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The era of smart surveillance

Professionals in the surveillance industry know CCTV is not what it used to be. Smart functions on cameras are no longer nice to haves, they have become a necessity. Installers and project managers looking for competitive advantage want better analytics and intelligence features. However, not all “smart CCTV functions” are equal; some are just head and shoulders above the rest.

In the era of the smart functions, we still see too much footage discarded or locked in a vault where it never sees the light of day unless required for a pertinent investigation. However, new intelligence features and machine learning technology breathe new purpose into the recorded footage.

One brand that has risen to the challenge and impressed with turning the footage into useful data for added security measures is TVT. Some of the smart features found in TVT cameras include object detection, exceptions, trip wire intrusion, face detection, face match, crowd density, people intrusion and people counting.

Face detection and face match

It is not uncommon for perpetrators to return to the scene where they either committed a crime or are were barred from because of misdemeanours. It is, however challenging to monitor because security shifts change and if the sole reference is a guard on duty, it’s hard to keep track of who's who. This is where smart functions come into play.

Advanced surveillance features in cameras such as those in the TVT range will perform two functions to solve this problem. First, they will detect faces as they pass the camera. They will then use Face Match to match faces against the database and set off a trigger alerting the authorities to the presence of a “tagged” face. The smart search functions can also be used to very quickly pull up and cross-reference relevant historical data that can be used to deal with the perpetrator accordingly.

The converse is true for VIP guests in hotel lobbies and casinos. VIPs can quickly be identified and handled accordingly. Greeters will know whom they are dealing with and give that extra touch of personalisation that makes guests feel welcome.

Managing access control for large workforces can be a nightmare for security staff. Tags can get misplaced or misused, unknown visitors can try to gain access, and clock cards can get tampered with. All these problems can be solved by combing face detection, face match and access control. This will allow for a more efficient flow of employees and keep unwanted visitors at bay.

People counting

People counting is another smart feature that can be used in conjunction with face detection and face match. What makes the TVT people counting extra feature smart is its ability to predefine a threshold. If one of the values is exceeded, the NVR sets off an alarm. A simple application example is the shop floor. The manager doesn’t have to guess the number of shoppers on the floor. The system will send an alert for “all hands-on deck”.

Crowd density

When crowds gather in unsafe or out of bounds areas, the solution is Crowd Density. Setting up the zone is a simple click to draw the defined area. The area inside the box is the detection area. If the density level exceeds the pre-set threshold, the NVR alarm will be triggered, and it will notify the control room. Applications here include crowd control and crowd management scenarios.

The smart functions and intelligent features on modern cameras produce analytics that give the surveillance industry a whole new range of tools that go beyond combating crime.

For more information, contact Forbatt SA, +27 11 469 3958, [email protected], www.forbatt.co

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