Video analytics

Videonetics, globally renowned visual computing platform development company, has announced that it has achieved No. 1 position as video management software provider in India with the dominant market share of 36.1%, according to a recently released report by IHS Markit. Videonetics market share is more than the aggregate of total market share of 2nd to 4th ranked VMS providers, which is a huge achievement and a testimony of its undisputed leadership in the VMS segment. VMS solutions provider Videonetics is also the youngest and the only Indian VMS provider in the top 5 listing Videonetics is also the youngest and the only Indian VMS provider in the top 5 listing. Recently, Videonetics was also ranked amongst top 5 VMS providers in Asia market with the market share of 5.4%. IHS Markit is globally renowned in critical information, analytics and expertise to forge solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. Rankings are adjudged using a robust rating scale and evaluated based on percentage revenue growth, competitive advantage, size and innovation capabilities over the years. Commenting on the achievement, Dr. Tinku Acharya, Fellow IEEE, Founder & MD, Videonetics, “It is a prestigious honor to be recognised as an industry leader in VMS by IHS Markit. This recognition validates our drive for high performance, innovation, differentiation and scalability.” Unified Video Computing Platform “Building upon our award winning and patented AI & Deep Learning framework, we continue to achieve widespread adoption of our Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP), in smart & safe cities, aviation, industrial, education, BFSI, retail, healthcare sectors”, he further added. Mr. Avinash Trivedi, VP – Business Development, Videonetics expressed, “The findings of lHS Markit reaffirm our leadership position in the VMS market. We’ve always strived to bring more value to our partners, integrators and customers. I would like to dedicate this achievement to them for their continued support, commitment and excellent contribution to Videonetics growth”. Videonetics Intelligent Video Management Software Videonetics Intelligent Video Management Software (IVMS) is an open architecture, agnostic, scalable and modular video management and analytics software. IVMS provides enterprise-class features without discriminating on the size of the project and manages the video effectively, optimally and securely. IVMS offers flexible deployment environments to suit user’s preferences and needs. IVMS is a part of Videonetics’ patented Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP) which brings together other applications such as AI & Deep Learning based Video Analytics, Intelligent Traffic Management Applications and Face Recognition to address all of the video computing requirements. Built on open architecture, IVMS enables easy 3rd party integration with various sub systems such as access control, fire alarm systems, SCADA, Intrusion Detection, ICCC, C4I and IBMS systems.

Panasonic Security Systems, a business unit of the newly formed Panasonic i-PRO Sensing Solutions Co., Ltd., is showcasing its impressive solutions capabilities at ISC East 2019, booth #435 at the Javits Centre. By combining superior imaging technologies with new AI-driven software and analytics solutions, Panasonic i-PRO Security Systems offers comprehensive, customisable solutions to meet the most diverse range of users’ specific needs. Core solutions on display include the company’s fully integrated Video Insight 7 Video Management System Video Insight 7 VMS solution Core solutions on display include the company’s fully integrated Video Insight 7 Video Management System (VMS) and MonitorCast access control platform, innovative FacePRO facial recognition software, and a wide variety of analytics. “There are many new and exciting developments at Panasonic that we will be unveiling over the next several months – the most significant being our enhanced solutions portfolio,” said Bill Brennan, Vice President of the Security Division., Ltd. AI-driven software and analytics Bill adds, “Where Panasonic was once almost exclusively recognised for our superior imaging products, our enhanced portfolio of AI-driven software and analytics enables us to provide advanced integrated solutions that move beyond detection to preventive analysis and business intelligence. This is the new Panasonic i-PRO.” Video Insight 7.5, a powerful and versatile VMS solution with innovative 3D De-warp functionality, fully integrates the company’s MonitorCast access control platform to deliver uncompromised system management and control with unlimited scalability, and no license fees when used with i-PRO Extreme cameras. FacePRO facial recognition solution FacePRO facial recognition software employs an innovative neural network with deep learning technology FacePRO facial recognition software employs an innovative neural network with deep learning technology providing fast face matching on both live and recorded video; the ability to identify and match multiple faces against 10 million records in seconds; and GDPR compliant privacy protection via end-to-end SSL communications and fully encrypted facial data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) rated FacePRO as the ‘world’s most highly rated facial recognition engine’. A new portfolio of Intelligent Analytics including, License Plate Recognition; Vehicle Search Detection; Intruder Detection, Loitering Detection, Direction Detection, Object Left Behind Detection; Object Removed Detection; and Cross Line Detection. i-PRO Extreme IP cameras i-PRO Extreme IP cameras in a wide range of models with up to 4K/9MP resolution, and in multi-sensor, PTZ, dome, and box configurations. Highlights include the new WV-X8570N iA (intelligent Auto) 4K/33MP H.265 Panoramic Multi-Sensor Camera; WV-S3532LM iA H.265 Compact Dome Camera; and the WV-S2570L4K iA H.265 Dome Camera. The ISC East exhibit also showcases new Remote Demo Sites, with feeds from the majority of the i-PRO Extreme line-up, as well as the ability to demo FacePRO. For added versatility, the Panasonic Partner Ecosystem includes deep integration with over 4,500 cameras from 151 different manufacturers, and integration with 19 access control partners.

