Crowd Management

FLIR Systems, Inc. announced availability of the FLIR Occupancy Management Solution for FLIR Brickstream 3D Gen2 to automate occupancy counting within high traffic and capacity-limited areas. To support social distancing guidelines during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Occupancy Management Solution provides organisations with an easy-to-use, real-time capacity counting and display tool for multiple entries and exits. Organisations can automate capacity counting for high foot-traffic spaces to maintain social distancing compliance. “Many organisations are manually measuring occupancy, but this process is often inaccurate, cumbersome and expensive,” said Paul Clayton, General Manager, Components Business at FLIR Systems. Automated monitoring solution “FLIR addressed this challenge by introducing a cost-effective, scalable, self-contained, and automated monitoring solution suitable for a variety of locations from grocery stores, stadiums, theaters, transportation hubs, to manufacturing plants, and office spaces.” Current Brickstream 3D Gen2 customers can purchase and add this feature with via a remote firmware upgrade The Occupancy Management Solution is platform agnostic with an integrated IoT architecture, which can be implemented within existing Wi-Fi access points, offering a complete edge-based solution with the Brickstream 3D Gen2 hardware. It provides a simple display dashboard for capacity updates that can be viewed by staff or customers on devices with a web browser. Remote firmware upgrade It may be used as a standalone or integrated into existing perimeter systems, making it ideal for most environments where occupancy must be closely managed. Current Brickstream 3D Gen2 customers can purchase and add this feature with via a remote firmware upgrade. This solution is part of FLIR Systems’ COVID-19 response product portfolio, which includes the FLIR EST camera series, to help organisations improve safety in public places and other high traffic areas. The FLIR Occupancy Management Solution for Brickstream 3D Gen2 is available from FLIR and its global Brickstream distribution partners.

Summer is in full swing, but most Brits are taking a ‘staycation’ this year due to travel restrictions and quarantine periods enforced on air and cross-border travel in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But that doesn’t mean that people aren’t dreaming of cocktails on the beach. According to holiday booking site Travel Supermarket, Britons are filling their holiday diaries for next year, with April and May 2021 becoming the most-booked holiday months. The number one destination on the site is Cyprus, where the government has said it will cover the vacation costs of any tourists who contract the coronavirus while holidaying in the country. It’s not only passengers and holidaymakers who are desperate to fly again. Prevent non-essential travel The aviation industry is of huge strategic and economic importance to the UK. As national governments closed international borders to prevent non-essential travel, the sudden shutdown of passenger air travel has had a severe economic impact on airlines, airports and air freight. The International Airport Transport Association (IATA) predicts the UK aviation industry faces a loss of revenue of up to £20.1 billion in 2020. According to The Independent, up to 124,000 jobs in the UK’s aviation industry and its supply chains are at risk of disappearing in just three months because of the coronavirus. In April, British Airways said that it planned to cut 12,000 of its 42,000-strong workforces. Ryanair is making 3,000 workers redundant, and easyJet is cutting around 30 percent of its staff. Thermal screening technology So, what can be done to revive the industry safely? Real-time alerts are sent to relevant parties to enable interception and help prevent the spread of the virus Airports are looking to quickly bring in measures to revive the industry and give people the confidence to fly again. One of these possible measures is the use of thermal fever detection technology. In April 2020, Bournemouth Airport became the first UK airport to trial thermal fever detection cameras in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Already being tested in hospitals and restaurants, these systems record body temperature and identify any individual displaying signs of fever. Real-time alerts are sent to relevant parties to enable interception and help prevent the spread of the virus. Heathrow Airport is also trying out thermal screening technology to monitor people moving through the airport for signs of coronavirus, and Gatwick Airport has confirmed that it is working on possible screening measures, which may include mass temperature checks. Minimising transmission Chief Executive Officer at Heathrow Airport, John Holland-Kaye, told the Commons' transport committee: "Aviation is the cornerstone of the UK economy, and to restart the economy the government needs to help restart aviation. The UK has the world's third-largest aviation sector, offering the platform for the government to take a lead in agreeing a common international standard for aviation health with our main trading partners." "This standard is key to minimising transmission of COVID-19 across borders, and the technology we are trialling at Heathrow could be part of the solution." Detect radiating heat Why temperature scanning? The presence of fever is one of the common symptoms of the coronavirus virus. Thermal cameras use infrared technology to detect radiating heat from the body to estimate an individual’s core body temperature. How do fever cameras work? For the solution to be effective, all types of cameras should use facial recognition and report into a database Fever detection cameras come in two main forms: smaller, tripod- or wall-mounted cameras that allow people to self-scan upon entry/exit; and larger units around the building that scan crowds. For the solution to be effective, all types of cameras should use facial recognition and report into a database with a user interface, such as the FeverLink dashboard by Smarter Technologies. The software can then send real-time alerts to the relevant staff when fever is detected, allowing border staff to intercept and isolate affected travellers before they board a plane. Thermal fever detection systems How effective is thermal camera technology? It would be overly optimistic to say that temperature testing is a foolproof way of detecting the virus, especially since the coronavirus can have an incubation period of up to 14 days. In addition, a high temperature can be associated with a range of other illnesses and conditions. Thus, temperature testing should be used alongside other screening measures such as antibody tests and a requirement that all passengers carry “health passports” proving that they are medically fit. As part of a greater solution, thermal fever detection systems will play a vital role in protecting people and enabling safe social distancing. By deploying fever cameras as part of a range of measures, airports can begin to reopen for business safely, protecting passengers and employees so that people feel confident to take to the skies once more.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has announced issuing a video safety message and a safety alert entitled ‘2020 Hurricane Season: Guidance for Chemical Plants During Extreme Weather Events’. Video and safety alert The video and safety alert highlight recent actions by the Centre for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) to produce industry guidance meant to help hazardous chemical facilities better prepare for extreme weather events. CSB Chairman Katherine Lemos said, “As the nation faces this year’s hurricane season, it is critical that the chemical industry understand and prepare for the potential safety hazards posed by extreme weather events.” Enhancing safety in 2020 Hurricane season On August 31, 2017, fires erupted at the Arkema Chemical Plant in Crosby, Texas, as a result of heavy rain from Hurricane Harvey. Plant equipment flooded and failed causing chemicals stored at the facility to decompose and burn, releasing fumes and smoke into the air. Twenty-one people sought medical attention from reported exposures to the fumes. More than 200 residents living nearby the facility were evacuated and could not return home for a week. ‘Assessment of and Planning for Natural Hazards’ guidance Recently, CCPS released that guidance, called ‘Assessment of and Planning for Natural Hazards’ The CSB’s investigation found a significant lack of industry guidance on planning for flooding or other severe weather events, and called on CCPS to produce such guidance so that incidents like the one at the Arkema plant can be prevented. Recently, CCPS released that guidance, called ‘Assessment of and Planning for Natural Hazards’, which provides an updated approach for assessing natural hazards, means to address the hazards, and emergency planning. CSB safety recommendations implemented Chairman Lemos said “I applaud CCPS for successfully fulfilling the CSB’s safety recommendation. The severe weather event at Arkema may not be an anomaly. In recent years, flooding has intensified across the country and experts predict this trend will continue. The CCPS guidance will help companies prepare for weather events.” The CSB’s Safety Alert outlines specific procedures to assure safe restarts following a severe weather event. For example, facilities are urged to follow established startup procedures and checklists, and to recognise that ‘human performance may be compromised due to crisis conditions’. Adherence to safety protocols Additional safety protocols include checking bulk storage tanks for evidence of floating displacement or damage, and examining insulation systems, sewers, drains, furnace systems, electric motors and other equipment, including warning systems, to make sure they are fully functional.

