CCTV Center is appointed Panasonic System Network Distributor (PSND)

CCTV Center has recently received a huge vote of confidence from Panasonic by being appointed Panasonic Systems Network Distributor (PSND). Panasonic has created its new official recognition to ensure that approved distributors offer the very best service to their customers. To become a PSND, CCTV Center had to meet a comprehensive list of criteria that included stocking a comprehensive range of IP products; having certified and trained sales and technical staff; offering pre and post-sales support services and being able to display and demonstrate Panasonic products.

PSND status means that CCTV Center is now able to offer the full European range of Panasonic System Networks Europe products. These not only include CCTV and IP cameras, but also DECT telephone systems, document imaging and electronic point of sale (PoS) solutions, industrial medical cameras and home networking solutions.

CCTV customers will benefit directly from efficient stock management, an outstanding design service and excellent pre and post-sales support.

Andy Coombes, MD of CCTV Center commented, “”We have tried to excel in all areas of service and customer support. It is important to have well-trained staff, efficient stock management and excellent pre- and post-sales support. We are very pleased to be selected as a PSND and feel it is a reflection of the quality of the service we already offer. It supports our position as the UK’s leading IP CCTV and security distributor.”

The PSND status opens up many new opportunities for CCTV Center customers. The company will now be able to offer a greater range of Panasonic IP products and solutions in the audio, imagery, visual and data fields."

Panduit Safeguards Perimeters Remotely with Axis Network Cameras

When Panduit built its new world headquarters just outside of Chicago in 2010 the company decided to utilize its Unified Physical Infrastructure (UPI) approach to converge core business systems – including security, power and communications.

As part of this effort, Panduit wanted to install pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras at the company’s seven domestic manufacturing and warehousing sites, as well as select facilities around the globe, and manage them all remotely from its world headquarters.

IPVision, a national integrator of intelligent physical security solutions and an Axis (News - Alert) partner, recommended Axis PTZ network cameras because they could easily converge with the company’s other network-based security, safety and environmental control systems.
The PTZ cameras use intelligent video analytics to provide perimeter security for all Panduit global facilities, as well as its lobby exhibit in the new world headquarters.

Combining its security and network operations centers into a single Unified Operations Center (UOC), Panduit archives video locally at each building, while centrally managing the cameras from headquarters’ UOC.

The result is Panduit security staff can view event-based video streamed to world headquarters and controls the Axis PTZ cameras remotely to investigate whether a situation requires intervention.

If an alarm is triggered because a distracted employee holds a door ajar too long, security can observe the situation remotely until it’s resolved instead of putting local personnel on high alert.

Before erecting its new world headquarters in Tinley Park, Ill., each Panduit facility operated its own independent analog surveillance system.
“To update our security system to match our Unified Physical Infrastructure strategy, we needed to deploy the appropriate network technology,” said Jeff Woodward, senior manager of Global EHS and Security for Panduit.

By installing AXIS 233D PTZ Network Cameras in its facilities worldwide, Panduit could leverage its robust wide area network to globally monitor, control and manage those cameras from one central point.

“Instead of sending security staff to physically investigate every alarm, we use the video cameras to remotely monitor the situation and then investigate the triggering event if necessary,” Woodward says.

He estimates a 16-month ROI on the surveillance equipment just from that labor savings alone.

A majority of the Axis network cameras are deployed on building exteriors, overlooking expansive parking lots. With video analytics, they create a virtual trip line around property perimeters.

“If an object of a certain size breaks that perimeter,” explains Ben Green of IPVision, “the Axis PTZ network cameras are strategically placed to alert
security staff, send a video stream to HQ, and also automatically track that object.”

Once the video stream is sent to HQ, security personnel can remotely zoom, pan and tilt the cameras to closely observe the scene.
“Adding intelligence to the video allows us to selectively push video to the Unified Operations Center, which limits how much video we need to aggregate on a regular basis,” says Woodward.

Though AXIS 233D network cameras are designed for exterior use, IPVision turned to Dotworkz Dome enclosures to ensure optimum performance under conditions ranging from harsh Chicago winters to Costa Rica’s tropical humidity. A variety of models with built-in heaters and blowers operate in temperatures ranging from -40ºF to 150ºF.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Chooses SightLogix Intelligent Video to Protect Its Facilities

Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected SightLogix® outdoor video surveillance systems for deployment at the South Table Mountain campus in Golden, Colorado as well as at the National Wind Technology Center near Boulder, Colorado. Video intrusion detection systems incorporating SightLogix Thermal SightSensor cameras and SightTracker Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) controllers will enhance perimeter security and visual verifications of intrusion for real-time situational awareness at both locations.

