Siqura CCTV Fiber Optic Transmitters & Telemetry

Video surveillance across the world is growing exponentially and its major application is in both public safety and law enforcement. Traditionally, it has been fixed surveillance where cameras provide live streams from fixed cameras situated in what is considered strategic locations. But they are limited in what they can see given by their very definition of being "fixed." The future of video surveillance includes the deployment of more mobile video surveillance with the benefits it offers. Instead of fixed cameras, this is the ability to live stream from mobile devices on the move such as body-worn cams, drones, motorbikes, cars, helicopters and in some cases, even dogs!Sending drones into the air, for example for missing people or rescue missions, is much more cost-effective than deploying helicopters Advantages of mobile surveillance The advantage of mobile surveillance is that the camera can go to where the action is, rather than relying on the action going to where the camera is. Also, sending drones into the air, for example for missing people or rescue missions, is much more cost-effective than deploying helicopters. The ability to live stream video from cars and helicopters in high-speed pursuits can be used to take some of the operational issues from the first responders on the ground and share that “life and death” responsibility with the operational team leaders back in the command centre. This allows the first responders in the pursuit vehicle to focus on minimising risk while staying in close proximity of the fleeing vehicle, with direction from a higher authority who can see for themselves in real time the issues that are being experienced, and direct accordingly. In addition to showing video live stream from a pursuit car or motorcycle, by using inbuilt GPS tracking, the video can be displayed on a map in real time, allowing a command chief to better utilise additional resource and where to deploy them, through the use of displaying mapping information with real time video feed. It allows police chiefs to make better informed decisions in highly-charged environments. The 4G phone network can now be used with compressed video to live stream cost effectively Application in emergency situations The same is true of first responders in many different emergency situations. Mobile surveillance opens up a new area of efficiencies that previously was impossible to achieve. For example, special operations can wear action body-worn cameras when doing raids, fire departments can live stream from emergency situations with both thermal and daylight cameras, and paramedics can send video streams back to hospitals allowing doctors to remotely diagnose and prepare themselves for when patients arrive at the hospital. How can special operations and emergency first responders live stream video from a mobile camera with the issues of weight, reliability and picture-quality being considered? H265 mobile video compression Law enforcement insists on secure transmissions, and it is possible to encrypt video to the highest level of security available in the public domain The 4G phone network can now be used with compressed video to live stream cost effectively. The issue of course is that 4G is not always reliable. Soliton Systems has mitigated this risk of low mobile quality in certain areas, by building an H265 mobile video compression device that can use multiple SIM cards from different cellular providers simultaneously. H265 is the latest compression technique for video, that is 50% more effective than conventional H264, and coupling this with using multiple “bonded” SIM cards provides a highly reliable connection for live-streaming high-quality HD video. The 400-gram device with an internal battery can be connected to a small action cam, and can live-stream simultaneously over at least three different cellular providers, back to a command centre. Latency is typically less than a second, and new advance improvements are looking to reduce that latency further. Encrypted video transmission What about security? Law enforcement insists on secure transmissions, and it is possible to encrypt video to the highest level of security available in the public domain, i.e. AES256.What about integration into existing video infrastructure at the command centre? It is not untypical for a police force to have an existing video management system (VMS) at their command centre such as Milestone System’s Xprotect. The Soliton range of products are ONVIF-compliant, a standard used by video surveillance cameras for interoperability, allowing cameras and video devices that are ONVIF-compliant to simply “plug&play” into existing video management systems. These mobile transmitters are deployed with law enforcement and first responders across the globe. Their ability to provide secure, full HD quality and highly-reliable video streaming within a small unit, and to enable it to be integrated into the current eco-system that is already installed at the receiving end, has made them a favourite choice with many companies and government agencies.