Navori Labs announces the launch of QL Access Control, a new feature developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Available as an add-on to its forthcoming QL digital signage software, QL Access Control enables retailers and public spaces to monitor and secure entry and exit traffic in compliance with the latest health regulations. QL Access Control provides unique value through real-time calculations and evaluations of visitors on premises. The software: Counts, screens and guides visitors Detects whether or not visitors are wearing protective masks, and identifies specific details about fabric types, shapes, colours, and patterns of each mask worn Monitors multiple entry points simultaneously Gives users the flexibility to set and adjust occupancy instructions Visitor monitoring and video tracking QL Access Control automatically manages visitor traffic via interactive digital signage combined with proprietary video tracking technology and allows users to customise content in conjunction with their own venue-specific rules. Multiple inputs and outputs are available for facilities with more than one entrance and exit, and the software interoperates with security cameras for live streaming and monitoring purposes. QL Access Control utilises Navori Labs’ Computer Vision artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which enables in-depth crowd analysis and content triggering based on real-time visual data and events. Personal data not stored Visitor privacy is assured, as Computer Vision does not store, re-use, or disseminate personal data. In the context of QL Access Control, the AI applies silhouette detection (including the detection of face masks), but not facial recognition. “QL Access Control was specially designed to safeguard organisations by helping them to comply with local health and safety regulations, and to optimise ROI with an enhanced customer experience and reduced security costs,” says Jerome Moeri, CEO, Navori Labs. “Its automated, real-time functionality gives users the information they require to keep their operations running smoothly, while providing them with the peace of mind they need to focus on their core business.”

Help is immediately on hand for businesses who are urgently seeking to safely re-open their doors following the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions. Hanwha Techwin’s licence-free Occupancy Monitoring application provides retailers, places of worship and museums, as well as leisure facilities, pubs, clubs and restaurants, with highly accurate data on the number of customers on their premises at any particular time. Edge-based Occupancy Monitoring Compatible with the recently introduced Wisenet P Series AI cameras, the edge-based Occupancy Monitoring application simultaneously counts the number of people entering or leaving a building. When the maximum permitted number of people has been reached, the application generates alarm outputs to control automatic doors or a traffic beacon, as well as ‘wait’ or ‘enter’ messages that can be displayed on a monitor. Serverless solution The Occupancy Monitoring application has the power to aggregate and process data from multiple cameras The Occupancy Monitoring application has the power to aggregate and process data from multiple cameras and is therefore, ideal for buildings with multiple entrances and exits. As a serverless solution, it negates the need for system integrators to spend time configuring complicated server-side software. It also significantly reduces the capital cost of a project as the end-user does not need to incur the cost of buying a server. Deep Learning AI built into cameras With the support of Deep Learning AI built into the cameras, the Occupancy Monitoring application offers the additional benefit of being able to accurately count people even when a camera is wall mounted. Unlike less accurate people counting solutions which use conventional video analytics, the camera does not have to be mounted on a ceiling to provide an overhead field of view. This means, the camera can be simultaneously used for security purposes and people counting, and users are also able to take advantage of a host of additional video analytics applications which can be run onboard the camera, including heat map and intrusion, loitering and people/object detection. The new Wisenet Occupancy Monitoring application is compatible with the following cameras: PNB-A9001 - 4K AI box camera PNO-A9081R - 4K AI bullet camera PNV-A9081R - 4K AI vandal-resistant dome camera with built-in IR illumination PND-A9081RF - 4K AI flush-mount dome camera with built-in IR illumination PND-A9081RV - 4K AI dome camera with built-in IR illumination Time and cost savings The dome cameras have a four-part magnetic modular design, which makes them extremely easy to install The dome cameras have a four-part magnetic modular design, which makes them extremely easy to install. The ability to prefigure IP network settings without the need to remove the camera modules from their packaging also reduces the time an engineer has to spend on site, thereby enabling companies with multiple sites to rapidly roll-out the application with minimal disruption to their business. Wisenet P Series AI cameras The high-performance and feature-rich Wisenet P Series AI cameras will continue to deliver significant benefits beyond the immediate requirement to support the Occupancy Monitoring application during COVID-19. In addition to being used to detect and monitor any criminal activity, they can easily be redeployed to capture valuable business intelligence and help companies improve productivity. Retailers, in particular, can analyse the impact of any marketing activities on footfall and by identifying a store’s busiest times, better manage the peaks and troughs of customer flow at checkouts. Integrated with Wisenet Retail Insight (v2.0) In this respect, the cameras are supported by Wisenet Retail Insight (v2.0), a business intelligence solution, which utilises people counting, heat mapping and queue management applications to display statistical analytics on a centralised dashboard, along with other practical information such as weather reports. With the help of AI algorithms onboard the Wisenet P Series AI cameras, Retail Insight is also able to display an estimated age and gender of store visitors. Hanwha Techwin has always been able to rapidly respond to changing market demands" Licence-free solution “At this most challenging of times for our communities and the economy, we are proud to have the opportunity to contribute to the efforts being made to recover from the effects of COVID-19 by offering the Occupancy Monitoring application as a licence-free solution,” said Uri Guterman, Head of Product & Marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe. Uri adds, “With the security budgets of many businesses being stretched, we have felt a social responsibility to offer the application licence-free and in doing so, help maximise the number of end-users who are able benefit from it.” He further said, “Hanwha Techwin has always been able to rapidly respond to changing market demands and with countless businesses extremely eager to re-open, we have yet again been able to rise to the challenge. This rapidly deployable, innovative and highly effective solution can offer peace of mind by assisting the implementation of social distancing rules at any building open to the public.”

BriefCam, the industry’s provider of Video Content Analytics and VIDEO SYNOPSIS® solutions, announced significant new capabilities to its product portfolio with v5.6.1 of its innovative and extensible video content analytics platform. The new capabilities will help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support the safe and responsible re-opening across the globe. Face Recognition and Appearance Similarity New features available in v5.6.1 include: Proximity Identification: For effective contact tracing and enforcing social distancing, v5.6.1 offers the ability to forensically review video to identify individuals who were in proximity to another individual for a determined duration of time, and to combine with Face Recognition and Appearance Similarity capabilities to determine if a person has been in contact with COVID-19 infected individuals. This enables users to quantify the proximity of people across time and location, compare across days and correlate with external data sources to ensure compliance with social distancing mandates. Face Mask Detection: Provides the ability to search for people with or without a face mask, as well as detect and alert on face mask violations in real-time. Occupancy Controller: Enables users to maintain building occupancy requirements by setting rules to count people as they enter and exit a premises across multiple cameras and entry and exit points. When the threshold is met, an alert can be sent to access control solutions, security staff, VMS, or any other destination. Users can understand occupancy detail over time and location through business intelligence dashboards and prove compliance. Accelerating video investigations “Our video analytics platform has greatly expanded in its ability to offer new use cases for accelerating video investigations over the last year,” said Tomer Saar, BriefCam VP, Product. “During this pandemic we are proud to be able to offer organisations and businesses the critical tools through our proximity identification, face mask detection and occupancy controller capabilities to help them reopen their organisations and places of businesses while protecting their employees and customers.” The new innovation available in BriefCam v5.6.1 complements the already powerful and robust analytic capabilities that support additional public health use cases for identifying crowding hotspots and enforcing building or space sanitisation practices with a unique combination of people counting, heatmap visual layers, line crossing and real-time alerting. BriefCam v5.6.1 is to be available in June 2020. Proximity Identification with real-time alerting as well as Face Mask Detection analysis and trending capabilities is planned for August 2020.