Panasonic Security Systems, a business unit of the newly formed Panasonic i-PRO Sensing Solutions Co., Ltd., is showcasing its impressive solutions capabilities at ISC East booth #435. By combining its superior imaging technologies with new AI-driven software and analytics solutions, Panasonic i-PRO Security Systems offers comprehensive, customisable solutions to meet the most diverse range of users’ specific needs. Core solutions on display include the company’s fully integrated Video Insight™ 7 Video Management System (VMS) and MionitorCast™ access control platform, innovative FacePRO™ facial recognition software, and a wide variety of analytics. AI-driven software and analytics There are many new and exciting developments at Panasonic that we will be unveiling over the next several months" “There are many new and exciting developments at Panasonic that we will be unveiling over the next several months – the most significant being our enhanced solutions portfolio,” said Bill Brennan, Vice President of the Security Division., Ltd. “Where Panasonic was once almost exclusively recognised for our superior imaging products, our enhanced portfolio of AI-driven software and analytics enables us to provide advanced integrated solutions that move beyond detection to preventive analysis and business intelligence. This is the new Panasonic i-PRO.” Panasonic i-PRO solutions on display at ISC East include: Video Insight 7.5, a powerful and versatile VMS solution with innovative 3D Dewarp functionality, fully integrates the company’s MonitorCast access control platform to deliver uncompromised system management and control with unlimited scalability, and no license fees when used with i-PRO Extreme cameras. Facial recognition software FacePRO™ facial recognition software employs an innovative neural network with deep learning technology providing: fast face matching on both live and recorded video; the ability to identify and match multiple faces against 10 million records in seconds; and GDPR compliant privacy protection via end-to-end SSL communications and fully encrypted facial data. The NIST rated FacePRO the ‘world’s highest rated facial recognition engine’The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) rated FacePRO the ‘world’s highest rated facial recognition engine.’ A new portfolio of intelligent analytics including: license plate recognition; vehicle search detection; intruder detection, loitering detection, direction detection, object left behind detection; object removed detection; and cross line detection. Showcasing remote demo sites i-PRO Extreme IP cameras in a wide range of models with up to 4K/9MP resolution, and in multi-sensor, PTZ, dome, and box configurations. Highlights include the new WV-X8570N iA (intelligent Auto) 4K/33MP H.265 Panoramic multi-sensor camera; WV-S3532LM iA H.265 compact dome camera; and the WV-S2570L4K iA H.265 dome camera. The ISC East exhibit also showcases new remote demo sites, with feeds from the majority of the i-PRO Extreme line-up, as well as the ability to demo FacePRO. For added versatility, the Panasonic Partner Ecosystem includes deep integration with over 4,500 cameras from 151 different manufacturers, and integration with 19 access control partners.

In the new version update of VIVOTEK’s video management software VAST 2, several advanced user-centered functionalities will be unveiled. The new features include the Deep-Learning Technology Smart Search II, Cyber security Management Solution, and License Plate Recognition Integration. With this update, users can enjoy the intuitive interface of VAST 2 while achieving a higher level of management efficiency. Video Content Analytics Three new user-oriented benefits will be highlighted in VAST 2 : Smart Search II Building on Deep-Learning Video Content Analytics, the Smart Search II of VAST 2 allows users to quickly search for specific objects and people in the specified region. While enabling People Detection feature, only people-based activities will serve as event triggers. The security operator no longer needs to search through extensive footage for critical videos, thus improving both efficiency and effectiveness. Cyber security Management Solution Offering the complete end-to-end cyber security protection, the new VAST 2 is fully integrated with VIVOTEK cameras and NVRs and becomes a powerful cyber security central management site. The protection includes Instant Alert Notifications, allowing users to receive notifications automatically, and the Cyber Risk Dashboard to visually identify common types of cyber-attacks. In addition, users can filter attack logs according to a range of criteria, making it quicker to find abnormal events and take necessary actions to minimise risks. License plate data License Plate Recognition Integration Now, the new VAST 2 is fully integrated with VIVOTEK’s LPR/ Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera, IB9387-LPR. Users can see the live images with selected information, such as confidence level or black list status, which can in turn become a trigger source in Alarm Management, making it easy to intelligently manage license plate data.

