Beyond security: Leveraging video data in the enterprise environment

There are so many ways video data can be used, but one of the biggest use cases I can see will be leveraging the video for process control by analysing what can be seen in the field-of-view of the camera. For example, a camera monitoring an oil rig can track workers’ adherence to safety and security regulations but also measure the output of the oil drill and help to optimise the drill pattern for more efficient drilling operations. This process optimisation is happening already with video data connected to AI and is driving adoption in the industry with more powerful analytics focused purely on efficiency.

Enterprises should approach video surveillance with return on investment (ROI) in mind. Beyond installing a camera for the sake of enhanced security, enterprises can view video surveillance as an investment into a more holistic approach. First, enterprises must prioritise ROI by determining what they need to enhance overall business operations. Capabilities today are no longer limited to feeding video footage into a video management system; instead, enterprises can leverage video data to meet a variety of operational needs. For example, you can monitor a business lobby for safety and security, while conversely measuring traffic flow and time spent in that space. Enterprises can use the same cameras to monitor conference rooms to determine occupancy levels, or to leverage license plate recognition in parking garages for contactless parking. This usage of video data can help enterprises increase ROI on their security investment, and ensure all operations are running in a streamlined manner.

Video data is paramount to strengthen security. However, its benefits don’t end there. When using cloud-based video security management systems, companies can leverage the data across a broader range of industries. For example, in a retail setting, knowing how many people are in a shop — through heatmaps or people counting — provides retailers with key insights into consumer behaviour. It would show what periods are busiest and which areas get the most traffic. This would enable stores to know when to allocate staff according to the busiest business hours, and where to place particular items on the shopfloor. Leveraging video data in this way allows for optimising building management, as retailers could then infer prime times for heating, cooling, and lighting, thus greatly reducing the cost of utilities and also being more energy efficient and sustainable. Overall, while the use of video data in retail does of course keep customers and businesses safe, it can also provide beneficial analytics for organisations.

Intelligent video systems have a wealth of potential applications beyond traditional security. For instance, when video analytics are linked to digital advertising screens in a retail store, the real-time impact of customers moving to the promotion area can be monitored and the marketing messages refined or changed accordingly. Equally, video systems can also be used to look at office space footfall, with the data being used to ascertain whether space is being fully utilised and at what times it is required, etc. This is perfect for enabling energy savings to be made (which are particularly important now) or for the business to ascertain whether the space is actually required, which in itself is a hot topic of discussion as hybrid working comes to the fore.

Outside security, video data can examine complex situations, monitor traffic, and enhance efficiency. Video analytics can be helpful in various environments and applications, but we see some interesting use cases emerge, especially in the education sector. There is a growing demand from K-12 schools for intelligent video solutions that enable stakeholders to get the video data needed to enhance security while supporting personal privacy and ensuring ethical use.

Business leaders are starting to leverage video data to drive operational efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and drive revenue and higher profit. AI-assisted cameras now capture valuable data in addition to the video image. By detecting objects such as people and vehicles and cataloguing basic behaviours such as dwell times, queue length, and occupancy levels, AI-enabled cameras provide an avenue for operations, sales, and marketing departments to understand how people and vehicles flow in and around their buildings and spaces. These edge devices can also describe unique attributes about the objects they recognise, such as garment/shoe colour and approximate age and gender. Our i-PRO cameras capture approximately 60 unique object attributes. The resulting analytics data is crucial when validating marketing strategies, ensuring efficient operations, or simply alerting staff when queues grow too long. An open AI platform ensures that custom business intelligence analytics can be easily installed into edge devices as required.