With the pandemic still in full swing and no certainty as to when exactly it will come to an end, the world has been battling anxiety for months now. And with each day, circumstances change quickly and almost make it impossible to predict what will happen next, how events will unfold, and what actions to take in light of a new situation. But one thing is certain: the world has been shut down and paralysed for way too long, and the eventual reopening is unavoidable – in fact, it’s well under way. In this situation, what is possible to control is how the world will continue reopening – and specifically, how to ensure the safest possible reopening that will ensure the return of some degree of normalcy to people’s lives and business operations, while also managing the risk of COVID’s spread in the most efficient way. Our highly digitised, technologically advanced world This is when the power of technology comes to rescue the day: what truly sets the global crisis we face today apart from other calamities that humanity has encountered over year is the fact that it has developed in a highly digitised, technologically advanced world where each day brings about innovations with a sole purpose to make daily life and operations easier and more streamlined. And among these, the star of the past decade has been artificial intelligence. The world has been shut down and paralysed for way too long, and the eventual reopening is unavoidable – in fact, it’s well under way While AI has many avenues of introducing efficiency and fast problem-solving, there is one specific application that will further fuel the reopening of the world and successfully keep the spread of the virus abate. This “collaborative security” application includes a synthesis of smart video analytics, facial recognition, object identification/detection, and thermal cameras that can support the reopening of businesses globally when installed within those facilities frequented by customers. With such a level of sophistication that can ensure uninterrupted monitoring and analysis of large public spaces, these AI technologies can ideally operate best as cloud solutions to ensure a collaborative network with maximum scalability and widespread implementation. As these technologies increase in ubiquity and find their way into daily operations of businesses globally, the cost of the smart solutions will decrease proportionally to the growth of their reach. There are some highly specific ways to create this collaborative network of interconnected safety tools in the current climate. Here are some applications that have been successful to date and will increase in usability in the foreseeable future, creating “smart cities” working together towards a safer, more secure world. Maintaining social distancing practices The most important step everyone around the world has taken to contribute to the effort of slowing the spread of the virus has been social distancing. A six-foot-distance has become a new social norm that has quickly been adopted globally and become a habit to people who are naturally used to being close to others and socialising without giving distance a second thought. The star of the past decade has been artificial intelligence So, it is natural that such distancing measures take time to get accustomed to – and it is also natural that individuals may forget about them from time to time. To help maintain the six-foot distance between people at all times and give them slight nudges to keep the rule top of their minds, AI video technology can be trained to estimate the distance between individuals in public and commercial areas and identify the cases in which people get too close to each other. By notifying local merchants or authorities about such cases, the system can help ensure the safety of everyone in the area at all times while positively reinforcing the public to gradually get more accustomed to maintaining the distance and thus helping stop the spread of the virus. Detecting the virus through facial recognition Perhaps the straightforward application of such high-level technology is using video surveillance to identify persons of interest who have tested positive for the virus. Modern AI has the ability to identify facial features and characteristics with a unique level of granularity, making it possible to identify individuals whose records show they have antibodies from those who can be potential carriers of the virus. After the initial differentiation and identification, the system can then notify the employers and employees of the facility about the results of the conducted analysis and the pursuant results, allowing them to be more vigilant and take action where necessary to ensure a safe experience for everyone. PPE reinforcement Wearing a mask or some sort of face coverage in public spaces and especially within facilities (such as stores, for instance) has been - and will continue to be - a requirement for maintaining a safe and healthy environment for people to continue with their day-to-day lives and businesses to resume regular operations. To this extent, the object detection and identification abilities of smart cameras can further reinforce this requirement and ensure that the absence of protective equipment doesn’t go unnoticed.  Essentially, these cameras can easily identify if an individual has coverage at any given point of time or not, notifying the local authorities about any risks immediately and helping them maintain necessary safety measures without having to interrupt their workflow or worry about missing a visitor without a mask. Detecting high temperature One of the key (and the most widespread) symptoms of COVID-19 is a high fever - a certain indicator of whether an individual may have been infected with the virus or not. While identifying fever with a regular human eye is nearly impossible, AI can do so at a fraction of time by quickly scanning body temperatures of any incoming individuals and determine whether it’s above CDC’s recommended temperature of 100.4F in order to determine the risk factor and notify the local authorities to take action. Modern AI has the ability to identify facial features and characteristics with a unique level of granularity This technology is a good tactic to objectively assess potential risks that come with elevated temperatures - and sometimes, the people themselves might not realise they might (unconsciously) be carriers of the virus and thus endanger the safety of others in their vicinity. The technology is yet another step towards ensuring a safer reopening of the global economy and a more streamlined way of getting back on track while minimising the risk of spreading the virus further. It’s not all about the theory  We have tested the described approaches in our own R&D campus in Europe. The latest release of the IREX cloud enables remote fever detection and monitoring of social isolation and mask policies with AI. We have integrated thermal cameras to detect people with elevated temperature and CCTV cameras for identification and notifying those who potentially ill. In case of any health threat, the venue manager gets an instant message with a picture and exact location. These preventive steps helped our employees return to the office months earlier than it's happening in other countries. Moreover, personnel coming back to the office by their own wish as now they feel a virus-free environment in the campus - even safer than in their own homes. Now we are launching a pilot project for a well-known pharmacy chain in Florida, USA. With the help of a Computer Vision platform, staff will be able to divide customer traffic into those with normal body temperature and those who come in with elevated temperatures, as well as effectively monitor social distance norms. The goal of our potential client is to maximise the safety of customers in the post-pandemic period. Also, IREX is already deployed across hundreds of locations in the UK and will add health monitoring capability soon.