Video surveillance is commonly associated with security. But in most cases, it's used to record incidents and assist in investigations after the fact rather than prevent undesirable events. Artificial intelligence–powered video analytics is a highly promising trend that fundamentally changes the way things work. Extracting manageable data from a video stream can help recognise risky situations early on, minimising damage and, ideally, completely avoid emergencies. At the same time, AI significantly expands the areas of application of video surveillance beyond security systems. AI significantly expands the areas of application of video surveillance beyond security systems However, the hype around this new, trendy technology prevents the potential user from choosing quality solutions in a wide variety of products. This often leads to over-expectation, followed by a complete let-down. Can AI-powered video analytics really be the key to a technological breakthrough in video surveillance? We'll take a look at what the technology can do, what it can't, and where it can go from here. Technological breakthrough or just another bubble? It's often said that the video management software (VMS) market is becoming increasingly commoditised and widely available. A lot of products with similar features (or, at least, similar promises from the manufacturer) make it hard to choose. As a result, vendor names and reputations are turning into one of their primary selling points. Manufacturers have two choices available: get wrapped up in a price war and rely on cutting expenses, or offer a product that's truly innovative and revolutionary. Manufacturers have two choices available: get wrapped up in a price war, or offer a product that's truly innovative and revolutionary VMS developers who choose the second route are gravitating towards creating products that use artificial intelligence based on neural networks and deep learning. Emerging two or three years ago, the AI video analytics market is experiencing a boom in growth. This new tech wave has stirred the still, stagnant backwaters of the VMS world and gave small, ambitious developers something to be optimistic about. It seems they now have a chance to emerge as market leaders in the next few years. However, the hype around this popular trend is raising reasonable concerns among experienced security industry professionals. These concerns come from clients looking for a solution to their problems, and from suppliers building a long-term development strategy. This largely resembles another tech bubble, like the one built up around pre-AI video analytics and burst when it became clear that the sensational promises around it were pure marketing hype (and rather unscrupulously so). However, there are a lot of factors that indicate that AI-powered video surveillance systems aren't another bubble. The three factors The first — and the main one — comes from systems already in place on customers' sites. They fulfill the same promises made during the previous bubble by hotheads in a rush to teach the computer to analyse events in real time using a classical algorithmic approach. The second is the fact that this new technology has seen investment from not only software and cloud startups, but also established VMS developers. Even giants like Intel, which has presented a full line of neural network accelerator hardware and a set of software tools that streamlines working with them, specifically in the field of computer vision. This new technology has seen investment from not only software and cloud startups, but also established VMS developers The third factor lies in artificial intelligence's abilities. AI plays chess, drives cars, and works wonders in many other fields. Why shouldn't it be applied to video monitoring and analysis? What AI can do Just what can artificial intelligence do in video surveillance systems at this stage of development? It can't quite analyse a sequence of events and understand the "logic" of what's happening in the cameras' field of view. At least not yet. But it's probable that AI will learn to do this in the next few years. But neural network analytics can already detect, classify, and track objects very well, providing high accuracy even in busy scenes. Artificial intelligence can be used in the real world to: Detect smoke and flames for early fire warning at open areas (forest, open warehouse, parking lot, etc.) Distinguish people/vehicles from animals and other moving objects, e.g. to protect the perimeter of a nature park from poachers Distinguish a person in a helmet and protective clothing from a person without them to prevent accidents at a dangerous production facility or construction site Count objects of a specific type, e.g. cars in a parking lot, people in the sales floor, wares moving on a conveyor belt, etc. in non-security-related solutions Those are just a few examples. After training a neural network, it can tackle other, similar tasks, too. Generally, a neural network trained in specific conditions isn't replicable. In other words, it won't work as well under different conditions. On the other hand, developers have learned how to quickly train AI for the needs of a specific project. The most important requirement is having enough video footage. Somewhat apart from that is the use of neural networks in facial and automatic number-plate recognition. This is an example of reproducible neural networks (train once, deploy everywhere), which makes them more appealing commercially. If non-reproducible neural networks have only recently become economically feasible due to the rapid evolution of specialised hardware (aforementioned Intel's product, for example), then the use of AI in facial recognition and ANPR has been well established for a long time. The use of AI in facial recognition and ANPR has been well established for a long time Another kind of AI analytics that we'll explore is behaviour analytics. This function, probably more than any other, is bringing video surveillance systems closer to understanding what's happening on camera. Its potential is vast. How behaviour analytics works From a technical point of view, behaviour analytics combines artificial intelligence with a classic algorithmic approach. A neural network trained on a multitude of scenarios can determine the position of the bodies, heads, and limbs of humans in the camera's field of view. The algorithm outputs an array of data containing descriptions of their poses. Conditions can be set for data to detect a specific pose, such as raised hands, prostrated or crouching persons. Developers can use this to quickly create new detection tools to identify potentially dangerous behavior specified by a government or business client. There's no need for additional training of the neural network. How behaviour analytics can be deployed Someone crouched down next to an ATM could be a technician, CIT guard, or burglar. Bank security should be notified in any of the cases. A person in shooter position, together with a bank employee or cashier with their hands raised could indicate a robbery. The system can be configured to automatically send alerts with a surveillance snapshot to the police so they can assess the threat and take action if needed. It's vital that the police receive the alert, even if the employee is unable to activate the alarm. In many cases, attention should be directed to a prostrate individual. This could be somebody who needs immediate help, or it could be someone sleeping in an inappropriate public place, for example, a 24/7 ATM space. Behavioural analytics can also be used to ensure workplace safety. For example, tracking whether employees are holding the handrails when using the stairs at a manufacturing facility or a construction site. What now? Behaviour analytics can be deployed wherever your clients' imagination takes them. With this feature, practically any pose that indicates potentially dangerous behaviour can be detected. Timely response to an alarm helps avoid material damages or, in other situations, casualties. Practically any pose that indicates potentially dangerous behaviour can be detected An area of potential development for behaviour analytics is the ability to analyse a sequence of poses by the same person or a combination of poses and relative positions of several individuals. That will be the next level of evolution in AI's use in video surveillance: moving from "detecting" to "understanding" behaviour in real time. In its most basic form, this type of analytics can be deployed to detect deviations from the search procedure in correctional facilities when a person being inspected must assume a pre-defined sequence of poses. A more advanced form allows it to detect any kind of abnormal behaviour, such as a brawl breaking out in a public space. Ideally, behaviour analytics can predict dangerous situations based on nearly imperceptible cues gleaned from collected statistics and a Big Data analysis. At the moment, this sounds like pure fantasy, but what seemed like whimsy not too long ago is now a reality with AI. It's already beaten humans in chess and the game of Go (Weiqi). Will artificial intelligence be able to outplay humans at charades one day? It's entirely possible that we'll soon see for ourselves.

