Within the physical security industry, there has historically been a disciplinary distinction between video surveillance, intrusion detection and access control solutions. Although these solutions could be integrated by a by single management system or designed to work together, there was usually little crossover in functionality.
As security technology has advanced, the range of tasks that each discipline can perform has increased. However, this change stands out most in video surveillance. Due to both the visual nature of the medium and the rapid growth of processing and analytical power, video surveillance solutions can now perform functions that were once the domain of other security disciplines. Rapid technological advances have also vastly increased the level of automation within video surveillance systems to process events, detection and responses.
Advances in Video Analytics
Video is well suited to analytics and automation. If we can detect specific events or actions from a video feed, we can also respond to them. For example, a passive infrared (PIR) sensor can indicate motion, but it cannot see or identify what is moving. In contrast, a surveillance camera with analytics software can not only see the motion, but also provide a visual of the objects that are moving and indicate which one caused the alarm.
Video analytics can also be used to monitor and alert security to suspicious behavior, such as loitering. If a person remains in a restricted area for too long, analytics can detect and report the occurrence so that corrective action can be taken. In this scenario, advances in video analytics provide for automated detection that would historically not have been possible.
Another example of how video analytics can improve upon traditional building systems can be seen in license plate recognition. The typical vehicle access control system requires human intervention to validate the vehicle and driver before granting them access to the property. Video-based license plate recognition can automatically allow access to authorized vehicles, while alerting staff to visitors. Additionally, combining automatic license plate recognition with video-based perimeter security and anti-loitering technology, provides a very capable automated system all derived from the one technology.
Physical Security and Predictive Analytics
Finally, consider the opportunities for proactive or even predictive security. Video analytics can report incidents before serious loss or damage has occurred, providing the ultimate in asset protection. Detecting an intrusion at the fence line allows security to intervene before the main buildings are entered. An alert regarding loitering around an ATM can allow for intervention before identity theft occurs. Identification of unusual vehicles at the entrance to a facility alerts staff to potential threats before they eventuate. Video analytics enables crime prevention solutions on a range of fronts, making it one of the most promising tools in the security industry.
It is clear from the examples above that video analytics has a bright future. It offers a wide range of benefits, including faster security incident response times, earlier warning for intrusion or loitering, automated license plate recognition and reduced need for manual monitoring.
Honeywell has released IntrusionTrace and LoiterTrace, and is committed to bringing more innovative video analytics solutions to market. Visit our website to learn more about our current video analytics solutions, including IntrusionTrace and LoiterTrace.