Tragically, in the world we now live, mass shootings and gun violence are epic concerns not only in schools, but Big Box retail, hospitals, municipal buildings, festivals, sporting events, concert venues, and just about anywhere crowds gather or work. The number of incidents is not acceptable and is truly startling. There are many societal and mental health issues that can cause these events and their importance in solving this issue is critical. However, this article will be focused on the technology side of preventing mass shooting events. Going beyond metal detectors The best way to eliminate mass shootings is to detect weapons before they ever enter, or as they enter, a building. Metal detectors have been effectively dispatched and used to identify weapons on a person entering a building. The major drawbacks of metal detectors are the cost to operate them, several security guards per machine, and the resultant bottlenecks which cause limited throughput at the entrances. The technology eliminates the need to empty pockets and allows backpacks, luggage bags, and purses to be scanned New technology on the market uses millimeter wave detection to quickly scan someone walking through a portal. The technology eliminates the need to empty pockets and allows backpacks, luggage bags, and purses to be scanned at the same time as the person. People can walk through the portals side by side to reduce bottlenecks. Additionally, the technology reduces the number of guards needed, reducing overall costs.  Taking out the human element The first step in surviving a mass shooting is being situationally aware. Immediately accepting and understanding the sounds as gunshots is paramount. Just a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death during an active shooter situation. Gunshot detection can eliminate the fear factor, which in many cases temporarily paralyses those involved and causes precious seconds to pass before action is taken. By using a trusted, effective gunshot detection solution properly partnered with a monitoring system can eliminate the human factor of indecision and delay. Further, coupled with a VMS camera system, it can visually verify the situation as an emergency, identify the shooter, and provide valuable, accurate information to first responders — all within just a few seconds. The state of gunshot detection technology Gunshot detection technology has been explored and developed by the military since WWI, but commercially it has only been around for a few years. Such detection systems range from wide area coverage to room-to-room coverage. Most are acoustic based (using microphones) to listen for the sound of a gunshot, record the sound, then analyse it with sophisticated software to determine if it is, indeed, a gunshot. Many years have been invested fine-tuning the software to differentiate between a gunshot and other loud noises. Eliminating ambient noise is very difficult during this process. The locations and venues mentioned at the outset of this article inherently have loud, ambient noise. This, in most cases, causes systems to give a false-positive or to even fail to detect the gunshot. In turn, it can send unverified or wrong information to First Responders and Security and cause havoc of unwarranted fear and actions. To help increase the accuracy of the detection of an actual gunshot, many systems have added infrared sensors. Many systems use backroom or cloud servers to run the necessary analysis In addition to the challenge of false positives, many systems use backroom or cloud servers to run the necessary analysis. This not only increases the cost of the system but may increase the notification time of the actual gunshot. Integration of this data to alarm, notification, and camera systems is difficult and costly. And experts say none of these systems are yet 100 percent effective. Enter ultrasonic sensor technology Fortunately, new technology is emerging in the industry. Technology which can eliminate the false-positives and reduce the cost by doing away with the expensive software, servers, cloud servers, and human intervention. This technology uses non-acoustical ultrasonic sensors to detect the frequency of a gunshot concussive wave created by a bullet, leaving the chamber along with the explosion wave force. Because these sensors are not acoustic (microphone), they will not pick up the ambient noise like other systems. In addition, the ultrasonic sensors only detect the gunshot concussive wave within the determined frequency. This also helps eliminate confusion caused by loud noises such as thunder, cars backfiring, large boxes being dropped, etc. An added bonus is ultrasonic sensors are not acoustic, therefore they are never listening or recording, the sensors only operate when there is an actual gunshot; hence, they’re completely non-invasive. The ultrasonic sensors only detect the gunshot concussive wave within the determined frequency Finally, these non-acoustic sensors do much of the work through an onboard processor, no backroom or cloud servers are needed. Integration to systems such as VMS, Access Control, Alarm Panels, etc. requires minimal effort. This allows existing security systems to be integrated with gunshot detection, creating a low-cost, highly effective overall solution. Protecting our children, loved ones, employees, and customers is a monumental challenge for any security professional. Using newly available technology, combined with existing security infrastructure, we have the ability to add on layers of safety to help reduce the tragedy of gun violence and mass shootings. This article was co-written by Brad McMullen, General Manager at 3xLOGIC, and Brad Jarrett, CTO at Active Guardian.

The early stages of the reopening of the British economy are underway following the Government’s announcement in mid-May that some people could return to work if they were unable to work from home. Workers in manufacturing and construction are among the first to return to the workplace, with other industries on standby. Should the data from the easing of the lockdown allow it, other businesses are gearing up to reopen at the start of July. Security has a pivotal role to play in mitigating the risk of infection and contamination as people return to the workplace. However, before exploring that, I want to highlight the fantastic work that the industry has been doing throughout this crisis. Security officers Security officers across the country have demonstrated the importance of their work time and again in recent weeks. Even when offices and shops have been closed, security personnel have been going about their usual duties in protecting assets and securing premises. At Amulet, part of our business continuity planning had been to prepare for possible staff shortages, but the commitment of our teams to carry on with their roles has been amazing. But as workplaces start to become occupied again, officers will face new challenges which we all need to be ready for. Officers will face new challenges which we all need to be ready for Security officers are often the people that process the entrance and exits to buildings. This will now need to be done with social distancing in mind. Each workplace and building might have a slightly different set up in terms of how they will address social distancing, including tape on the ground to measure 2-metre distances, rope to help enforce one-way systems, and the opening of additional entrances and exits to a building. Checking temperatures Officers may also be responsible for checking the temperature of occupants as they enter using hand-held scanners, and for signing people in and out of a building to reduce the need for each person to come into contact with a logbook or touch-screen visitor management system. While it’s hoped that the vast majority of people will understand and respect the need for new systems, this is a stressful time for everyone and tempers can get frayed. Officers must be trained on how to manage confrontation. For example, a company may state that anyone with a temperature over 38.5 degrees cannot enter the building. An occupant might measure a fraction over and ask that they be allowed to enter. Security officers will need to be strict in reinforcing the rules and how to remove someone from a building if they do not comply. This could be a delicate situation so a strong relationship between security staff and the client is essential. Security as brand ambassadors This goes alongside the continued role of security officers as brand ambassadors. This is arguably even more important now as officers still need to be just as welcoming and helpful when working within the new restrictions. Just as important as officers looking after building occupants is that employers look after their officers. Even with social distancing, they are going to come into closer contact with more people than most professions, and will also be using high-risk touchpoints more frequently, such as door handles and reception areas. We fully expect face masks to become a requirement for buildings We fully expect face masks to become a requirement for buildings, whether that’s from government advice or the decision of individual businesses. As such, we have supplied full plastic visors to all of our security personnel as well as other PPE. We’re also regularly communicating with teams to remind them on best practice for the safe use and maintenance of PPE. PPE and security Even before this crisis started any PPE that we issued was accompanied by full training and a sign off procedure. It’s a vital step in being able to track the usage of equipment and making sure that it’s being used appropriately. It’s important to communicate with clients about PPE too – depending on the sector, clients may have different reactions to the need for PPE. The rail clients we work with are by nature more risk-averse and so are fully on board with security officers wearing PPE. They are doing everything they can to improve safety and hygiene in a high footfall environment. With other clients it may take a little more education and encouragement, especially around understanding HSE guidance. It’s understandable that some clients may think a full plastic visor is overboard for a small office building; this is again where having a strong relationship will be so beneficial. Getting clients on board will make it easier for them to communicate to building occupants about the security protocols in place, and why they have been implemented. The challenge of retail Crowds will need to be very carefully managed and stores will have to work together to maintain social distancing One sector that might be particularly challenging for security personnel is retail, especially shopping centres. Crowds will need to be very carefully managed and stores will have to work together to maintain social distancing outside of their doors. But the same basic principles will apply – wearing PPE, educating clients on HSE guidelines and agreeing on and enforcing social distancing measures. High-end boutique shops bring their own challenges. While security officers will not have to deal with high footfall, they will need to balance the enforcement of security measures with the requirement of providing a welcoming experience to customers keen to spend after months of lockdown. It’s likely that some potential customers will be wearing face masks, which would usually be a huge red flag for an officer at a luxury retail boutique. Now, they’ll have to judge the situation in a completely different way with the worry of losing a big sale if the customer doesn’t get the welcome they expect. As always, security personnel must work on this with the client to agree on what procedures to follow. The role of security in mitigating the risk as businesses reopen cannot be understated. With so much to consider, conversations with clients must start now to ensure that everything is in place for when the time comes.