Rodrigue Zbinden, CEO at Morphean, discusses the business benefits from merging video surveillance and access control technologies as demand for ACaaS grows. The big question facing businesses today is how they will use the data that they possess to unlock new forms of value using emerging technologies such as the cloud, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. Some data is better utilised than others: financial services were quick to recognise the competitive advantages in exploiting technology to improve customer service, detect fraud and improve risk assessment. In the world of physical security, however, we’re only just beginning to understand the potential of the data that our systems gather as a part of their core function. Benefits of ‘Integrated access control’ The first thing to look for is how multiple sources of data can be used to improve physical security functionsWhat many businesses have yet to realise is that many emerging technologies come into their own when used across multiple sources of data. In physical security, for example, we’re moving from discussions about access control and CCTV as siloed functions, to platforms that combine information for analysis from any source, and applying machine learning algorithms to deliver intelligent insights back to the business. ‘Integrated access control’ then looks not just to images or building management, but to images, building management, HR databases and calendar information, all at the same time. And some of the benefits are only now starting to become clear. The first thing to look for, of course, is how multiple sources of data can be used to improve physical security functions. For example, by combining traditional access control data, such as when a swipe card is used, with a video processing platform capable of facial recognition, a second factor of authentication is provided without the need to install separate biometric sensors. CCTV cameras are already deployed in most sensitive areas, so if a card doesn’t match the user based on HR records, staff can be quickly alerted. Making the tools cost-effective In a similar vein, if an access card is used by an employee, who is supposed to be on holiday according to the HR record, then video data can be used to ensure the individual’s identity and that the card has not been stolen – all before a human operator becomes involved. This is driving growth in ‘access control as a service’ (ACaaS), and the end-to-end digitalisation of a vital business functionThese capabilities are not new. What is, however, is the way in which cloud-based computing platforms for security analytics, which absorb information from IP-connected cameras, make the tools much more cost effective, accessible and easier to manage than traditional on-site server applications. In turn, this is driving growth in ‘access control as a service’ (ACaaS), and the end-to-end digitalisation of a vital business function. With this system set up, only access control hardware systems are deployed on premise while the software and access control data are shifted to a remote location and provided as a service to users on a recurring monthly subscription. The benefits of such an arrangement are numerous but include avoiding large capital investments, greater flexibility to scale up and down, and shifting the onus of cybersecurity and firmware updates to the vendor. Simple installation and removal of endpoints What’s more, because modern video and access control systems transmit data via the IP network, installation and removal of endpoints are simple, requiring nothing more than PoE and Wi-Fi. Of all the advantages of the ‘as a service’ model, it’s the rich data acquired from ACaaS that makes it so valuable, and capable of delivering business benefits beyond physical security. Managers are constantly looking for better quality of information to inform decision making, and integrated access control systems know more about operations than you might think. Integrating lighting systems with video feeds and access control creates the ability to control the lightsRight now, many firms are experimenting with ways to find efficiencies and reduce costs. For example, lights that automatically turn off to save energy are common in offices today, but can be a distraction if employees have to constantly move around to trigger motion detectors. Integrating lighting systems with video feeds and access control creates the ability to control the lights depending on exactly who is in the room and where they are sitting. Tracking the movement of employees Camera data has been used in retail to track the movement of customers in stores, helping managers to optimise displays and position stocks. The same technology can be used to map out how employees move around a workspace, finding out where productivity gains can be made by moving furniture around or how many desks should be provisioned. Other potential uses of the same data could be to look for correlations between staff movement – say to a store room – and sales spikes, to better predict stock ordering. What makes ACaaS truly exciting is it is still a very new field, and we’re only just scratching the surface of the number of ways that it can be used to create new sources of value. As smart buildings and smart city technology evolves, more and more open systems will become available, offering more ways to combine, analyse and draw insights from data. Within a few years, it will become the rule, rather than the exception, and only grow in utility as it does.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving everyday solutions, driving efficiency in ways we never imagined possible. From self-driving cars to intelligent analytics, the far-reaching impacts of Deep Learning-based technology empower human operators to achieve results more effectively while investing fewer resources and less time. By introducing AI, solutions are not merely powered by data, but they also generate valuable intelligence. Systems which were once leveraged for a narrow, dedicated purpose, can suddenly be engaged broadly across an organisation, because the previously under-utilised data can be harnessed for enhancing productivity and performance. Video analytics software The video intelligence software processes and analyses video to detect all the people and objects that appear When it comes to physical security, for instance, video surveillance is a standard solution. Yet, by introducing AI-driven video analytics software, video data can be leveraged as intelligence in previously inaccessible ways. Here are some examples of how diverse organisations are using AI-based video intelligence solutions to enhance security and performance with searchable, actionable and quantifiable insights. Law enforcement relies on video surveillance infrastructure for extracting investigation evidence and monitoring people and spaces. Instead of manual video review and live surveillance – which is prone to human error and distraction – police can harness video content analysis to accelerate video investigations, enhance situational awareness, streamline real-time response, identify suspicious individuals and recognise patterns and anomalies in video. The video intelligence software processes and analyses video to detect all the people and objects that appear; identify, extract and classify them; and then index them as metadata that can be searched and referenced. Maintaining public safety For law enforcement, the ability to dynamically search video based on granular criteria is critical for filtering out irrelevant details and pinpointing objects of interest, such as suspicious persons or vehicles. Beyond accelerating video evidence review and extraction, police can leverage video analysis to configure sophisticated real-time alerts when people, vehicles or behaviours of interest are detected in video. Instead of actively monitoring video feeds, law enforcement can assess triggered alerts and decide how to respond. In this way, officers can also react faster to emergencies, threats and suspicious activity as it develops. Video analysis empowers cities to harness their video surveillance data as operational intelligence Empowering law enforcement to maintain public safety is important beyond the benefit of increasing security: A city with a reputation for effective, reliable law enforcement and enhanced safety is more likely to attract residents, visitors and new businesses, exponentially driving its economic development. Furthermore, in cities where law enforcement can work productively and quickly, time and human resources can be reallocated to fostering growth and building community. Video surveillance data Video analysis empowers cities to harness their video surveillance data as operational intelligence for optimising city management and infrastructure. When video data is aggregated over time, it can be visualised into dashboards, heatmaps and reports, so operators can identify patterns and more seamlessly detect anomalous behaviour. A city could, for instance, analyse the most accident-prone local intersection and assess the traffic patterns to reveal details such as where cars are dwelling and pedestrians are walking; the directional flows of traffic; and the demographic segmentations of the objects detected: Are cars lingering in no-parking zones? Are pedestrians using designated crosswalks – is there a more logical location for the crosswalk or traffic light? Do vehicles tend to make illegal turns – should police proactively deter this behaviour, or should the city plan new infrastructure that enables vehicles to safely perform these turns? Finally, does the rise in bike traffic warrant implementing dedicated biking lanes? With video intelligence, urban planners can answer these and other questions to facilitate local improvements and high quality of life. By leveraging the video insights about citywide traffic, public transit organisations can make data-driven decisions about scheduling and services Enhancing situational awareness Insight into traffic trends is also critical for transport companies, from public transit services to transportation hubs and airports. By leveraging the video insights about citywide traffic, public transit organisations can make data-driven decisions about scheduling and services. Analysing video surveillance around bus stops, for instance, can help these companies understand the specific hours per day people tend to dwell around bus stops. Correlating this information with transactional data for each bus line, bus schedules can be optimised based on demand for individual bus lines, shortening waiting times for the most popular routes. Similarly, the traffic visualisations and activity heatmaps derived from the video of major transit hubs, such as international airports and central stations, can be beneficial for increasing security, enhancing situational awareness, identifying causes of congestion, improving throughput and efficiency and, ultimately, solving these inefficiencies to provide a streamlined customer experience for travellers. Large education campuses Campus law enforcement can leverage video data to increase situational awareness and public safety Much like a city, large education campuses have internal transportation services, residential facilities, businesses and law enforcement, and video content analysis can support the campus in intelligently managing each of those business units, while also providing video intelligence to these individual groups. Campus law enforcement can leverage video data to increase situational awareness and public safety, driving real-time responses with the ability to make informed assessments and accelerating post-event investigations with access to easily extractable video data. When campuses are expanding or developing additional infrastructure, they can plan new crosswalks, traffic lights, roads, buildings and entrances and exits based on comprehensive video intelligence. By understanding where pedestrians and vehicles dwell, walk, cross or even violate traffic laws, the campus can inform construction projects and traffic optimisation. Countless business operations The campus can leverage video business intelligence to justify leasing pricing for different retailers across campus Finally, the campus can leverage video business intelligence to justify leasing pricing for different retailers across campus, demonstrating property values based on traffic trends that can be correlated with retailer point of sale data. Whether its empowering security, productivity or decision-making, the insights generated by AI-based technology can drive significant optimisation – especially when data is fused and cross-referenced across smart sensors and systems for even deeper intelligence. In the case of AI-backed video analytics, diverse organisations can harness video surveillance impactfully and dynamically. Whereas once video technology investments could be justified for their security value – with the introduction of AI capabilities – procurement teams can evaluate these solutions for countless business operations, because they offer broadly valuable intelligence. And video surveillance and analytics is merely one example of AI-driven solutions’ potential to disrupt business as we know it.