The SightLogix video analytics system was chosen for its greater security while also lowering project costs. By significantly reducing the number of poles, trenching and communication requirements, long-range Thermal SightSensors proved to be more accurate and less expensive overall, requiring fewer cameras and greatly reduced infrastructure than competing proposals.

NREL is DOE's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The mission of the wind energy research conducted at NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is to collaborate with industry to further wind technology and to accelerate its commercialization in the marketplace.

As a solution to protect large facilities, the SightLogix automated outdoor video system accurately detects, provides assessment detail, and locates intrusions over large outdoor areas and perimeters in all weather and geographies. For the NREL security project, the systems utilize long-range Thermal SightSensors to detect intrusions along the perimeter, and GPS-based SightTracker controllers to automatically steer FLIR dual-head PTZ thermal imaging cameras to track and follow detected targets. The result is complete situational awareness and forensic detail over the entire perimeter.

"We are pleased that SightLogix has been selected to protect important U.S. assets such as these facilities at the Department of Energy," said John Romanowich, President and CEO, SightLogix. "Our technology has been specifically designed to address outdoor challenges, including those of wind and solar energy generation facilities, which include high winds and wide operating temperature ranges. As a result, the Department of Energy can benefit from our solutions at these and other locations."

"Our design team spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the objectives and intentions of the customer specification. We looked at a variety of potential solutions and made the final recommendation to use SightLogix based on their product performance, cost and the superior level of customer service we received," said Zack Carlson, Account Manager, VTI Security.

At a press event held at SightLogix' headquarters, Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ), said, "Innovation drives the economic engine of our nation and brings high tech jobs to our local communities. Having worked with SightLogix for several years, I applaud their ongoing success."

Recognized as a leader in intelligent video surveillance systems that provide a solid return on investment, SightLogix' combination of edge-based video analytics, long and wide area coverage using visible or thermal cameras and geo-spatial target tracking has been deployed around the world to meet the critical security needs of the transportation, energy, utility, chemical, information technology, public safety and defense industries.

Intelligent Video to Drive the Artificial Intelligence Revolution

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A world in which machines and devices are visually aware and able to make decisions based upon what they see may not be far away, according to IMS Research whose analysts have been tracking the video analytics market for over seven years.

“The innovative major corporations, such as Intel, IBM, Microsoft and Sony, are already making significant investment in intelligent video. This is encouraging many other companies to join the revolution. I think the momentum has already reached the point that these things will happen, the only question now is how quickly?”

Intelligent video has already been used in the security industry for some years and many new applications are already under development. These include cars that are able to see road conditions and warning signs and react accordingly; consumer devices and game consoles that can be controlled by, and interact with, the user through gestures and facial expressions; medical scans that can be automatically compared to ones taken weeks or months prior, and digital displays that can show different content depending upon who is viewing it and how they react to what they see.

When asked why these ideas are finally becoming a reality, IMS Research’s President, Ian Weightman, stated, “The basis of our prediction is that the key elements of an intelligent video solution, including compute engines capable of processing HD digital video streams in real-time, high capacity solid state storage capabilities, and advanced video analytic algorithms, have finally evolved to the point where performance has increased and costs have fallen sufficiently to enable commercial products to be developed.”

Looking further ahead, continuing improvements in facial and object recognition coupled with spatial awareness will lead to more advanced intelligence. Before the end of the next decade, there is the very real possibility that many machines and robots will be able to see and interact with their environment, people and other visually intelligent devices.

Will companies be willing to make the huge R&D investment needed to make this happen? According to Weightman, “The innovative major corporations, such as Intel, IBM, Microsoft and Sony, are already making significant investment in intelligent video. This is encouraging many other companies to join the revolution. I think the momentum has already reached the point that these things will happen, the only question now is how quickly?”

