deliver a return on investment that can be measured through tangible business results.
The Possibilities with Intelligent IP Cameras
An IP camera with built-in video analytics can classify all objects
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entering or leaving the monitored scene as a person, a bike, a car, or a truck. It also adds object attributes like speed, geolocation, direction, size, and color. The improved capabilities of new low light cameras now allows color filtering in scenes with minimum ambient light—al- lowing color detection, even at night.
For even more specific alarm detection, rules can be configured to capture specialized behavior patterns like loitering, following a path, left luggage, entering an area, and more. The alarm engine in each camera can filter on these attributes and can logically combine rules. This allows for very robust and specific detection of alarm conditions while preventing false and missed alarms.
The recorded metadata also enables forensic search on previous- ly recorded video. This helps the operator to quickly find video of that red car whose driver did not pay at the gas station or how many people passed through a door during a certain period, even when the need for these searches was not known during the recording of the video and metadata. The metadata is very compact, hardly adds to the size of the recordings, and can be searched through very quickly.
Common Uses of Video Analytics
Video analytics adds value to video footage, as it alerts operators as soon as certain alarm rules are met, such as someone approaching or climbing over a fence. It can even be configured to recognize changes in speed (running), shape (crouching) or aspect ratio (falling).
Common uses of video analytics include detecting loitering, left objects, and a person or object entering a pre-defined field. This can help alert operators to perimeter breaches, people loitering near a sensitive area, theft or unauthorized removal of objects, and much more. Analytics are also being used to enforce health and safety regu-
IP CAMERAS
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