Honeywell Commercial Security is among the companies working to develop security systems that are more proactive than reactive. “Our biggest opportunity moving forward is the ability to have security solutions that do a better job of detecting and predicting threats,” says Tim Baker, Global Marketing Director, Honeywell Commercial Security. Greater use of analytics and intelligence can reduce human error and simplify processes by providing a more unified view for greater situational awareness. Artificial intelligence and deep learning “We’re reaching a maturity level in terms of algorithms and hardware to drive new capabilities in a cost-effective way,” he says. Baker sees a continuing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning in the physical security market, used in video analytics and also for intrusion and access control. "We have challenged ourselves to move from reactive solutions to develop a set of proactive solutions that determine potential security threats before they happen,” he says. An overarching theme is the need to focus operator attention on “what matters” rather than requiring operators to keep track of the growing number of sensors in newer systems. A remaining hurdle is to streamline the deployment of analytics systems, which can require expensive customisation during the commissioning phase.  Credential-enabled access control reader The reader can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control That’s where Honeywell is investing and focusing its attention, seeking when possible to “pre-teach” algorithms based on data gleaned from a large installed base. Fortunately, there will be plenty of data from a growing variety of sites to build from. Honeywell offers a full ecosystem built around enterprise security needs and a second ecosystem built around the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).  In the enterprise space, the trend is toward smarter edge devices, such as Honeywell’s OmniAssure Touch, a mobile credential-enabled access control reader. The reader can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control. A user can gain access by touching the reader, with no need to take his or her smart phone (which has the credential) out of their pocket. The reader is fully backwards compatible, which is a Honeywell hallmark. Honeywell’s OmniAssure Touch can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control. Designed to be cloud-enabled On the enterprise software side, Honeywell has invested in further development of their Pro-Watch access control system and MAXPRO VMS (video management system), tying them together into a single security console, along with intrusion and other systems such as human resources (HR) data. For the SMB market, Honeywell is building and expanding their MAXPRO Cloud system. As existing hardware has evolved to be cloud-enabled, the company has also been introducing new control products that are designed from the ground up to be cloud-enabled. Honeywell’s biggest vertical markets include banking, healthcare, gaming, energy infrastructure and airports The new MAXPRO Intrusion system, which can be configured over the cloud, will be introduced in the first quarter. MAXPRO Access, to be introduced in late November, can be deployed using an embedded web interface, a cloud interface, or as an on-premise solution. On the NVR side, an embedded NVR works alongside Honeywell’s new 30 Series video cameras, providing secure and encrypted end-to-end connection. Networked security system A challenge for Honeywell is to keep up with broader trends happening in the industry, whether geopolitical (e.g., relations between China and the United States) or regulatory such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Baker acknowledges an industry-wide increase in awareness about cyber security, driven largely by the enterprise market. IT departments are getting more involved in the purchasing decision; indeed, the chief information officer (CIO) is often the ultimate decision-maker. In response, Honeywell is emphasising “cyber security by design” from the beginning to the end of a project. Also, they are using white-hat hackers to test products before they are released into a live environment. “We are doing everything we can to make sure products are cyber secure,” says Baker. Honeywell’s biggest vertical markets include banking, pharmaceutical, healthcare, gaming, energy infrastructure and airports. NDAA-compliant video cameras Compliance is a common thread throughout the verticals. Honeywell sells to the government mostly in the access control and intrusion space and built around their Vindicator networked security system. (They also introduced the line of NDAA-compliant video cameras, made in Taiwan, at the recent GSX show.)