The general public doesn’t give much thought to the important role of security officers in creating and promoting safer environments. The low-profile work of security officers is vital to protecting people, places and property. During the pandemic, newer aspects to that role have emerged. Security personnel have been called on to perform diverse tasks such as managing queues at the supermarket, safeguarding testing centres and hospitals, ensuring food deliveries, and supporting police patrols. The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and two other organisations in the United Kingdom are joining forces to raise awareness of the work of security officers and to recognise the vital importance of the duties they perform. BSIA, a trade association, includes members who are responsible for 70% of privately provided UK security products and services, including security guarding, consultancy services, and distribution and installation of electronic and physical security equipment. BSIA, the Security Institute and the Security Commonwealth Joining BSIA in the awareness campaign are the Security Institute, a professional security membership body; and the Security Commonwealth, which is comprised of 40 organisations from across the security landscape with common objectives to build professionalism, raise standards and share best practices. “The recognition of security officers as key workers is the start of a re-appraisal of what service they provide to the community in keeping the public safe and secure,” says Mike Reddington, BSIA Chief Executive. “As we exit lockdown and have to navigate public spaces again, [security officers] will have a crucial role in supporting public confidence. We are working closely with the Police and all other public bodies to find the best way to achieve this.” Security officers acknowledged as key workers The campaign will showcase security professionals as a respected, valued, professional service provider and a key worker that is acknowledged and embedded in daily lives. The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and two other organisations in the United Kingdom are joining forces to raise awareness of the work of security officers “Great effort has been invested in the professional standards and capabilities of frontline [security] officers, and they have proven their worth during the coronavirus crisis in the UK,” says Rick Mounfield, Chief Executive, the Security Institute. “They, along with the wider security sector, deserve to be recognized, respected and appreciated for the safety and security they provide across the United Kingdom.” “[We are working to] build professionalism, raise standards and share best practices, and I hope this campaign can make more people recognise the changes we have all made and continue to make,” says Guy Matthias, Chairman of the Security Commonwealth (SyCom). The industry will be reaching out to companies, professionals, and organisations in the sector to participate in the campaign. The hope is that, over the coming weeks as lockdown is eased, the industry can play its part to ensure that the country emerges with confidence to start to recover and build for the future. Private security more important than ever The campaign will showcase security professionals as a respected, valued, professional service provider Across the pond in the United States, law enforcement professionals are facing a crisis of confidence during a time of civil unrest as protestors call to “defund the police” and to otherwise undermine and/or recast law enforcement’s role in preserving the peace and ensuring public safety. If an upshot is that public policing is starved of resources, the role of private security to supplement their mission is likely to increase. In short, the role of private security is more important than ever on both sides of the Atlantic. Public recognition of that role is welcome, obviously. In any case, the importance of their role protecting people, places and property has never been greater.

Many venues are using access control, video surveillance systems, sensors, and additional hardware solutions as part of a broader security strategy. By utilising so many disparate systems, corporate security teams are left with information “silos” that create inefficiencies and hamper communication. This abundance of hardware has left teams with too much data or too many tools, to manage effectively. Armored Things offers a software solution. The company’s “spatial intelligence platform” currently collects more data than other security intelligence solutions, utilising a broader range of sources and fusing data together rather than integrating it. The platform currently focuses on taking in data from WiFi, access control, and video surveillance systems and applying machine learning to deliver customers features such as real-time predictive analytics to prevent incidents like bottlenecks or overcrowding. Spatial Intelligence is an approach to physical security that enables users to collect, manage, and interpret data in a single platform. Combine machine learning with data The term can best be used to describe how digital transformation has affected physical security. Spatial Intelligence in its infancy looked like video surveillance data combined with machine learning to produce video analytics. The spatial intelligence solutions of today can combine machine learning with data of any source, type, and size to deliver value across a large organisation, not just the security team, says the company. Armored Things’ Spatial Intelligence platform unifies data from information silos to support data-driven decisions around operations and security. By fusing data from multiple sources, we can produce more consistent and useful insights for our customers” A suite of analytics, reporting and visualisation tools helps customers gain a real-time understanding of people and flow in their space. By removing the guesswork of everyday decisions, the product enables customers to make data-driven decisions at a moment’s notice, according to the company. Armored Things is more than a data management tool. “By fusing data from multiple sources (rather than only cameras or only WiFi), we can produce more consistent, accurate, and useful insights for our customers,” says Kevin Davis, Chief Security Officer at Armored Things. "Being able to collect the data is the first step, but turning it into actionable intelligence is where Armored Things excels.” IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices The range of data sources includes IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices and even outside data sources like bus schedules and weather reports. Armored Things has built a team of public safety and technical experts with the mission to keep people safe where they live, work, and play. By leveraging emerging technology to enhance physical security, the company built the software-centric Spatial Intelligence Platform for large organisations to enhance the safety and operations of their space. Schools and education facilities are among the customers that can benefit. The leadership at Armored Things cares deeply about school safety, so the recent epidemic of campus violence has definitely been a large topic of conversation, according to the company. “By delivering our products to a greater number of customers, Armored Things hopes to continue making schools a safe place to learn and gather,” says Davis. Recently, there was a significant bottleneck lasting nearly 30 minutes at the Syracuse-Clemson football game. Unifying data into one platform Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” Using Armored Things technology and providing real-time data to security and operations personnel could have identified the bottleneck as it began to form. This would have notified relevant personnel, who could have taken steps to mitigate the problem before it turned into a security risk. Keeping the security infrastructure simple is imperative to success. Integrating a software solution into the security strategy shouldn’t complicate existing operations, says the company. “Armored Things Spatial Intelligence Platform can bring your security and operations into focus by unifying all of your data into one platform for ease of use,” says Davis. For this reason, the team chose to integrate not only with customers’ existing security infrastructure but with non-traditional data sources (e.g. WiFi, event schedules, ticketing) as well. “By combining and analysing a more diverse dataset, Armored Things can help our customers make better decisions with deeper data-driven insights,” says Davis. "Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” says Davis. “As a team, our aim is to help our customers adapt to the digital age, as they transition from hardware to software-centric security solutions. Fostering organisational change is difficult, and our team hopes to make the transition process easier for our customers.”