The term “smart city” gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but as different technologies that strive to be defined in this way are adopted by different countries globally, the meaning of this phrase gets lost in translation. The simplest way to define a “smart city” is that it is an urban area that uses different types of data collecting sensors to manage assets and resources efficiently. One of the most obvious types of “data collecting sensor” is the video camera, whether that camera is part of a city’s existing CCTV infrastructure, a camera in a shopping centre or even a police car’s dash camera. The information gathered by video cameras can be used with two purposes in mind, firstly: making people’s lives more efficient, for example by managing traffic, and secondly (and arguably more importantly): making people’s lives safer. Live streaming video all the time, everywhere In the smart and safe city, traditional record-only video cameras are of limited use. Yes, they can be used to collect video which can be used for evidence after a crime has taken place, but there is no way that this technology could help divert cars away from an accident to avoid traffic building up, or prevent a crime from taking place in the first place. However, streaming live video from a camera that isn’t connected to an infrastructure via costly fibre optic cabling has proven challenging for security professionals, law enforcement and city planners alike. This is because it isn’t viable to transmit video reliably over cellular networks, in contrast to simply receiving it. Video transmission challenges Transmitting video normally results in freezing and buffering issues which can hinder efforts to fight crime and enable flow within a city, as these services require real-time, zero latency video without delays. Therefore, special technology is required that copes with poor and varying bandwidths to allow a real-time view of any scene where cameras are present to support immediate decision making and smart city processes. The information gatheredby video cameras can beused to make people’s lives more efficient, and to make people’s lives safer There are many approaches to transmitting video over cellular. We’ve developed a specialist codec (encoding and decoding algorithm) that can provide secure and reliable video over ultra-low bandwidths and can therefore cope when networks become constrained. Another technique, which is particularly useful if streaming video from police body worn cameras or dash cams that move around, is to create a local wireless “bubble” at the scene, using Wi-Fi or mesh radio systems to provide local high-bandwidth communications that can communicate with a central location via cellular or even satellite communications. Enhanced city surveillance Live video streaming within the smart and safe city’s infrastructure means that video’s capabilities can go beyond simple evidence recording and evolve into a tool that allows operations teams to monitor and remediate against incidents as they are happening. This can be taken one step further with the deployment of facial recognition via live streaming video. Facial recognition technology can be added on to any video surveillance camera that is recording at a high enough quality to identify faces. The technology works by capturing video, streaming the live video back to a control centre and matching faces against any watch lists that the control centre owns. Importantly, the data of people who aren’t on watch lists is not stored by the technology. Identifying known criminals This technology can work to make the city safer in a number of ways. For example, facial recognition could spot a known drug dealer in a city centre where they weren’t supposed to be, or facial recognition could identify if a group of known terror suspects were visiting the same location at the same time, and this would send an alert to the police. Facial recognition technology captures and streams live back to a control centre, matching faces against any watch lists that the control centre owns In an ideal world where the police had an automated, electronic workflow, the police officer nearest to the location of the incident would be identified by GPS and would be told by the control room where to go and what to do. Most police forces aren’t quite at this technological level yet, and would probably rely on communicating via radio in order to send the nearest response team to the scene. As well as this, shopping centres could create a database from analogue records of known shoplifters to identify criminals as soon as they entered the building. This would be even more effective if run co-operatively between all shopping centres and local businesses in an area, and would not only catch any known shoplifters acting suspiciously, but would act as a deterrent from shoplifting in the first place. Live streaming for police As mentioned above, live streaming video from CCTV cameras can help the police fight crime more proactively rather than reactively. This can be enhanced even further if combined with live streaming video from police car dash cams and police body worn cameras. If video was streamed from all of these sources to a central HQ, such as a police operations centre, the force would be able to have full situational awareness throughout an incident. This would mean that, if need be, officers could be advised on the best course of action, and additional police or other emergency services could be deployed instantly if needed. Incorporated with facial recognition, this would also mean that police could instantly identify if they were dealing with known criminals or terrorists. Whilst they would still have to confirm the identity of the person with questioning or by checking their identification, this is still more streamlined than describing what a person looks like over a radio and then ops trying to manually identify if the person is on a watch list. The smart, safe city is possible today – for one, if live video streaming capabilities are deployed they can enable new levels of flow in the city. With the addition of facial recognition, cities will be safer than ever before and law enforcement and security teams will be able to proactively stop crime before it happens by deterring criminal activity from taking place at all.