Video, access control and visitor management are among the technologies that are enabling greater safety and security at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Video surveillance systems enable hospital management and security professionals to know what goes on in and around a medical facility. Recording images in high resolutions (megapixels and gigapixels) is becoming more and more important in healthcare, says Jason Ouellette, Product Line Director – Access Control, Tyco Security Products. Video event management software Video analytics are now being leveraged for patient tracking, asset tracking, and operational purposes If an incident occurs in a medical facility, the security staff has to be able to identify faces easily and accurately. Storage and costs have to be considered, of course. With technology improving and prices decreasing, video solutions can even be used for purposes beyond traditional security. For example, video analytics are now being leveraged for patient tracking, asset tracking, and operational purposes, and captured video can be used to defend against liability claims. What’s next? Video analytics will continue to be a valuable addition to any surveillance infrastructure due to its ability to address patient needs, operational efficiencies and early risk detection, says Brandon Reich, Senior Director of Surveillance Solutions, Pivot3. Through video event management software (VEMS), hospitals can customise the statistics that are relevant to their individual buildings or campuses without having to spend extra time or money on rigorous employee training. Data capture form to appear here! Real-time access control security updates Furthermore, once healthcare facilities are able to digitise all of their patient records, secure any of their ingress and egress points with real-time access control security updates, and fully transition from analogue to IP video surveillance cameras, VEMS systems that house analytical software will be able to multiply the benefits offered to hospitals, not just in real time, but in planning ahead for future risk, expansion and safety protocols. It is vital to implement integrated and innovative access control solutions With large, complex facilities, directors of security at hospitals struggle with controlling access to various levels of the facility, according to Eric Widlitz of Vanderbilt Industries. To manage the risks that hospitals face and ensure a comprehensively protected atmosphere for patients and staff, it is vital to implement integrated and innovative access control solutions. For example, ease of access with controlled entrances is vital to medical crash teams, as is the need for a zonal access control lockdown in the event of a contagious disease outbreak. Strict access limitations Different hallways, rooms, floors and waiting areas within a hospital require different amounts of restriction, and sensitive materials, such as medical files, controlled substances and sterile environments (such as operating and procedure rooms) all necessitate an additional layer of protection. Access control in particular has advanced significantly to offer healthcare facilities the ability to control access remotely, through mobile applications, confirm identity quickly and easily and program varying levels of access for visitors, patients, doctors and staff. One area that is recently experiencing rapid growth – and drastic change – is the securing of narcotics within healthcare facilities, says Robert Laughlin, CEO and Chairman, Galaxy Control Systems. In the past, all medicine was controlled in a central pharmacy located somewhere in the hospital or health facility. These pharmacies were highly secured areas, with strict access limitations; only authorised staff could get near the medicine stocks. Fiber optic communication lines For vehicle access control, medical centers and hospitals prefer beam barricades and shallow foundation barriers To improve the speed of delivery, and to have the necessary medicines ready at hand for in-patients without retaining a large delivery staff, the current trend is to have distributed pharmaceutical closets or carts that hold medicines much closer to the intended patients. For vehicle access control, medical centers and hospitals prefer beam barricades and shallow foundation barriers, according to Gregg Hamm of Delta Scientific. Manual beam barricades are installed at the Fort Bragg Veterans Administration Hospital in North Carolina to shut down certain areas of the facility when a higher alert is sounded. They will stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 mph. The Navy Hospital in San Diego uses high speed, high security and very shallow foundation barricades to control all vehicles going in and out of the facility. With their extremely shallow foundation, they obviate the concerns of interference with buried pipes, power lines and fiber optic communication lines. They will stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 mph. At the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, even stronger shallow foundation barriers are used for traffic control and protection. These barriers will destroy a 65,000-pound (5.4 million foot-pounds) dump truck traveling 50 mph and continue to stand. Physical access control systems Controlling visitors to hospitals and healthcare facilities can directly impact security Controlling visitors to hospitals and healthcare facilities can directly impact security. Traditional methods of visitor management, such as paper visitor logs and handwritten badges are insufficient given today’s variety of security challenges. A hospital using paper-based systems cannot easily cross-check information, confirm patient information, check visitor names against up-to-date watch lists, or visually confirm identity. An increasingly popular and important application is secure and simplified visitor management, integrated with the physical access control systems (PACS). Today’s visitor management systems enable the screening, badging and tracking all visitors or, at a minimum, those visiting critical areas or during ‘after hours’ periods, Quickly identify inappropriate visitors One other growing technology is the ability to link to internal or governmental watch lists, to quickly identify inappropriate visitors before they gain access to the facilities. For example, Visitor Management systems can be configured to perform a Sex Offender search in both Children’s Hospitals and Pediatric areas, further decreasing the likelihood that someone of the list could gain access. Wayfinding is indoor navigation to guide a person step-by-step on the way to a desired destination HID Global and Phunware Inc. are addressing the need of healthcare institutions to deploy standardised technology to provide a better wayfinding and visitor engagement experience inside the hospital, across campus and even in parking lots. The companies are collaborating to improve the experience for hospital patients and visitors to find their way within medical facilities, using wayfinding on their mobile phones. Wayfinding is indoor navigation to guide a person step-by-step on the way to a desired destination. Enterprise-level mobile wayfinding “It’s easy for visitors and patients to get lost in hospitals, and every time they do it puts appointment times and patient satisfaction at risk,” says Rom Eizenberg, Vice President of Sales, Bluvision, part of HID Global “With our location-aware app on a mobile device, we equip the visitor to get instant, turn-by-turn navigation that creates a better experience than that which is currently available on the market.” HID’s healthcare IoT solution-enablement platform simplifies the delivery of real-time location of clinicians, patients and devices. The platform is enabled by Bluvision (part of HID Global). Phunware’s Multiscreen-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform also provides enterprise-level mobile wayfinding, engagement, data and more for other vertical markets, including retail, residential, hospitality, media and entertainment and more. Missed the rest our healthcare mini series? Read part one here and part two here.

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.”

March Networks, a video security and video-based business intelligence provider, announces that the rapidly growing U.S. convenience store chain Yesway has selected its Searchlight for Retail solution for advanced video surveillance and analytics. Yesway is currently deploying March Networks Searchlight for Retail in 136 locations across Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming. The c-store chain, which is operated by an affiliate of Brookwood Financial Partners, LLC, is expanding across the U.S. and plans to standardise on March Networks as it moves forward. Asset protection investigations Brandon Pohlman, Yesway Safety & Asset Protection Manager, said the company selected Searchlight for its scalability and centralised management features as well as its powerful exception-based reporting capabilities. Through its combination of high-quality video surveillance, point-of-sale (POS) transaction data and analytics, Searchlight helps Yesway visually monitor operations at all of its sites and quickly analyse transaction data for anomalies. “Having our video surveillance, POS data and analytics together on one easy-to-use platform is a huge advantage for Yesway,” said Pohlman. Using the software, the c-store can rapidly search and sort all of its transactions and match them with corresponding video clips. The company can also group higher-risk transaction types like refunds and assign risk factors to its stores based on the number of these transactions. “The insights uncovered by Searchlight have helped Yesway reduce its shrink levels and improve the speed and efficiency of asset protection investigations,” Pohlman said. Advanced system management software Yesway is also deploying March Networks 8000 Series Hybrid NVRs for reliable video recording In addition to asset protection, Searchlight also delivers valuable business intelligence through the integration of video analytics including people counting, queue length and dwell time. Several different Yesway departments use Searchlight’s information to monitor operations, merchandising and customer service across the organisation. Iverify, a full-service interactive security company and March Networks certified partner, managed the Yesway installation. Marty Brakel, Iverify National Account Manager, said March Networks’ products are ideal for the c-store market. “March Networks Searchlight is a professional-grade solution for customers like Yesway that need robust loss prevention tools and the ability to manage hundreds of locations simultaneously,” said Brakel. In addition to Searchlight, Yesway is also deploying March Networks 8000 Series Hybrid NVRs for reliable video recording, and March Networks SE2 Series IP Cameras for high-quality video capture. It is managing the solution with March Networks Command Enterprise, advanced system management software that simplifies multi-site video management. Improve customer satisfaction “With March Networks’ complete solution for c-stores, organisations like Yesway can cut losses and improve customer satisfaction as well as operational efficiency,” said Net Payne, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, March Networks. "Because Searchlight is also available as a hosted service, c-stores and other retailers can enjoy all the benefits of this powerful solution for a low monthly fee. They can have peace of mind knowing that March Networks’ trained professionals are monitoring and maintaining the health of the video system on their behalf.”