GSX 2019 got off to a jaunty start Tuesday. The show was humming with activity much of the day, and most exhibitors said they were pleased with the numbers and types of potential customers visiting their booths. There seemed to be less emphasis on product introductions than at the ISC West show in the spring (although there is much that is on the new side), while the trend toward system sales is continuing. Here's a review of Day 1 from the show floor. Dahua continues to educate market  “Traffic-wise, the show is better than last year,” observed Tim Shen, Director of Marketing at Dahua Technology USA, at midday on Tuesday. “We met more people from Latin America,” he added. Shen theorised that Chicago is at the center of a larger territory of customers than last year’s location (Las Vegas). Dahua’s presence at the show makes a statement: We’re still here" Dahua has faced some negative publicity in the last year since they were banned from procurement by U.S. government customers by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Dahua’s presence at the show makes a statement, says Shen. The statement is “We’re still here.” Shen said only one visitor to the Dahua booth even mentioned the NDAA on the first day of the show, and the visitor was misinformed about the provisions and implications of the law. “There is a lot of misinformation,” he says. “We need to continue to educate the market.” Facial recognition, video metadata, and people counting New at the show is the Dahua Analytics+ line of cameras that feature more in-depth analysis of data such as facial attributes, video metadata, and people counting. For example, the cameras can identify 128 points in a face, with an additional 256 attributes analysed by the back-end recorder. Analysis can provide information such as age and gender, which can help a retailer analyse the demographics of their customers, for instance. Dahua is also adopting some of its consumer line of products for sale through the commercial channel. These include a flood light camera, a 2-megapixel WiFi camera and a doorbell camera. The products might be used outside of a retail store, for example, to complement Dahua commercial cameras that are used inside the store, says Shen. Dahua previewed a new multi-sensor camera that also includes a speed dome. The multi-sensor component combines eight views, each 2 megapixels, for a total of 16 megapixels. Below the multi-sensor camera is mounted a speed dome that can zoom in on regions of interest in the larger multisensor view. The camera will be launched in the fourth quarter. The show was humming with activity much of the day, and most exhibitors said they were pleased with the numbers and types of potential customers visiting their exhibits ACRE report continued North American growth “The industry’s momentum will continue to grow,” predicted Joe Grillo, Principal of ACRE. New areas such as cloud and mobile credentialing have the fastest growth rate, but are starting from a much smaller base, he said, so momentum in those categories will take time. ACRE sees continued rapid growth with no slowdown in the North American market Grillo noticed the first morning of GSX was busy, although there was a bit of a lull at midday. In terms of the business outlook, Grillo sees continued rapid growth with no slowdown in the North American market, although there have been some negative elements creeping into the outlook in Europe. Cybersecurity concerns in access control I caught up with Grillo at the booth promoting RS2, a Munster, Ind., access control company that Acre acquired last May. It is the only Acre company that is exhibiting at GSX. RS2 is one of two access control companies acquired by Acre in the last year — the other was Open Options, Addison, Texas. Grillo said the two acquired companies are complementary, especially in terms of their sales channels and geographic strengths. Although both are national companies, RS2 tends to be stronger in the Midwest, while Open Options sales emphasis is centered in Texas and emanates to the rest of the country. Concerns about vulnerabilities are a growing issue in access control, said Grillo, and more large endusers are conducting penetration testing of systems. The industry should welcome the scrutiny, he added. Cybersecurity also represents an business opportunity in access control, noted Grillo. Concerns about the vulnerabilities of legacy technologies such as 125Khz proximity cards and the Wiegand protocol will likely accelerate the pace of companies upgrading their access control systems There seemed to be less emphasis on product introductions than at the ISC West show in the spring (although there is much that is on the new side) Eagle Eye Networks and cloud-based VMS Ken Francis of Eagle Eye Networks had already realised some new client opportunities during the first day of the show, although he was not optimistic at the outset. In contacting potential clients to meet at the show, he had heard that many were not attending. Among Eagle Eye Networks’ news at the show is full integration of body-cams into their cloud-based video management system. “It’s the most unique thing happening from a video management perspective,” Francis said. Previously, if someone needed a video clip from a body cam, they had to use a separate software system.Five years from now, at least 80 percent of all VMS systems will be cloud-managed" Francis continues to be bullish on the subject of cloud adoption of video management and made a bold prediction: “Five years from now, at least 80 percent of all VMS systems will be cloud-managed.” Eagle Eye Networks is doing its part with “rocket growth” that is reflected in an increase of company employees from 27 to 165 or so. Economies of scale have enabled Eagle Eye Networks to lower subscription prices by up to 45 percent. Genetec's release self-service PIAM system Many of the “new” products at GSX 2019 are slight variations on what was introduced at ISC West last spring. An exception is Genetec’s introduction of ClearID, a self-service physical identity and access management (PIAM) system that enforces security policies while improving the flow of people within the organisation. The new system is integrated with the Genetec's Security Center Synergis access control system. PIAM systems have historically been customisable, complex to install and costly, which is why a lot of companies have not used a system. Genetec’s differentiator is that it is an off-the-shelf, out-of-the-box solution for a broader base of customers. “We scanned the market and found a lack of off-the-shelf identity management systems,” said Derek Arcuri, Product Marketing Manager, Genetec. “Targeting the mid-market, we are providing an accessible, ready-to-go cloud-based system that is ‘baked’ for the average company but can be integrated and expanded to include other systems.” The trend toward system sales at the show is continuing ClearID will simplify operation for the security department, which was previously tasked with a lot of administrative work in response to various departments. ClearID “pushes down” the authority to use the system to stakeholders (such as IT and/or facilities directors) and provides  a system they can use themselves without involving security. “It empowers stakeholders and employees to work directly through the system rather than going through security,” says Arcuri. “It gives employees access based on stakeholder policies and improves the flow of people through an organisation. The security director is relieved of administrative work and can work on ‘real’ security.” I saw some other things today, too, which I will share in a future GSX article... And more about the show tomorrow.