In 2017, DITEK saw how power surges from the many natural disasters that took place damaged many businesses. In a natural disaster, or even everyday business operations, a facility’s entire investment in security, life safety and surveillance systems technology can be disabled or rendered useless in a few seconds. Surge protection solutions can mitigate those risks and protect security investments. Proactive approach to risk mitigation Throughout 2017, we also witnessed a change in how enterprises view surge protection, which included how investments are being made in surge protection to protect valuable security, life safety and surveillance systems, while also reducing downtime, manpower costs, liability vulnerabilities, and possibly compliance issues that can force businesses to actually cease operations. Effective security management is about mitigating risks. But risks cannot be mitigated without a proactive approach. Enterprises and integrators, who take the time to assess risk and to develop a strategy to incorporate effective detection, deter and response criteria to protect physical assets will be successful in 2018. 2018 and beyond That strategy includes designing surge protection into new security systems, while also adding surge protection to existing systems. Enterprises and security integrators who implement a surge protection strategy during security planning processes – or after – will be exercising prevention and mitigation, and they will be successful in 2018 and beyond.  Surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise surveillance and security systems In 2017, Ditek continued to offer security end users a solid surge protection solution. We also successfully educated system integrators, who are seeking value-added products or services to incorporate into their portfolios, on the importance of surge protection devices. Educating security integrators We believe that surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise video surveillance and security systems, because they can and do meet safety and security challenges that have been rarely identified in the past. We are looking forward to 2018, when we will continue to develop new surge protection products – including a new product engineered to protect up to twelve individual fuel dispensers, which is critical to the financial operation of convenience stores. We will also continue to educate security integrators about the importance of including surge protection in the design/build RFP, to not only secure an enterprise’s valuable security equipment, but also to help integrators to differentiate their capabilities and knowledge from the competition.

Milestone Systems, the number one global provider of open platform networked video management systems, has released Device Pack 10.1a for partners and customers using Milestone XProtect video solutions. The latest Device Pack offers new firmware support for partners Axis, FLIR Systems, Hanwha Techwin, Honeywell and MOBOTIX. New features include support for SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol), a feature that ensures that camera video streams are received via secure end-to-end encrypted transportation method only by authorised clients, for an increased number of Axis devices. Driver Command with Response Also, Device Pack 10.1a carries implemented support for ‘Driver Command with Response’ on all Axis drivers, as well as bugs-fixing of issues with connecting through HTTPS and appropriate handling of the speaker device of M1065-LW. Device Pack 10.1a has implemented support for thermal events for MOBOTIX M16 Series and new driver support for SonyGenXDevice Pack 10.1a has implemented support for thermal events for MOBOTIX M16 Series and new driver support for SonyGenX, including bug-fixing for failure on Edge retrieval for SNC-VB630 and Multicast Settings issues for Sony G7. The new Device Pack offers support for the ONVIF specification 18.06. This includes a number of major enhancements and minor clarifications for better interoperability among ONVIF conformant clients and devices. Support for the ONVIF specification 18.06 With the release of Device Pack 10.0a in late 2018, Milestone Systems now supports new logic for Inputs/Outputs for Axis audio device driver. The device pack also has implemented support for variable bitrates for Bosch, support for additional analytic events for Vivotek, as well as for Siqura. The Device Pack 10.0a also supports ONVIF-based cameras for partners Mobotix and Arecont Vision, both of whom released their first ONVIF-based cameras in 2018.

TKH Security Solutions is a cluster of five highly specialised security companies As of the first of April, 2017, all security vision products from Siqura will be branded TKH Security Solutions. This change comes as a direct response to the large number of partners and end users that utilise Siqura products and services, and want to engage in small, medium and large scale security and safety projects with the TKH Group. Strong identity name “The TKH Security Solutions brand is nothing new. We have delivered many projects, including several high-level projects under the TKH Security Solutions name over the last few years,” explains Dr. Magnus Ekerot, CEO of TKH Security Vision Group. “What is new is that we are now taking the final step in branding and collecting our products under this strong identity name, to show our partners and end users our commitment to them and their work.” Turnkey security solutions TKH Security Solutions is a cluster of five highly specialised security companies. Together their individual know-how and expertise combine to offer total turnkey security solutions for a wide range of applications, partners, and end users. One high-profile and successful example of the strength and versatility of TKH Security Solutions, is the security project of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. “I believe that by changing the name in combination with our strong product and solutions portfolio, TKH Security Solutions will have an even bigger impact within the security and safety marketplace. Nothing changes for our partners and customers, except for gaining an even stronger brand name with greater possibilities,” concluded Ekerot.

