Design tips to migrate from analogue to high definition surveillance

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Migrating from analogue to HD surveillance solutions

Globally, the video surveillance market has been slow to move beyond its analogue origins. Many analogue technologies or first generation network video management systems installed in the last decade are now aging, becoming less reliable and unable to deliver the quality and coverage most security professionals demand. Increasing video quality using these older solutions requires an unmanageably large number of surveillance cameras and results in marginal forensic detail, making successful investigations difficult. As a result, we are now seeing a push beyond analogue into the world of high definition (HD) as security professionals begin to look for better video and greater resolution to lead to more successful investigations and higher rates of conviction.

Network surveillance and HD technology – the way forward

A network approach to surveillance, including high definition IP cameras, has proven to be the best way to deliver the extra resolution needed for improved video quality and overall security. HD technology can enhance security and reduce investigation times by capturing video that provides rapid, actionable evidence in place of the blurry, low quality images to which the industry was previously accustomed to.

In this article Rick Ramsay, Product Manager of Avigilon, describes five key design considerations to help security professionals successfully migrate or upgrade their surveillance systems to high definition as cost-effectively as possible.

1 - Address the core of the surveillance system First

Taking the POT approach to system design, security professionals can significantly reduce overall surveillance camera count while still achieving the best level of detail

Many organisations begin their upgrade initiative by replacing their cameras, but this is not necessarily the right place to start. Conventional systems that archive video from VGA cameras compromise quality because excessive compression eliminates detail, meaning that security professionals cannot recover visually lossless video.

Instead of trying to replace existing surveillance cameras, system designers should first find a compression and transmission software “engines” that maximizes the performance of existing VGA cameras and lowers costs. This approach, in combination with analogue to digital encoders, allows system designers to preserve assets while improving video quality – without re-cabling new cameras. Complement the existing camera network by designing a hybrid system complete with HD cameras at high traffic areas and protect critical views to the extent budget allows. By doing so, system designers can scale and add HD capability over time.

This approach, in combination with analogue to digital encoders, allows system designers to preserve assets while improving video quality

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defining the video quality required using “Pixels on Target”
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Using pixel targeting to increase the quality of images

2 - Define the video quality required using “Pixels on Target”

With megapixel surveillance cameras, users can define the video quality required to capture the desired forensic detail by using the new industry “pixels on target” (POT) metric. Commercial, off-the-shelf megapixel cameras are available today in one to 16 megapixels, allowing designers to build a fit-to-purpose system. A one megapixel camera delivers 327 percent more pixels than VGA while a sixteen megapixel camera delivers over 5000 percent more! POT is calculated by dividing the width of the scene covered by the horizontal resolution of the camera. A 1000 pixel wide camera covering 10 feet provides a POT of 100 pixels per foot.

To positively identify a human face, a POT of 40 pixels per foot is required. A single 16 megapixel camera can cover scenes up to 120 feet wide and capture 40 pixels per foot. In comparison, to achieve the same level of detail would require 50 or more conventional surveillance cameras. Taking the POT approach to system design, security professionals can significantly reduce overall camera count while still achieving the best level of detail required for each situation, thereby lowering costs while enhancing overall surveillance. And, the improved video detail available will result in a higher percentage of successful investigations and speed deployment for first responders.

3 - Reduce bandwidth requirements for video transmission

Perhaps the most crucial task for an HD surveillance system is to manage the transmission and display of visual information on monitoring workstations and shared remotely by associated decision makers or other agencies. The benefit of the additional detail provided by HD can be wasted by the inability of the system to transmit, process, or manage it properly.

Intelligent HD platforms use data management software to manage transmission and display using a progressive compression method. An HD data file is a deep three-dimensional stream that provides high forensic video value, archived and processed at the edge of a network. However, an investigator monitoring or calling up information will only view a portion of the file at any given time. By sending only the requested pixels and not the entire data stream, the monitor workstation does not become overwhelmed with processing unnecessary pixels or data. This design produces immediate savings in bandwidth for transmission and requires less processing power at the workstation level.