In an effort to bring industries together to understand the opportunities and challenges that intelligent video will bring, IMS will be hosting the Intelligent Video 2010: A Revolution in Visually Intelligent Applications Conference in Los Angeles, CA on December 9^th.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Chooses SightLogix Intelligent Video to Protect Its Facilities

Princeton, NJ (October 26, 2010) – The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has selected SightLogix® outdoor video surveillance systems for deployment at the South Table Mountain campus in Golden, Colorado as well as at the National Wind Technology Center near Boulder, Colorado. Video intrusion detection systems incorporating SightLogix Thermal SightSensor cameras and SightTracker Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) controllers will enhance perimeter security and visual verifications of intrusion for real-time situational awareness at both locations.

The SightLogix video analytics system was chosen for its greater security while also lowering project costs. By significantly reducing the number of poles, trenching and communication requirements, long-range Thermal SightSensors proved to be more accurate and less expensive overall, requiring fewer cameras and greatly reduced infrastructure than competing proposals.

NREL is DOE’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The mission of the wind energy research conducted at NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is to collaborate with industry to further wind technology and to accelerate its commercialization in the marketplace.

As a solution to protect large facilities, the SightLogix automated outdoor video system accurately detects, provides assessment detail, and locates intrusions over large outdoor areas and perimeters in all weather and geographies. For the NREL security project, the systems utilize long-range Thermal SightSensors to detect intrusions along the perimeter, and GPS-based SightTracker controllers to automatically steer FLIR dual-head PTZ thermal imaging cameras to track and follow detected targets. The result is complete situational awareness and forensic detail over the entire perimeter.

“We are pleased that SightLogix has been selected to protect important U.S. assets such as these facilities at the Department of Energy,” said John Romanowich, President and CEO, SightLogix. “Our technology has been specifically designed to address outdoor challenges, including those of wind and solar energy generation facilities, which include high winds and wide operating temperature ranges. As a result, the Department of Energy can benefit from our solutions at these and other locations.”

“Our design team spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the objectives and intentions of the customer specification. We looked at a variety of potential solutions and made the final recommendation to use SightLogix’ based on their product performance, cost and the superior level of customer service we received,” said Zack Carlson, Account Manager, VTI Security.

At a press event held at SightLogix’ headquarters, Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ), said, “Innovation drives the economic engine of our nation and brings high tech jobs to our local communities. Having worked with SightLogix for several years, I applaud their ongoing success.”

Recognized as a leader in intelligent video surveillance systems that provide a solid return on investment, SightLogix' combination of edge-based video analytics, long and wide area coverage using visible or thermal cameras and geo-spatial target tracking has been deployed around the world to meet the critical security needs of the transportation, energy, utility, chemical, information technology, public safety and defense industries.

For more information on SightLogix perimeter security and outdoor surveillance solutions, call (609) 951-0008, email info@sightlogix.com or visit www.sightlogix.com.

About VTI Security
VTI Security is a Minnesota-based technology provider of innovative integrated electronic and IP-based security and video surveillance solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and the public sector for 30 years. VTI offers system design, project management, engineering, installation and technical/customer support services on a local and national basis. VTI is consistently ranked at the top of SDM’s annual list of system integrators. Over 110 employees operate from offices in Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Texas. For more information visit www.vtisecurity.com.

About SightLogix®, Inc.
SightLogix automated outdoor surveillance systems protect critical infrastructure and key assets of the transportation, energy, utility, chemical, datacenters, public safety, school and religious campuses, and defense industries. The company’s open-architecture, Intelligent Video Surveillance system provides full situational awareness to increase both the effectiveness and efficiency of security manpower. For more information, visit www.sightlogix.com

Lumenera’s IP cameras embedded with video analytics are the ideal choice for border and perimeter security applications

Lumenera provides 24-hour protection

The traditional role of the camera in border and perimeter security applications is to provide accurate and rapid assessment of alarms through high quality images, both day and night, and in a variety of lighting and weather conditions.

Video content analytics embedded in Lumenera's Li-series cameras improve these conditions by providing specific and timely alerts to the control room based on the images from the cameras.

Video analytics and intelligent cameras

Lumenera's intelligent camera products use ObjectVideo's OnBoard™ embedded video analytics software. Using a simple graphical user interface, one may configure specific rules related to the position and behaviour of persons, vehicles, or objects that can be used to track alarms and/or log them. Basic examples involve the appearance or entry of a person or vehicle, as well as defining tripwire rules that specify the forbidden direction of travel. The same capabilities can be used to count persons or vehicles, or to measure the time or speed of travel.

