Page 14 - Security Today, September 2020

in a retail store queue or at an airport security gate – and, there- fore, it’s useful to have count-based alerts, which can be config- ured to trigger whenever the number of objects or people in a particular space exceeds a pre-set threshold. With alerts, opera- tors can proactively detect the early stages of congestion, crowd- ing, or even security breaches when unusual numbers of people are identified in an off-limits area, and quickly assess and preven- tatively respond to events as they unfold.
One particularly timely example of people counting analytics, is the detection of and alerting for social distancing violations in grocery stores, manufacturing facilities, warehouses and worksites of all varieties. In addition to real-time alerts, managers can also leverage people counting, occupancy and even proximity data to compile reports, dashboards and heat maps for documenting compliance with public health mandates or pinpointing problem hotspots where recommended safety protocols are typically not observed, in order to develop solutions to combat these challenges.
Dashboards and heat maps based on video analytic data can also demonstrate the areas of a private business or public setting that have the highest occupancy and traffic rates – and the peak times of day – to pinpoint where social distancing measures may be difficult to enforce. Municipalities may leverage this compre- hensive operational, activity and demographic intelligence to de- ploy law enforcement to certain city streets or parks where there are high volumes of pedestrians.
Beyond the coronavirus crisis, the ability to detect both pat- terns and anomalies, empowers organizations to enforce compli- ance and respond to violations of other important work safety mandates, such as wearing proper safety gear from hard hats to face masks in a work zone. Again, this analytic filter can be used for searching video and triggering alerts; but, over time, the video analytic trend data also can be visualized and analyzed for mak- ing intelligent decisions and protecting workers and visitors from everyday hazards.
Face and License Plate Recognition
Often, event prevention and resolution can be accelerated by locating or identifying a specific person or vehicle – whether a criminal suspect, VIP or, in the case of the global pandemic, a self- identified individual who’s contracted the illness. In cases where operators are looking for an identifiable person or vehicle, face rec- ognition and license plate recognition capabilities make searching, alerting on and analyzing video more focused and quick.
“In the wild” face recognition technology relies on watch lists of digital face images to drive identification, video searches and alerts, from watch lists of suspected criminals to those of person- nel authorized to enter a sensitive facility. Once a face match is detected, human operators can investigate or evaluate the scene, validate the match and determine how to respond, whether to continue closely monitoring or confronting the individual.
The same principle is true for cars. Law enforcement can, for instance, create watch lists with the plate details of stolen vehicles and trigger alerts whenever a matching plate is detected. Another application is for detecting unauthorized vehicles – especially those associated with previous suspicious or criminal behavior – on a secure premises or in sensitive loading dock areas.
Face recognition has also become a powerful asset for CO- VID-19 contact tracing for identifying those who should self-
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quarantine because they have been exposed to a person infected with the virus.
In a workplace, for instance, an employee can disclose his or her diagnosis to the employer, who can then use facial recognition to identify the employee throughout the work environment over the 14 days prior to the diagnosis. The employer can then identify which other employees or visitors may have had contact with the individual and mitigate further risk by instructing relevant people to self-isolate. This can be done without compromising the ano- nymity of the infected employee.
Of course, in settings or jurisdictions where there are legal restrictions or physical limitations to using face recognition, it’s helpful to have broader, non-personally identifiable search and alert filters, so operators can apply appearance similarity criteria rather than face recognition – or, in the case of vehicles, license plate recognition.
Distilling Big Data for Operational Intelligence
One of the most significant advantages of video content analyt- ics is that it empowers users to detect not only the granular details – with outstanding precision and speed – but it also can capture and deliver video metadata that has been aggregated over time.
Video content analytics systems provide business intelligence about occupancy, traffic, and dwell patterns. These data visual- izations not only help managers identify recurring problems or criteria for expanding real-time alerting and improving response times, but it also drives decision-making by providing accurate insights and trends. Empowered by quantifiable data and trends from video, teams can make better operational decisions based on that actionable intelligence rather than relying on memory or anecdotal observations.
Trend data is important for planning and strategizing how to optimize visitor or customer experiences and business goals.
For example, marketing, operations and security teams in a large event venue or conference center can evaluate historic pe- destrian and vehicular traffic to understand where traffic bottle- necks occur, or which entrances are more effective for displaying informational or retail kiosks. In a retail environment, operators can map common customer paths, object interaction, and dwell times. This helps users identify crime hotspots, optimize traffic flow at major traffic interchanges or store locations, track crowd demographics, size and movement patterns; design more effective floor plans or parking lots; and track employee compliance with safety regulations.
To overcome ever evolving challenges, today’s security and operations managers need better technologies for ensuring public and workplace safety and productivity. AI-powered video analyt- ics software drives increased efficiency and effectivity by enhancing surveillance systems most organizations are already using. With flexible architecture options for deploying video analytics in the cloud or on-premises, video analytics technology is more accessible than ever to meet the budgetary, staff and timeline requirements of each individual business. Given that most security organizations already invest in video surveillance, video content analytics is a logical way to maximize that investment with measurable results.
Stephanie Weagle is the chief marketing officer at BriefCam.
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