Security camera systems and video surveillance tools have come a long way from the days of small CCTV CRT monitors and analog video cameras, with personnel glued to a wall of monitors looking for any activity deemed as unusual. As digital cameras with pixel-tracking capability arrived on the scene, motion detection technology was a step forward in alerting personnel to suspicious activity within the field of vision of each camera.

Recent video surveillance technology innovation is poised to rewrite the security playbook, with built-in intelligence derived from artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. The latest technology allows for video surveillance systems to “self-learn” through pattern-based analytics and teach-by-example object classification, which promotes greater security personnel productivity while making monitoring more affordable and efficient.  Security Magazine recently posted an insightful article on this topic, so we have included a few of their key points with our own observations below:

• Easier and More Flexible Setup: Motion sensors alone are limited to tracking a percentage of pixels that change, which can lead to recurring false positives. Common examples would be birds flying in front of the camera, leaves falling, or headlights from a nearby street. Security personnel would often spend a lot of time manually tweaking or limiting the field of view to disregard certain areas. With AI, there is no longer a need to compromise. These newer camera systems can identify the difference between humans, animals, machinery, and other objects and disregard “video noise” such as inclement weather so the triggered alerts are more accurate and reliable.

• More Effective Staff Utilization: Most legacy commercial security systems were, to put it mildly, not the most accurate when it came to real threat alerts, and did not inspire a high degree of confidence. Security personnel may have to review many false positives mixed in with legitimate alerts, which can be very time-consuming. Intelligent video surveillance allows a company or other organization to deploy a lean and more productive security team that is able to focus on more accurate and actionable data. Additionally, the team is better able to respond in real time to communicate and notify law enforcement as needed.
• Privacy, Bias, and Behavior: There is an immerging conversation over privacy concerns with video surveillance and data collection, especially with the GDPR that is in force in Europe, but also with other state legislation such as in California. Privacy aside and for AI-enabled technologies such as facial recognition, the debate is that AI could develop inherently unfair bias toward race or gender. However, if AI focuses on behavior patterns rather than facial recognition, it can spot abnormal behavior in a variety of environments, from retail stores to assisted living facilities, so personnel can respond accordingly. For a retail environment, it could be a customer walking in an unusually fast gait toward the register, which could detect a robbery in progress. This becomes a transformational shift from a reactive model that targets individuals to a proactive model that anticipates behaviors.
• Customers, Employees, or Patients Can Benefit: Building on the previous point, monitoring behavior can help businesses and other organizations quickly engage customers that may be demonstrating movements which could indicate frustration or confusion, such as wandering back and forth or revisiting the same store aisles. For assisted living facilities, an assisted living patient that is making erratic movements could be disoriented or anxious for some reason, which could trigger an alert for timely and responsive assistance. Even unsafe behaviors within a workplace could trigger alerts for Human Resources review or corrective action. As the surveillance models are trained and refined, intelligent video surveillance can become a valuable tool for keeping everyone safe and promote greater customer satisfaction.

Gallaher offers intelligent video surveillance through several partners including Avigilon, a division of Motorola. Avigilon’s Appearance Search™ technology is based on next-generation video analytics that includes all of the features above including facial recognition, focus of attention, license plate recognition, and unusual activity and motion detection. Please contact us for more information on designing a high value, cost-effective video surveillance system for your business or organization.

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Gallaher & Associates Inc. is a leading regional life safety low voltage solutions provider servicing all of Tennessee and surrounding states. In business since 1973, Gallaher celebrates over 48 years helping clients complete thousands of successful life safety projects covering fire alarm equipment, monitoring, inspection, and service, camera surveillance, access control, nurse call, intercom, mass notification, intrusion detection, cabling, pro sound, and audio video. Let us put our 400+ years of combined experience to work on your next life safety, security, or communications solution by contacting (877) 970-2471 or websalesinquiry@gallahersafe.com.