Video analytics is embedded in the camera operating at the network edge to provide a much more scalable and cost-effective system, with lower latency between real-world events and operator alerts. Accurate rules-based alerts provide low nuisance alarm rates and shorter response times.

Rules can specifically identify the location and behaviour of people, vehicles, or objects relative to defined areas. Easy-to-use filters are available to exclude alarms due to nuisance factors, such as small animals, disruptive weather, or falling leaves.

Lumenera's Li045 IP cameras use the Pixim Orca chip

Video analytics serve as an aid to the security control room personnel by reducing operator fatigue, increasing motivation, improving decision making, and operator response time. By providing an automated display highlighting a potential intrusion alarm, rules-based content analysis embedded in the camera reduces false alarm rates, and provides automated alert display and logging. The presence of a highlighted visual display of a specific alert helps the person on duty take quick and appropriate action.

Lumenera's Li045 cameras

Lumenera's Li045 cameras use the Pixim Orca chip set to provide rapid and effective responses to challenging and ever-changing high-contrast lighting situations. This has a broad applicability to both outdoor and indoor situations that may include bright daylight or spotlights as well as shadows.

The same Pixim image sensor technology allows one to view the interior of vehicles which are always shaded, in a variety of conditions. The level of JPEG compression can be specified by the user or set automatically, depending on image quality, bandwidth and storage requirements.

National Museum of Funeral History – Vatican Exhibit – Acuity-vct Video Security Analytics

www.acuity-vct.com The Video Capture System (VCS) is a powerful Next Generation IP system, that replaces antiquated VCR and DVR type systems. The VCS collects video signals from new or existing cameras, converts them to high quality digital images, and stores them on a secure server while making them available for live and historical viewing.

The VCS also allows you to use your existing network efficiently leveraging your current resources while allowing monitoring from local and remote location. A single VCS system can protect an entire museum. Advanced Artifact Protection / Video Analytics Acuity-vct has also developed a camera based motion detection and alarming tool that instantly sounds an alarm when museum defined locations are breached. This feature leverages the VCS’s superior design and analytics to provide a higher level of asset protection than any competitive system.

The VCS “Camera Based Motion Alarming System” was developed specifically for museum applications to protect valuable artifacts while providing curators the flexibility to easily change protected areas as exhibits change and grow. By working in partnership with museum executives, Acuity has developed cost effective security solutions that provide superior surveillance and protection while enhancing the guest experience. This saves our clients money by better utilizing their guard force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWhRo0PmAvY&feature=player_embedded

Agent Vi Announces the Launch of its New Channel Partner Program

Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi), global leader in video analytics solutions, has announced the launch of its new Channel Partner Program (CPP), designed to support its growing sales channel network. The CPP will enable Systems Integrators and Distributors to become authorized members of Agent Vi’s sales channel network, and thereby increase their product offering and enjoy a range of benefits extending from product discounts to access to marketing and sales tools, and more.

“In line with our global expansion strategy and the continued increase in the number of our channel partners worldwide, we have structured a channel program that conforms to acceptable industry standards,” said Itsik Kattan, CEO of Agent Vi. "Our pure channel approach dictates that we rely on our channels to be active and effective players when reselling our video analytics products, and our new channel program will empower them to leverage Agent Vi’s solutions, while also supporting their ability to profit from their sales activities.”

The Channel Partner Program requires Systems Integrators to direct their purchasing of Agent Vi's products through Agent Vi's authorized Distributors. In parallel, Systems Integrators enjoy product discounts awarded according to the level of sales that they achieve for Agent Vi's products.

Additionally, Systems Integrators will be required to undergo certification training that authorizes them to resell Agent Vi's products. Such training will provide the Systems Integrators with the knowledge and proficiency to effectively sell, install and support Agent Vi's products.

About Agent Vi:

Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi) is a leading provider of open architecture, video analytics software deployed in a variety of security, safety and business intelligence applications worldwide. Agent Vi offers comprehensive video analytics solutions that are fully integrated with a range of third party edge devices and video management systems. Integrating Agent Vi's advanced video analytics capabilities into existing or new surveillance networks enables users to benefit from the true potential of their networks, transforming them into intelligent tools that respond to the practical challenges of the 21st century. For more information, visit www.agentvi.com

Implementation of PSIA's video analytics specification to be showcased by Synectics at ASIS

Synectic Systems, Inc. (Synectics), a leading supplier of integrated surveillance and security systems for specialised vertical markets, announced that it is participating in the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance's (PSIA) Interoperability Reception at the ASIS International 56th Annual Seminar & Exhibits in Dallas, Texas. Synectics' award winning Synergy™ video management software will host leading manufacturers' PSIA-enabled devices as part of a technology demonstration at the reception. Synectics will showcase the implementation of PSIA's newest specification for Video Analytics. The networking event, open to all industry stakeholders, will take place in Room A122 at the Dallas Convention Centre on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, at 4:00 p.m.

