Three practical monitoring applications of human-based video metadata

Issue 7 2021 Surveillance

Human-based video metadata, as its name suggests, are data derived from human targets in the monitored scene. It can be utilised based on user’s requirements to significantly enhance the management and operation of various application scenarios, while carefully maintaining people’s privacy at the same time.

To give you some insights into its practical usage, here are three conventional applications of human-based video metadata that you can adopt based on your own monitoring needs:

Search targets and generate statistics

One of the most common applications of human-based video metadata is for target searching after an event. Intelligent surveillance devices, such as the Dahua WizMind products, offer Quick Target Search function that can locate suspects in time using their physical attributes. Target attributes include beard, glasses, mask, hat, etc., which are continuously being developed and increased to meet the requirements of various application scenarios. Irrelevant targets in the captured images are also filtered out by the back-end devices (IVSS, NVR) or by the platform. It can capture up to 640 targets (with attributes) per second with an impressive detection rate of 98% [1].

In addition, another useful application of the human-based video metadata technology is for target statistics. WizMind counts, in real-time, the human targets in the monitored scene and filters them based on target category and direction. The directions include A>B, B>A, or A<>B. And it can also generate reports by year, month and day. It can capture up to 96 objects per frame, providing a detection rate of 98% and accuracy rate of 96% [2].

Detect PPE

Wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is a must in any construction site. Depending on the scope of the project, monitoring proper wearing of PPEs in the site could be a tough challenge to implement.

The latest PPE detection technology of Dahua WizMind can detect wearing of commonly used PPEs in construction sites, including safety hats, protective vests, face masks and glasses. It can even detect the colour of the uniforms (top and bottom) of workers. When a violation has been detected, the site supervisor or manager can be notified via the DMSS mobile app. Similar to target searching and statistics functions, it also offers a detection rate of 98%, with accuracy rate of 96% [2].

Aid city road planning

Who would have thought that aside from vehicle-related data, statistics related to people on the street can also be useful in planning city roads? By collecting attributes of pedestrians, directions and time periods, local road planning departments can design better roads tailored for road users and commuters.

One good example is the Dahua solution developed for a local organisation in Ireland. Aside from motor vehicles and non-motor vehicles, metadata of pedestrians are also captured on main city roads and streets around plazas. These data are then securely transferred to an SFTP server for further data analysis. The data summary is relayed to the local transportation department to help them plan and manage streets more efficiently.

Key takeaways

Human-based video metadata can be effectively utilised to optimise the monitoring operation of various application scenarios. Metadata based on human targets can be used to search suspects after an event and to generate accurate statistics of the people in the monitored scene. Also, the structured data can be used to detect proper wearing of PPEs in a particular site and help local transportation departments in planning and maintaining city roads to benefit the general public.


[1] Based on the maximum performance of WizMind IVSS7000-16M

[2] Based on actual performance of WizMind IPC 7 series


Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

The future of the surveillance channel
Duxbury Networking Technews Publishing Elvey Security Technologies SMART Security Solutions Surveillance
The video surveillance market has evolved from camera-based specifications to integrated solutions that solve customers’ problems. Moreover, the growth of AI and cloud has changed the channel even more, with more to come.

Read more...
The benefits of offsite control rooms
Astrosec Surveillance Integrated Solutions
As the security landscape grows more intricate, control rooms – the crucial hub of security operations – need to adapt. With escalating costs, mounting threats, and a heightened demand for immediate responses, many organisations are reassessing the operations of their control rooms.

Read more...
CCTV control room operator job description
Leaderware Editor's Choice Surveillance Training & Education
Control room operators are still critical components of security operations and will remain so for the foreseeable future, despite the advances of AI, which serves as a vital enhancement to the human operator.

Read more...
Hikvision launches latest range of cameras
Hikvision South Africa Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Hikvision has launched its latest network cameras with ColorVu 3.0 technology and EasyIP 4.0 Plus, which elevate video security by delivering improved image quality, enhanced intelligent functions, superior audio capabilities, and a refined product design and materials.

Read more...
Platform to access data and train AI models
Milestone Systems AI & Data Analytics Surveillance
Milestone Systems has announced Project Hafnia to build services and democratise AI-model training with high-quality, compliant video data leveraging NVIDIA Cosmos Curator and AI model, fine-tuning microservices.

Read more...
The capabilities of visual verification
Secutel Technologies Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Secutel Technologies has provided locally developed visual verification solutions for some time. SMART Security Solutions requested more insight into these solutions from the company.

Read more...
AI means proactive surveillance
DeepAlert Technews Publishing SMART Security Solutions AI & Data Analytics Surveillance
SMART Security Solutionsasked DeepAlert for some insight into how AI is transforming video surveillance, even to the extent of it being taught to protect the privacy of those in the cameras’ view.

Read more...
Integration is the key to smarter surveillance
Duxbury Networking Surveillance
According to recent market projections, the local security industry is expected to grow by more than 10% annually through 2029, reflecting the increasing demand for smarter, more proactive security solutions.

Read more...
edgE:Tower video analytics integrated with SEON
Surveillance Integrated Solutions AI & Data Analytics
Sentronics has announced a new integration between its edgE:Tower advanced AI-driven video analytics solution and SEON, a Central Monitoring Software (CMS) platform. This integration enhances real-time situational awareness and automated threat detection for control rooms.

Read more...
The state of the VMS market
Arteco Global Africa Milestone Systems Cathexis Technologies Technews Publishing Surveillance
SMART Security Solutions asked three platform vendors in South Africa, one that is developed and maintained in the country with an international market, for their views on the state of the VMS market and where it is headed.

Read more...