Located in the Southern Vietnamese metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, the Deutsches Haus office tower is a symbol of cooperation between Germany and Vietnam. Opened in September 2017, it is the country’s first building to earn LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) Platinum environmental certification and serves as a cultural, commercial and diplomatic hub in the region. Next to the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany the 25-story building with a 40,000-square-meters floor area is home to regional offices of international firms such as VISA, Adidas, Schneider Electric, and Bosch Vietnam. As premium amenities, Deutsches Haus also features a gourmet cafe, multifunctional conference and events area, health club, and rooftop restaurant. Creating a challenging security environment Deutsches Haus needs to meet the highest security demands: All security systems, including security guard teams From a security manager’s perspective, this multi-use blend of diplomacy, business, and leisure facilities – in a building fully accessible to the public – creates a challenging security environment. As the seat of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Deutsches Haus needs to meet the highest security demands: All security systems, including security guard teams, have to be approved by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Adding to the challenge, Deutsches Haus is located opposite from the Consulate General of the United States of America – and in close vicinity to the Consulate General of France and the British Consulate General – on a busy intersection between two main streets. Therefore, monitoring pedestrians and automobile traffic on the building’s perimeter is just as crucial to end-to-end security as tracking public and high-security areas on the inside. Detecting security events automatically In search of an adequate video security solution, the team at Deutsches Haus knew that high-definition cameras alone would not suffice. The reason: When several hundred cameras are required to secure an area of this size, personnel tend to be overwhelmed by the amount of video feeds. After only 20 minutes, the average operator misses 90 percent of important scenes, as studies have proven. Bosch experts covered the building and its perimeter with network security cameras For this reason, modern IP security cameras feature Intelligent Video Analytics – using algorithms and AI-based image recognition – to support operators by detecting security events automatically. Bosch experts covered the building and its perimeter with network security cameras featuring built-in Intelligent Video Analytics. Indoor areas like the entrance doors, reception area, lobby, café, as well as parking garages and corridors to the fire escape staircases are monitored by over 170 DINION IP starlight 7000 HD and FLEXIDOME IP panoramic 7000 MP cameras. Alerting security personnel of illicit behaviour The building’s elevators are also protected by Bosch cameras. Thanks to built-in-intelligence, IP cameras automatically alert security personnel of illicit behaviour, for instance persons accessing restricted areas. The building’s perimeter and parking lot are safeguarded outdoor-approved AUTODOME IP starlight 7000 HD cameras with pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) capabilities. Integrated with a third-party solution to open barriers for authorised vehicles, the cameras can automatically track moving objects such as cars and pedestrians – and warn personnel of threats – with their 30x zoom lens while obtaining images under low light conditions via Bosch starlight technology combined with Intelligent Video Analytics. As a key requisite, the networked cameras are able to withstand the city’s four-month rain period and prove resistant to vandalism. Enhancing safety of building occupants The staff can easily announce and notify a building guest about a forgotten purse which was left in the café PAVIRO, the Public Address and Voice Evacuation system of Bosch was installed in the building for the safety of building occupants. The PAVIRO solution makes it possible for occupants to feel safe in the building while enjoying high quality music and excellent Public Address speech intelligibility. The staff can easily announce and notify a building guest about a forgotten purse which was left in the café. To make building evacuations as efficient as possible, the PAVIRO solution provides phased evacuation: automated messages direct occupants to immediate safety. Next to this, building occupants and guests can also enjoy high-quality music in the rooftop restaurant, café, health club and event areas which of course contributes to the nice building atmosphere. Providing government-grade security For the building owner, PAVIRO can establish long-term cost-saving and minimise total cost of ownership. The system is especially eco-friendly because less amplifiers are needed due to power-load sharing of the amplifier architecture, which in turn requires fewer batteries. Since opening day, the Bosch system has provided government-grade security at Deutsches Haus in Ho Chi Minh City. “I am proud to have Bosch both as a tenant and as a brand who secures Deutsches Haus with their high quality and reliable video security cameras and sound systems,” added Ryan Lower, Property Director, Colliers International – Deutsches Haus. While meeting the challenge of securing diplomatic and enterprise assets in a publicly accessible building, the future-proof solution provides an important reference in this dynamic market.

The first China International Import Expo was held on November 5, 2018 in Shanghai. As the world's first import-themed national exhibition, it attracted more than 3,600 exhibitors from 172 countries, regions and international organisations, making security a top priority during the event. As an essential force in the global security industry, Dahua Technology has performed outstandingly in assuring the security of many international events such as the Rio Olympic Games, G20 Hangzhou Summit and the 9th BRICS Summit. This time, Dahua Technology has shouldered the security responsibility again with its state-of-the-art products and solutions. Event security Dahua Technology provided more than 3,000 sets of cutting-edge intelligent equipment The Expo expected a total number of 800,000 visitors, as well as tens of thousands of displayed goods, coming from more than 3,000 companies in more than 130 countries, demanding safety as the top priority in the venue. Integrating data from various departments as well as monitoring the venue and command dispatching became a huge challenge for the security and police personnel. Dahua Technology provided more than 3,000 sets of cutting-edge intelligent equipment in the core locations of the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center and its surrounding areas, using video AR, face recognition, ANPR, video structuring, intelligent analysis and other technologies to improve the venue’s level of security. Artificial Intelligence solutions In order to further enlarge the area security coverage, Dahua Technology set up video surveillance points in key areas of Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center including entrance and exit points of the outer ring, interior area, office buildings, as well the surrounding major passages, plazas, commanding points, subway entrances and exits, pedestrian bridges, etc. In addition to the already pre-installed surveillance equipment, new monitoring devices were also added to make sure that there will be no blind spots and interruptions of the video transmission in the whole area. Panoramic cameras Dahua panoramic cameras installed at the commanding point of the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center employs AR technology in order to achieve omni-directional and no blind spot surveillance. Additionally, the panoramic cameras deployed inside the exhibition center monitor the situation inside the exhibition hall and obtain real-time dynamic information that builds a three-dimensional platform that are visual, controllable and schedulable to facilitate an efficient security operation. Intelligent video analysis system Intelligent video analysis system was built in the exhibition area to classify the acquired data  Moreover, intelligent video analysis system was built in the exhibition area to classify the acquired data according to the preset rules and application requirements, such as crowd detection, behavior analysis, map search, etc. This system expands and deepens the application of video information in the efficiency of public security. Furthermore, through the Dahua Deep Learning Series video alert camera, people who would illegally climb over the perimeter fence built within the 4-kilometer area of the exhibition hall would be identified and captured. Dahua face recognition system The Dahua face recognition system deployed at the entrance and exit of the exhibition center could recognise the identity of all visitors in real time by comparing their ID card’s recorded information with the face photo captured by the front-end smart camera. This system did not just improve the traffic efficiency of the entrance and exit points, but also guaranteed the safety and accuracy of the identification of people walking in and out of the venue. High-definition smart cameras Dahua high-definition smart cameras were also set up at the entrance and exit around the transportation hub of the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center to monitor and track high-risk vehicles and people in real-time. This effectively improved the road management and traffic control in the area. Fully structured cameras capturing real-time videos of motor vehicles, pedestrians and non-motor vehicles were deployed in the surrounding area, which also support face and body recognition for a more comprehensive security. Video network platform Video network platform automatically connects the video and image data captured within the area  Additionally, a video network platform automatically connects the video and image data captured within the area to the public security command center, creating a resource sharing integration of valuable information. China International Import Expo has facilitated countries and regions all over the world in strengthening economic cooperation and trade, and promoting global trade and world economic growth. Dahua AI solutions has greatly enhanced the prevention and control measures within the key areas around the venue, assuring security during the Expo. Cutting-edge security solutions After the event, Dahua Technology received letters from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, Qingpu Public Security Bureau, Changning Public Security Bureau, Shanghai Hongqiao Integrated Transportation Hub Emergency Response Center, and other offices, thanking Dahua Technology for its strong support and contributions to the success of the security management during the event. From the Rio Olympic Games to the G20 Hangzhou Summit, from the 9th BRICS Summit to the first China International Import Expo, Dahua Technology always accomplishes various security tasks with high quality and efficiency. With its cutting-edge products and solutions, quality operation services and professional technical team, Dahua Technology will continue to assist more major international events in the future.