Commenced in 2016, the large business club was built with smart infrastructure and modern amenities, in the futuristic town of Kolkata, to provide leisure-cum-business conducive atmosphere to their members and visitors. The contemporary building of business club is spread over 10 acres area and serves as a cultural, commercial, and business hub in the region. Having a beautiful landscape, it attained tremendous popularity due to its high-end specifications, green landscape, wedding lawn, tennis court, cafeteria, business centre to name a few. Missing real-time video surveillance With a consistently large volume of patrons visiting the business club for various events, security is the vital component of the successful operations at the site. The customer has been relying heavily on analogue video surveillance to secure its facilities and workforce. Due to its limited scalability, there was no way to do real-time surveillance throughout the premises. Moreover, every incident recorded by the video cameras required time-consuming manual investigation, therefore, causing delay in decision-making.   Aiming to advancing the surveillance solution, the customer wanted to make an investment to maintain a watchful eye, manage threats/incidents proactively along with integrate existing and new system into the unified interface. Videonetics Unified Video Computing Platform Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) is helping operators detect vehicles wrongly parked in ‘restricted’ or ‘no parking’ zones After a thorough evaluation of various solution offered by various companies, it was Videonetics that came out on top. Thanks to Videonetics Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP™) that blends Intelligent Video Management Software (VMS), Intelligent Video Analytics and seamless integration of existing analogue system into one user-friendly solution, able to grow effortlessly with customers’ need over time.   Incident response management Videonetics Intelligent VMS is managing 100+ cameras including PTZ network camera, dome cameras, fixed cameras, and bullet cameras, installed throughout the interior as well as exterior of the premises. In addition, 32 legacy analogue cameras are also integrated into the unified solution, eventually providing centralised control of the cameras to the security operators. The in-built failover and redundancy features of Intelligent VMS ensure the operators to always have access to live and recorded video. This means if any incident occurs, they can always have evidence of it. Zero Blind Spot at Entrance The Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) is helping operators to detect vehicles which are wrongly parked in ‘restricted’ or ‘no parking’ zones, at the outside of premise. For the perimeter security at entry & exit gates, the PTZ camera tracking helps in detecting unusual behaviour of the person and provides alert to security operators for faster action. At the entrance, face capture has been installed to detect a person in the scene and locates his/her face, which is saved in the database, indexed and time stamped. In addition, vehicle capture is deployed to track and record license plates of vehicles along with time and date, entering the premise. Zone monitoring Operators will be notified if a person stays beyond a certain duration in a user-marked zone The business club needed a solution that could help it identify theft, intrusion and trespassing throughout its facilities. In the first phase of the project, Videonetics along with stakeholders of business club and system integrator identified sensitive areas, that requiring immediate security system. To monitor suspicious activities, zone monitoring has been enabled at the fence of tennis court, lawn, emergency gates and open field area. Operators will be notified if a person stays beyond a certain duration in a user-marked zone. To combat unauthorised entry in generator room, operators gets alert if any intrusion happens in a marked area. Similarly, unusual activities are also being monitored in this area through loitering detection. Trespassing detection Operators can handle alarms and manage events, reducing manual checks of cases and helping to expedite investigations At the peripheries of the business club, trespassing detection has been deployed to detect if any person intrudes into a premise. The system is well capable to trace trajectory of the trespasser and prevent incident before it occurs. The authorities wanted to have alert in case any mob formation happens at the field area, known as forbidden region, of the club. Crowd formation detection has been deployed that estimates density of people in a scene and generated an alert as soon as the density in any defined area crosses a certain limit. Empowering with mobile application The ease of use of Videonetics unified solution has been instrumental to the business club. The operators and senior authorities are efficiently accessing videos anytime and anywhere, thru an intuitive interface of IVMS web and mobile applications. At the time of incidents, operators can handle alarms and manage events, therefore, reducing manual checks of cases and helping to expedite investigations.   After various phases of implementation, installation, and testing, the Videonetics unified solution went into live operation. Since upgrading to Videonetics unified solution, the business club has been able to better handle incidents of thefts/intrusion and apprehend suspects. Therefore, the level of security has been lifted by allowing the early detection of incidents and monitoring the premises round-the-clock, even in the harsh environmental condition. Furthermore, the added layer of security has been significant in business club’s efforts to attract more members and sustain business relations with existing members. Detecting patterns Now the operators use the information being collected in the unified interface to better understand the environment. They are successfully detecting patterns on how visitors/members access and move through the club. Thus, using these insights to develop strategies that maximise the use of space and keeps everyone safe. The open architecture of Videonetics unified solution allows customer to integrate with third-party systems such as access control, emergency system and much more. “To go from conventional to a professional and scalable surveillance system was a huge improvement for our client. It has enhanced our client’s reputation for providing safe and secure environment to visitors, employees, and members. Commendation to Videonetics for providing their unified video computing platform that empowered security operators by improving their efficiency in monitoring the premise and handling threats swiftly. I deeply appreciate their dedication and untiring efforts for making it a reality”, said Gaurav Das, Director, Webdesk Technologies Private Limited.

Family-owned and run company, Bijou Wedding Venues, that offers exclusive wedding venues coupled with exceptional food and service, is improving its safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing a state-of-the-art body temperature monitoring solution from ANT Telecom to reduce the risk of virus transmission. With restrictions lifting to enable larger groups of people to meet, weddings can begin to take place with greater numbers of guests. Bijou therefore wanted a solution that could enable special days to go ahead with confidence and reached out to ANT Telecom to implement its thermal imaging cameras at wedding venue entrances to ensure a significant reduction in risk to guests. Temperature monitoring cameras With Bijou operating across a range of venues, the cameras will be used to scan guests discreetly as they enter the venues to ensure minimum disruption to the day, and allow full focus to be on the couple’s celebration with families and friends. It comes as part of a range of other initiatives the company is implementing, such as changes to seating arrangements to ensure ample distancing; provision of outdoor ceremonies where possible; new methods of serving food and drink; as well as many other adaptations to minimise risk. ANT Telecom’s temperature monitoring cameras can be set up very quickly and are easy to use. The camera can detect multiple people at the same time, so is perfectly suited to scan wedding guests entering the venue. Protect guests and staff Our cameras support fast temperature measurement with discreet notifications to ensure minimal disruption" Sam Cutmore-Scott, Managing Director, Bijou Wedding Venues, comments: “We’ve made a range of changes in light of the pandemic to ensure that weddings can continue as planned and we’re pleased to offer couples this extra layer of safety alongside other measures. The temperature monitoring cameras allow us to protect all of our guests and staff right from the entrance of the venue. This is one of our key initiatives, and on top of this our exclusive venue model means venues can be completely sanitised between events and essentially acts as a private home for the couple, unlike hotel venues which have other people and staff entering and leaving the site.” Discreet notifications Upon camera detection of a temperature above the guidelines, that guest can be discreetly notified by a nominated person on behalf of the couple and alternative arrangements made, for instance inviting them to watch live streamed footage of the ceremony. Klaus Allion, Managing Director, ANT Telecom, states: “We’re delighted to support Bijou in enabling couples’ memorable days to continue and take place as close to as expected as possible. Our cameras support fast temperature measurement with discreet notifications to ensure minimal disruption and peace of mind for both the couple and guests at the venue, as well as staff. It’s an essential component of hospitality and event management and will help many types of gatherings similar to this take place safely as the fallout from the pandemic continues.”

A multi-diversified international conglomerate with a history that spans over four decades covering multiple businesses and activities. It has out rightly developed the first outlet concept mall in the Middle East. The mall is a home for over 1,200 of the world’s premium and top brands. The mall is the mark of true and ultimate value retail destination. This two storey mall houses 240 stores and services. This particular mall includes multiple stores that required a religious control on the occupancy rate of a store at various times of a year, in order to improve their service management by deploying staff, accordingly. Managing and avoiding overcrowding was one of their major concerns, wherein, they aimed to monitor and ensure customer convenience in peak hours. Occupancy control feature The People Counting feature helped them to procure a detailed analysis of people entering and leaving the mall After a comprehensive discussion with their team, Matrix SATATYA SAMAS was proposed. Being the first Outlet concept mall, Matrix SATATYA SAMAS Crowd Management was an answer to all their questions. The People Counting feature helped them to procure a detailed analysis of people entering and leaving the mall. Specifically, to identify and address the peak hours which helped them in ensuring customer convenience. Particularly, with the help of the graphical reports based on the statistics, they were able to recruit people beforehand to manage the crowd. A thorough analysis of the reports helped them map and formulate seasonal marketing campaigns and discounts based on the statistics to reap surplus profits. By deploying the occupancy control feature, they could easily analyse the most crowded areas in the mall. Furthermore, they could coin which advertisements or discounts attracted customers. Results Detailed Reports and Their Analysis Improved Crowd Management Better Customer Experience

