An article in Security Products magazine shows how analytics tools are advancing the security and safety fields. Thousands of cameras with terabytes of data and storage demands the kinds of business intelligence tools to deliver what you need, when you need it. These analytics systems do the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. London has more than 10,000 video security cameras in its transit system alone, called “the Ring of Steel” and there are about 3,000 in Chicago and another 3,000 coming in New York City. Taipei recently announced plans for 13,000 cameras city-wide. Cameras with built-in analytics tools estimated one person can manage 1,000 cameras simultaneously with the alerts system in place, according to Scott Schnell, CEO of camera maker VideoIQ.
With real-time video over wireless networks and always-on technology, we’ve come a long way from a bored security guard sitting in a shed watching VCR’s grind with grainy black-and-white images. Automated searching using analytics permits complex queries via license plate, face, date, time, place, color, toll transaction or other details — and as simple as a Google query.
High-value locations like auto dealers can secure outdoor areas and visually monitor facilities with pre-set analytics alarms. Alerts and two-way instant communication through loudspeakers can even stop a crime before it happens by announcing to an intruder that they are on cameras — unless of course the owner wants someone arrested.
David Wallace
Spotfire Blogging Team
Image Credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art