"PSIA's ongoing efforts to create common integration standards between third party systems is the key to the future of our industry as a whole, and is perfectly aligned with Synectics' 25-year open standards philosophy. We will continue to invest in complimentary technologies and look forward to working closely with PSIA to make universal interoperability a practical reality," said John Katnic, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Synectics' North American division.

"Synectics is a long-time supporter of PSIA and its systems-based approach to the development of IP standards," said David Bunzel, Executive Director, PSIA. "The Synectics Synergy™ platform is an integral component of the first-ever demonstration of the PSIA Video Analytics specification alongside access control and IP video. This presentation marks a very exciting milestone for all PSIA members and industry stakeholders, and we applaud Synectics for its support of the event."

Synectics will utilise its Synergy platform to demonstrate integration between video management systems and a variety of IP devices including access control, video analytics, intrusion detection and IP cameras. The interoperability of these devices is possible through the adoption of PSIA specifications.

This event marks the first public demonstration of the new PSIA Video Analytics specification, which defines a standard way to receive, store and use analytic output. The open interface addresses event output including security, counting and health alerts, and object streaming metadata output. It also addresses foundational analytic output associated with tracked objects as well as classification, bounding box data, velocities and colour. SynergyPro serves as the host that ties together the various elements, acting as the gateway between third-party systems, and managing the notification and workflow associated with system events for operators. SynergyPro's compatibility with PSIA IP media devices also enables the presentation of corresponding video streams for situational awareness.

Canon eyes IP surveillance market

With the growing IP surveillance market, Canon is readying an aggressive strategy for its IP cameras and is on a look out for partners.

“We plan to focus on video analytics market in particular. Our products cater to that niche. We employ software from partners like IBM and PAL,” said Mohammed Nasir, Senior Manager, Marketing, Consumer System Products Division, Canon India.

The surveillance market in India is pegged at `1,800 crore, of which IP cameras contribute `200 crore.

At present the company has five SI partners, but is planning to recruit more partners with expertise in security solutions. “Our partners need to be solution-centric and should be able to deploy video analytics projects in retail, government, real estate and BFSI—which are the key verticals for us,” offered Nasir.

So far, Canon has managed to do a business of 350 IP cameras. By the end of the current fiscal, the vendor hopes to clock in `5 crore from this business.

In another two years time, Canon expects to sell about 1,000 units. The vendor is hopeful that it will capture five percent of the IP surveillance camera business, and add at least `10 crore to the topline.

Canon’s surveillance cameras are priced between `45,000 to `1.5 lakh. “The higher pricing ensures that our products are not placed in the much cluttered entry-level market. We are focused only on large deployments,” Nasir added.

Though a recent entrant into this space in India, Canon is already boasting of big customer wins including Karnataka Police, Pune Police and DLF. Executed by Bengaluru-based Cascade Systems and communications, the `12-crore traffic surveillance system for Karnataka Police employed Canon’s 40x zoom camera, VB60. The company is also in talks with ISRO.

At the edge or system embedded?

The evolution of video surveillance has had a great impact on video analytics. In the transition from analog to IP, and then from low to high resolution, data has grown at an overwhelming rate. This in turn has created the need for video analytics to be able to most effectively use and analyze all this unfiltered information. As video standards continue to become more robust, the need for more intelligent analytics also increases.

One of the key issues has become how to use video analytics not just as an effective, forensic tool to analyze relevant data related to a crime that has already taken place, but as a prevention tool as well. Truly intelligent video analytics involves a decision and reaction support system that uses and analyzes data from various processes, applications, sensors and imaging devices. In a bottom line way, this means that a criminal or a terrorist may leave certain clues before an incident, such as a car parked too long in a prohibited area, unattended objects or stolen license plates. Systems that relay information to authorities in real-time can possibly help stop a crime in progress or even before it takes place.