Teleste Corporation will carry out information display deployment for Braunschweig Transit Authority (Regionalverband Großraum Braunschweig) in Germany together with the company’s local subsidiary iqu Systems. The project will be completed by March 2022 and it will include harnessing the entire tram network and selected bus stops in the city of Braunschweig with 243 monochrome LED displays as well as Teleste’s passenger information system for their management. In addition, all the included stops will be equipped with text-to-speech buttons and loudspeakers announcing the displayed information for visually impaired passengers. City-wide transport systems “We at Teleste are pleased that Braunschweig Transit Authority has trusted our solution and capabilities in upgrading information infrastructure across their transport network in the city. While public transport is becoming the number one form of urban mobility for many citizens, the passengers are also expecting easy and safe travel across the city-wide transport systems.” It is clear that the right travel information needs to be available when and where the passengers need it" “It is clear that the right travel information needs to be available when and where the passengers need it. Investing in real-time information infrastructures ensures that operators will be able to meet the passengers’ expectations in an efficient and flexible manner”, said Stephan Brünig, Head of Teleste’s Public Transport Operators business. Teleste’s passenger information system includes versatile modules designed for the management of passenger information, media content, displays and fleets across public transport systems of various sizes and demands. Managing information and daily operations The system allows Braunschweig Transit Authority to manage all the 243 displays within the deployment with a web-based user interface including functionality such as status check-ups, configuration and operational management. The system will also provide the necessary interfaces to the real-time database of Braunschweig Transit Authority and the state-wide database of Lower Saxony. Through this integration, the system provides the passengers in Braunschweig with accurate and up-to-date information related to their journeys, making it easier and safer for them to navigate across the city infrastructure, while also providing the operator an efficient and flexible tool to manage the information and daily operations.

There are a handful of amazing things that set San Francisco apart from other global cities. Notably, there is the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown, the Twin Peaks overlooking the city skyline, San Francisco Bay, and The Moscone Centre. Just how does a convention centre fit into the list of places to see in beautiful San Francisco? It is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It includes three main halls spread out across three blocks and 87 acres in the prime South of Market neighborhood. The convention centre originally opened in 1981 and has gone through several renovations. It is currently upgrading its security system to reflect a modern, state-of-the-art security solution. Securing SMG/Moscone Centre Security at the SMG/Moscone Centre is handled similar to the security at a Tier 1 airport. However, clients who use the facility are required to provide their own inside security. When the doors of the convention Centre are open to the public, it plays host to people who want to come in and look around. Our new security system will provide analytics, and the ability to look at the images in real time" “We are responsible for facility security inside and on the perimeter outside. This is considered a soft target, so we do everything possible to harden the security,” said Damion Ellis, Director of Security at the SMG/Moscone Centre. Damion adds, “The time is right for us to take out the old security system, including the old analog camera system. Our new security system will provide analytics, and the ability to look at the images in real time.” IP cameras installed for wide surveillance Like any major metropolitan area, the San Francisco metropolitan region has its own issues that have to be dealt with that aren’t pleasant. This includes keeping track of the homeless population and what they are doing. Damion Ellis further said, “We are able to place the new IP cameras in places where the homeless population congregates on the outside, in dark corners of the facility.” CompleteView VMS video platform The Moscone Centre complex consists of three main halls. Moscone South is located to the south of Howard Street and is three-storey tall. It opened in 2017, replacing the original Moscone Centre building that opened in 1981. A Keith Haring sculpture stands outside the hall at the corner of 5th and Howard streets. Moscone North is located to the north of Howard Street, and Moscone West is a three-level exhibition hall located across 4th Street from Moscone North. Integration with ProWatch access control platform “One of the most compelling reasons Moscone deployed CompleteView video platform was the integration with Honeywell’s ProWatch access control platform, as well as newly designed multi-sensor cameras,” said Salient’s Regional Sales Manager in the Bay Area, Cindy Doyle. Cindy adds, “The ease of use and intuitive software allowed the guard staff to use maps in the system to identify where triggered events took place for guard dispatch.” Monitoring door alarms Prowatch access control platform is currently being used to monitor door alarms throughout the property Prowatch access control platform is currently being used to monitor door alarms throughout the property and triggering video call-up and/or alarm video event when there is a forced or held open door. In order to keep track of outside foot traffic and provide interior and exterior security, an analytics option was foremost on everyone’s mind, and integrator Microbiz Security Co., dove in with an initial site survey to determine the best course of action. Microbiz has partnered with the SMG/Moscone Centre for several years. Video analytics solution “Our goal was to take a look at what it would take to secure the facility, but to do it properly,” said Todd Chritton, President of Microbiz Security. “The integrator had some suggestions in terms of offering better security coverage in some areas,” said Marco Escobar, Vice President of Operations at Microbiz Security, adding “What they knew was three buildings needed to update from its current 2002 technology, and upgrade to 2018 technology. It also was beneficial to the integrator having worked on site for several years and also having worked with Ellis during his tenure with the Hilton Hotel chain.” Multi-sensor and multi-megapixel IP cameras  Marco Escober further stated, “We’ve been a long-time vendor at the convention centre, and we offer a pride of installation as well as using the best of the best security solutions. We began by updating current cameras to Arecont Vision multi-sensor and multi-megapixel IP cameras and Salient Systems’ CompleteView VMS, Dellintegrated server with RAID6 configuration and CompleteView Enterprise software." He adds, "The VMS is a fully open architecture, enabling convention center security staff to seamlessly leverage existing technology investments and minimise disruption.”

AI technology solutions firm, Athena Security is rolling out a line of artificial intelligent thermal cameras, which will be critical in the coming weeks. Containing Covid-19 spread With voters congregating at the primary polls in three US states, exponential spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) is inevitable. The infected voters, many of whom will be ignorant that they have the contracted the virus, will spread it to countless others. In the coming weeks, those infected with the virus will need full awareness of their state of health to prevent further spread of the infection. High-tech AI thermal cameras AI thermal cameras can be life-saving by giving instant warning to the person that they could have the virus Taking into consideration that high temperature is one of the first symptoms of Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection, these high-tech AI thermal cameras can be life-saving by giving instant warning to the person that they could have the virus and encouraging that person to take serious steps to self-quarantine immediately. Although many voters are bound to contract Coronavirus (Covid-19) when casting votes, steps taken in the coming weeks could prevent those infected from spreading it to loved ones and strangers alike. Some details surrounding the AI thermal cameras include: The cameras capture video accurately within 1/2 a degree They detect 12 different points on the body These cameras are perfect for mass congregation locations, such as airports, grocery stores, hospitals and voting locations The AI thermal cameras are ‘Ethical’ and feature no facial recognition or personal tracking Athena Security is the first A.I. technology company to accurately detect guns to mitigate mass shootings back in 2018 The first deployment of the AI thermal cameras is in Austin, Texas, USA

Public spaces provide soft targets and are often the sites of terrorist or active shooter attacks. Public spaces, by definition, require easy accessibility and unrestricted movement. Given that openness, what security technologies can provide real results? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is technology innovation impacting the security of public spaces?

ISC West 2019 is in the industry’s rear-view mirror, and what a show it was! The busy three days in April offered a preview of exciting technologies and industry trends for the coming year. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What was the big news at ISC West 2019?

When a big security breach occurs, the phones start ringing at security companies, or so the expectation goes. The nature of security is that it takes a security breach, or even a high-profile tragedy, to convince managers of the need for security technology. When a school shooting occurs, schools take note. When terrorism strikes a soft target, other vulnerable institutions notice. Same for hospitals and airports and even nightclubs. When an event occurs, it gets attention that could translate into business for security companies of various types. But should security companies seek to capitalise on these opportunities? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is it fair game for manufacturers or marketers to leverage recent violent incidents or terrorist attacks to promote sales of security systems or products?