During Intersec Dubai 2017, Siqura will introduce its new line of high-tech and innovative traffic cameras Siqura, a camera surveillance solutions company, will once again have a presence at this year’s Intersec exhibition at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, 22nd to 24th January, at booth SA-K24. During Intersec 2017, Siqura will showcase their latest surveillance innovations and solutions for mobility, public safety, and the marine, oil, and gas sectors. Traffic camera rangeDuring Intersec 2017, Siqura will introduce its new line of high-tech and innovative traffic cameras. An entire series that includes the TrafficPTZ, TunnelCam, and CityDome. The Siqura TrafficPTZ, a pan-tilt-zoom camera with high speed intelligent 30x zoom, gives traffic control operators the tools to react to any unwanted situation on the road or motorway that might interrupt traffic. Whether day or night. The TunnelCam is designed to meet the demanding tunnel specifications. Enclosed in a rugged housing and able to withstand corroding exhaust, dirt, and high pressure waterjets, the sensitive Siqura TunnelCam can perform with easy clarity, even in sub-optimal lighting conditions. Siqura's CityDome is an intelligent and innovative dome camera intended for traffic light intersections. The traffic light controller, sensors and other information can trigger the CityDome camera when abnormalities occur at an intersection. Images are then delivered to the traffic centre control room. Enhanced public safety The new Siqura camera line, the 1100 Series, enables more effective and efficient asset monitoring. The 1100 Series is available in all popular formats and features 3MP sensors, which offer a 50% greater camera coverage area than 2MP cameras. With improved image resolution and able to accommodate fixed and flexible installation needs, the new Siqura 1100 Series cameras offer many additional options for image enhancement. Even under difficult lighting conditions such as high contrast, fog, and darkness. Naturally, this also leads to improvements in the reliability of the Video Content Analytics (VCA). The 1100 Series offers seamless integration with TKH Group security management systems, VDG Sense, and iProtect. Video surveillance solutions designed to increase safety and continuity, and reduce costs. The most distinguishing features of the new Siqura cameras, however, are their intelligence The 1100 Series has the latest encoder technology and smart, advanced shooting options such as region of interest and corridor mode enable a reduction of 30% to 40% in the necessary bandwidth and storage capacity. The most distinguishing features of the new Siqura cameras, however, are their intelligence. With detection options that include face recognition, area intrusion, audio, left luggage and trip wires, a contribution is made to significantly increase the operator’s situational awareness and public safety. After all, that is the main reason for possessing or purchasing a surveillance solution. Cameras for marine market Marine, oil, and gas incidents can lead to a disruption of costly production processes or worse, to environmental disasters. Siqura’s mission is to help operators detect incidents at an early stage through state-of-the-art video surveillance tools, allowing operators to act before an incident escalates. Siqura’s advanced Safe Area video surveillance solution cameras are ideal for use in harsh marine environments. With robust protection against water, extreme weather conditions and sand, these cameras give operators real-time overviews of mission-critical operations.The Siqura Marine Dome surveillance solutions are flame resistant and explosion proof. The Marine Dome provides operators with 1080p video quality at 60 frames per second, resulting in crisp images and real-time control. For distribution and recording purposes, operators can choose from four IP streams in optimal formats and quality. Thermal imaging Thermal imaging comes into play with Siqura’s Man Overboard camera solution. On land or sea, this camera also enjoys robust protection against the elements and can read heat signatures. Extremely useful should a passenger or crew member fall into the cold water, or to distinguish between a camel and a person on a dark desert evening. Additionally, these video surveillance solutions come with the unique Siqura Click and Go system. This system supports users with straightforward installation and maintenance. Siqura’s innovative camera and surveillance solutions will be at display during Intersec 2017 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, 22nd January to 24th January, at booth SA-K24.