However, as the demand for video analytics increases, so too do questions about specific applications and how best to implement this technology. One of the recurring questions is: 'where is the best place for video analytics: at the edge in the camera, or as software embedded in the servers?' There are also questions about what qualifies as truly intelligent video analytics and open architecture and what makes the most sense in the adoption process-to purchase a system with analytics built in, or to have it added later on as the need arises.

At the edge and embedded in the system

In regards to whether the system should have the analytics at the edge or embedded, integrators need to look at the purpose of the application. For instance, in a situation in which the user needs video analytics to know if a person has trespassed onto the rooftop of a high-security building, it will generally suffice to have a system that can distinguish between a human form and something else, like a bird. If the only need is to know whether it's a person or a bird (or some other kind of animal) on the roof, then having the analytics built in at the edge, right into the cameras, will suffice because there is not a need to cross reference a database to make any sort of identification.

However, extending this same situation a bit, what if security spots a person in the parking garage at an unusually late hour and wants to try to identify the individual via facial recognition? To do so, security personnel may have to cross reference various databases, in which case having a system where the analytics are built into the software of the system will be most beneficial. Other situations where that also makes sense involve container recognition, traffic monitoring and license plate recognition (LPR). In all these applications, the need to share and cross reference information is crucial, so that merely having the analytics at the edge is not sufficient.

The adoption process

There are often questions as well about the adoption process related to video analytics. In some cases, a user may not have a pressing need for video analytics and simply deals with their immediate security requirements, with the idea that down the line if they need analytics they can always bring in another vendor who specializes in that. The problem that many end-users have found out from hard experience is that analytics is not a simple add on and that dealing with a different vendor for that can be hugely disruptive to their whole video surveillance system.

Security professionals are all too familiar with the sort of Murphy's Law that comes into play when adding new software programs to a system; if something can go wrong, it does often enough. As a point of comparison, changing to a new video management system is as challenging in its own way as changing one's whole system from Windows to Mac or Linux. The learning curve for the operators and administrators, including intensive, costly trainings and system downtime can quickly become overwhelming. The decision for the video management and analytics platform has to be carefully evaluated. Users should consider systems that utilize intelligence at the edge but also have the built-in capabilities of all other analytics. That way, modules can be switched on as they are needed while the staff has the convenience of the same well-known management platform.
True intelligence and true open architecture

Regarding the issue of intelligent video analytics, integrators need to look at some key criteria, namely that a truly intelligent system will be able to analyze an event in-depth and make or propose a decision regarding that. For instance, the ability to detect motion does not by itself make a system truly intelligent. As with our earlier example, the ability to distinguish between a human form and a bird, or to send an alert if a car is broken down on the highway, or to spot a package that has been left on a subway platform and notify relevant personnel, are characteristic of a system with real intelligence. To that extent, end-users need to question security professionals about the criteria they use to define truly intelligent video analytics.

In regards to architecture, it is not enough that a system provides video analytics, but interfaces need to be in place so that it communicates with other security applications like fire and burglar alarms and access control. This makes it possible to cross-verify information or provide video information for each system where an alert has been triggered. For example, in the event that a back door alarm sounds, security personnel should be able to not only view who triggered the alarm but know if it is someone who has a history of such activity. To that end, the alarm must interface with a facial recognition or face capture system that can provide the information. An access control system that employs card swipe should have that same capability. If, for instance, an employee is swiping in after hours, the system should be able to provide video immediately so that the system can verify that it is the employee in question using the card (and not someone else or perhaps a case of forced entry). Such interfaces ensure making optimal use of video analytics in relation to the whole security system.

Both the public and private sector have an increasing need for video analytics solutions. This includes banks, retail, property and building management firms, government agencies, law enforcement and counterterrorism units. However, it is only with the smart combination of all involved security processes, including non-video related information sources (such as access control and asset management) that the user can reap optimal benefits. Video analytics supports the decision process, but only the cross verification of events with other devices and databases creates a truly smart system.

For cash-strapped law enforcement agencies, such a system can reduce the need for more personnel as well as be an important crime fighting partner and an aid in traffic safety and generating revenue by spotting more offenders (whether it be running red lights, illegal turns, etc.). Counterterrorism units simply demand the latest technical innovations available, including video analytics, to more effectively spot and reduce potential threats. As the role of video analytics increases, security sales forces and integration specialists must be knowledgeable experts prepared to custom fit solutions for their customers. This is one area in which one size definitely does not fit all.