Genetec Inc., globally renowned technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence has announced that the city of New Orleans (NOLA) is relying on Security Center, the company’s unified IP security platform, to improve public safety and enhance city-wide collaboration. With about 400,000 residents, New Orleans (NOLA) is the most populous city in the State of Louisiana. Like other big cities, NOLA is focused on enhancing public safety for its citizens and the 1.2 million visitors who flock to the city’s French Quarter for Mardi Gras celebrations. Using Security Center, the NOHSEP agency has saved police officers about 2000 hrs of investigative work in just a year Genetec Security Center As part of a Citywide Public Safety Improvement Plan that included the deployment of a new citywide public safety system and the construction of a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), the New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) chose the Genetec Security Center unified platform to support all city agencies.  Using Security Center, the NOHSEP agency has saved police officers about 2000 hours of on-foot investigative work in just one year. “It might take a police officer over an hour to visit business locations, speak with owners, look through video, find what they are looking for, get a copy of video onto USB keys, drive back to the precinct, and then submit that into evidence." said George Barlow Brown, IT Manager at the New Orleans Real Time Crime Center. Video and ALPR cameras He adds, “So, we have essentially saved the department over 2000 hours of manual labor in physically collecting and storing video evidence. That’s more time for officers to respond to calls of service and be present in our many neighborhoods, which helps build community confidence. The ROI is there for us in terms of the efficiency,” The team can now easily retrieve evidence from over 325 city-owned video cameras and 100 automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras (60 of which are Security Center AutoVu cameras)  from the Real-Time Crime Center. The new security platform is integrated with other public safety solutions such as a Briefcam analytics system and a computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system. All this information gets routed through to a central command center, speeding up emergency response. Share video access with RTCC  “Our operators do the full investigative work right from within Security Center. It’s just one of the most intuitive solutions that I have ever seen. We can display up to six video tiles and hit ‘synchronise video’ to see various angles of the same scene playing at the same time. We can then select the segment of video we need and hit export. Each 10-minute segment from all the video tiles is then archived for viewing later on,” said Brown. NOLA is also leveraging Security Center to foster a true public-private partnership. The city launched a platinum version of the SafeCam project, which allows businesses to share access to external video cameras with the RTCC. Motion-detection alarms Using the Genetec Federation feature, the NOHSEP team can access video from participating companies’ systems Using the Genetec Federation feature, the NOHSEP team can access video from participating companies’ systems. Participating businesses can be identified by discrete signage at their front entrances. This tells on-the-ground officers that this business has shared their outdoor cameras with the RTCC, and there is no reason to disturb the establishment or their customers. The officer can simply call RTCC operators to get the evidence they need. Brown and his team also have motion-detection alarms set up on cameras facing some known illegal dumping sites. As soon as someone dumps refuge in these locations, the team can proactively notify the Sanitation Department so they can collect the debris. Mining video and data NOLA is making the most of its security investments to improve city life too. For one, the RTCC operates a backup emergency operations center for the city of New Orleans. The NOHSEP team has also shared video feeds with other city departments such as the Sewage and Water Board, so they can determine the rate at which an intersection floods. As plans continue to evolve, the RTCC team is taking full advantage of the new technology to keep NOLA safer. “As far as investigations and the ability to mine video and data, Security Center is hands-down the best product out there. With this platform, we’re extending greater efficiency to responding officers, and we’re also forging stronger partnerships with our community. Together, we’re all working smarter and faster to keep New Orleans safe,” concluded Brown.

While unpacking our bags from a trade show, it is interesting to consider the dominant themes and trends we heard and saw at the show. So it is with the recently concluded Global Security Exchange (GSX) show in Chicago, presented by ASIS International. Amid all the product promotion, training sessions, networking and tired feet at the show, what really stood out? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What was the big news at the GSX 2019 trade show in Chicago?

Video analytics are undergoing a fundamental change in the market as machine learning enhances their accuracy while expanding their capabilities. But what are those expanded capabilities and how are they impacting the operation of security and video systems? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new video analytics are having an impact in the market and how?

The new school year is a good time to reflect on the role of security in protecting our schools. From video to access control to some newer technologies, our Expert Panel Roundtable found plenty to talk about when we asked this week’s question: How does security technology make our schools safer?