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4 - Improve video storage and retrieval

More pixels, more evidence, and more detail all result in the need for more storage. An effective video storage management system offers advanced tools that enable security professionals to manage available storage, including per camera data aging, maximum retention time, and scheduled online backups, also taking advantage of network design. Intelligent data aging allows organizations to retain recent footage at the original highest frame rate and then after a set time, store footage trimmed to half the original frame rate and at a further point in time, at one quarter the original frame rate for improved storage efficiency. System designers should look for a video storage management system that can set this standard on a camera-by-camera basis to achieve precise control of data quality and retention periods for each camera.

Once a robust, underlying data gathering, transmission, and management system is in place, the real worth of a HD digital surveillance system becomes clear

5 - Take advantage of real time video analytics

Once a robust, underlying data gathering, transmission, and management system is in place, the real worth of an HD digital surveillance system becomes clear: it can be digitally monitored to immediately and irrefutably detect unusual situations and associated detail, and can even perform accurate facial detail validation. Advanced video surveillance software can more effectively monitor real-time surveillance information gathered by cameras. When the software detects an event, it can alarm and alert security professionals for immediate investigation of the situation. Since HD video detail is far greater, judgments are more rapid and accurate; resulting in potentially reduced and resolved crises.

If the megapixel surveillance camera is equivalent to the eye, then recording, transmitting, storing, and monitoring solutions can be considered the brains behind an HD surveillance system. By specifying a software “engine” that can handle the transmission, recording, and analytics, security professionals can incrementally migrate from analogue to digital HD systems more easily.

Rick Ramsay
Product Manager
Avigilon

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ASIS Europe in Rotterdam examines broad impact of digital transformation

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Getting the most value out of your ISC West experience

Las Vegas is a city that bombards you with choices: dozens of glitzy hotels and casinos, a plethora of restaurants and eateries to satisfy any craving and an endless variety of entertainment guaranteed to delight and amuse. With so many options, it’s hard to decide where to spend your time. The same goes for ISC West. Like the city in which it’s being hosted, ISC West 2019 is going to bombard you with more options than ever before. Dozens of new technologies and vendors as well as old familiar faces will be vying for your attention. With only three days, it’s nearly impossible to explore every booth and every vendor. Ultimately, you’ll want to focus your limited time on companies whose partnership can lead to your organisation’s long-term success. In that context, I’d like to suggest a few things to think about as you wend your way through this year’s tradeshow. The next wave in IP technology The fact that the whole world is going IP is nothing new. 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And discover the different ways the IP technology can be used, from paging, public address and broadcasting background music to augmenting security systems and perimeter protection solutions. The potential markets that can benefit from this latest IP technology are wide and varied, everything from hotels, hospitals and transportation hubs to educational institutions and retail chains. So it’s well worth your time to take a look at this growing opportunity. AI has proven to dramatically improving the accuracy of Traffic Incident Detection analytics. But it’s too early in the game to assume that AI can be applied across the board Artificial intelligence: hype vs. reality Video intelligence or video analytics was the big trend a decade ago. But it quickly fizzled out when hype crashed into reality. In the ensuing years algorithms have greatly improved, leading to more reliable analytic performance. Now it’s commonplace for video surveillance solutions to include a wide range of analytics from motion detection and people counting to dwell time analysis, object left behind and license plate recognition. The latest hype to capture the imagination is self-learning systems, often referred to as Deep Learning and Artificial intelligence (AI) With analytics gradually becoming mainstream, the latest hype to capture the imagination is self-learning systems, often referred to as Deep Learning and Artificial intelligence (AI). These self-learning applications parse event data and use what they’ve learned from the experience to make determinations or predictions that can increase the accuracy of future alerts. Before you get swept up in all the big promises that have yet to prove deliverable, take time at ISC West to educate yourself about the current state of the technology. AI works well in some areas. 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What technology trend will have the biggest impact on physical security in 2019?

The year ahead holds endless promise for the physical security industry, and much of that future will be determined by which technologies the industry embraces. The menu of possibilities is long – from artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things to the cloud and much more – and each technology trend has the potential to transform the market in its own way. We tapped into the collective expertise of our Expert Panel Roundtable to answer this question: What technology trend will have the biggest impact on the security market in 2019?

Design tips to migrate from analogue to high definition surveillance

Taking the POT approach to system design, security professionals can significantly reduce overall surveillance camera count while still achieving the best level of detail

Once a robust, underlying data gathering, transmission, and management system is in place, the real worth of a HD digital surveillance system becomes clear

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