Page 42 - Security Today, July/August 2024

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Enhanced
Situation Awareness
If a camera recognizes the sound signature, it simply issues an alert By Rui Barbosa
Did someone break into the building? Maybe it is just an employee pulling an all-nighter. Or is it an actual perpetrator? Audio analytics, available in many AI-enabled cameras, can add context to what operators see on the screen, helping them validate assumptions. If a glass-break detection alert is received moments before seeing a person on camera, the added situational awareness makes the event more actionable.
In the world of security and video surveillance, the value of au- dio is often underestimated. While audio plays a pivotal role in in- tercom systems, its significance in broader security and event man- agement contexts is frequently overlooked. This oversight occurs partly due to the privacy implications associated with audio sur- veillance, which is strictly regulated and varies significantly across jurisdictions. However, in-camera, or edge-processed, audio ana- lytics that detects gunshots, yells, glass breaks and vehicle horns don’t require the audio to be recorded or captured in any way.
This avoids violating privacy laws because the audio is pro- cessed instantaneously at the edge and never leaves the camera. If the camera recognizes a known sound signature, it simply issues an alert. It is oblivious to all other sounds.
Audio analytics can also enhance situational awareness in ar- eas where video is not allowed. For example, restrooms are a no- go area for cameras, but an analytic that detects glass breaks and yells can prevent such an area from being a complete blind spot.
THE POWER OF AUDIO ANALYTICS
Audio analytics, when processed directly within an AI-enabled camera, have emerged as a specialized niche’ for many security system installers and users. When a separate purpose-built audio system is beyond the budget, modern AI-enabled cameras can step up and do double duty, reducing the overall cost of install- ing purpose-built glass break sensors at every point of ingress.
Using deep learning algorithms, the cameras can provide a range of audio classification and detection at the edge, including glass breaks, gunshots, yells and even persistent vehicle horns.
MICROPHONES
Modern IP-based surveillance cameras often come equipped with built-in microphones, though some models offer jacks for attach- ing external microphones. Indoor camera microphones are par- ticularly effective due to their design, which allows sound waves to penetrate through small openings in the housing. Conversely,
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JULY/AUGUST 2024 | SECURITY TODAY
AUDIO ANALYTICS