October 01, 2007
Update: IBM as Smart Camera Vendor
Here is a brief summary of some of the news regarding IBM and Chicago's venture on smart cameras:
Here are the goals as laid out in the CNN story:
In the first phase, IBM helped the City experts and network engineers to design and implement a surveillance strategy infrastructure to capture, monitor and fully index video for real-time and forensic-related safety applications. This entailed building a unified fiber network throughout the downtown Chicago area, deploying a critical wireless infrastructure to offer flexibility as required, installing hundreds of new surveillance cameras, linking thousands of preexisting cameras to the network, and creating a fully redundant backend system to monitor the video, store the images and allow for business continuity and disaster recovery applications.
The Chicago OEMC and IBM are now teaming to expand the surveillance system and to add analytics that provide license plate recognition, trending projections and intelligent search capabilities to the existing infrastructure. Chicago's security solution is designed to provide several benefits to both city officials and citizens including: real-time video surveillance intelligence for proactive homeland security monitoring; faster response time to emergencies; more effective deployment of emergency responders; and increased travel efficiency through traffic congestion tracking.
IBM is pushing their smart camera technology. I assume its based off the Smart Surveillance System that I previously noted. The system features some security cameras that can detect gunshot sounds that prompt the cameras to turn toward the sounds before automatically calling 911. The system can also read license plate numbers. They are hoping to roll this out to other cities, but Chicago is first.
IBM is collaborating with Firetide and Genetec.
Firetide has a mesh technology that "supports wireless public safety applications ranging from traffic control and VoIP communications to covert and overt video surveillance. The Firetide system allows Chicago's first responders to access databases rapidly and is configured to allow the addition of thousands more video access points in the future." - From InformationWeek
Firetide's mesh network operates within the 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz public safety licensed band, or 5.0 GHz band. "Because the technology is radio-agnostic, any license-free or licensed spectrum (can) be meshed," said Bo Larsson, Firetide CEO, in an e-mail. 'Firetide is unique in that our nodes can be decoupled from access points. Sometimes the best location for an access point is not the best place for a mesh node."
IBM chose Genetec's Omnicast as the main video management platform for building the Operation Virtual Shield system.
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September 22, 2007
Rise of the Robot Cameras
From Forbes.com:
A very nice short article on installations of smart cameras. The article mentions:
Port of Houston (Verint Systems)
The Eiffel Tower (Nice Systems)
New York City Subways (ObjectVideo)
Port of Corpus Christi, Texas (Vistascape)
O2 in London (Ipsotek)
Subway in Stockholm (Axis Communications)
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July 03, 2007
Dust Networks
From Government Technology:
I have noted before how cell phones can be used for traffic monitoring. Dust Networks is taking that capability to add smarts to traffic monitoring.
"The Dust Network compares current speeds with historical speeds, and when it sees a large variation in what's expected, it trips an alarm," said Szymkowski, adding that AirSage monitors calls to 911 and creates an alarm when it detects a spike. "We're probably going to be working with the Wisconsin State Patrol to understand when an incident occurred and see if we can match up the alarms with the real incidents."
Dust Networks web site also mentions another interesting technology that makes parking meters smart.
Streetline Meter Monitors provide two-way networking to standard single space parking meters, with no wiring and no modification to the meter housings. The patented technology is compatible with over 90% of installed meters, and in most cases will simply plug into existing meter data ports. The Monitors help cities track usage and vandalism, and provide a detailed audit of all meter operations in real-time. Streetline Vehicle Sensors deliver accurate real-time information about arrivals, departures and occupancy in on-street parking spaces.
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June 24, 2007
Security gets image-conscious
From FCW.com:
A nice article on smart cameras. It discusses the role of video analysis software used by the Halifax Port Authority (vendor is PureTech Systems) and the San Francisco airport (vendor is Vidient). It also gives a sensible use for smart cameras:
The airport spent about $30,000 for software that sounds alarms if it detects someone trying to bypass security via the exit lane for arriving passengers. “Many airports use a person to watch this lane, but we felt it was the best use of our resources to simply automate the monitoring job,” Short said.
As well as spill-over benefits of cameras:
Video software can also assist with forensic analysis after an incident occurs. Of the three incidents that have triggered alarms since the Rapid City Regional Airport installed motion-detection software in 2006, one involved a passenger who ignored alarms and continued to the boarding area. The video record of the event was a major piece of evidence for the U.S. attorney who prosecuted the breach.
Dilip Sarangan of Frost and Sullivan chimes in:
the market faces challenges in reaching that size. For one thing, the accuracy of analytical algorithms must improve. “This is still very, very much an emerging technology,” Sarangan said. “Only in the last year or two have we started to see companies actually implementing these solutions so they could be used as a complete security solution.”
Posted by rshah at 09:14 PM | Comments (0)
May 09, 2007
Stop Sign Cameras
From the newspaper.com:
Redflex, a major developer of red light cameras, has developed a stop sign camera, read their announcement.
The stop sign devices are based on red light camera platforms, but they differ greatly in use. The more familiar stoplight cameras typically photograph a vehicle entering an intersection if a signal light changes to red as little as 0.1 seconds after the car crosses the stop bar line. In most cases, the resulting ticket photograph will show both the vehicle in the intersection and a visible red light, offering visual documentation of the technical violation. With the new Redflex stop sign cameras, a machine will make calculations to determine whether a vehicle did not come to a complete stop and deserves a ticket.
While I think this isn't as important as red light cameras from a traffic safety perspective, it does show the growth in this industry. I am sure over the next several years, we will see lots of these ticketing devices. They appear effective at enforcing laws and generating revenue. Moreover, the public outcry over them hasn't sufficiently coalesced to protest these devices.
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May 03, 2007
3VR Anecdotes
From San Jose Mercury News:
A number of anecdotes on 3VR's technology, which was described here previously.
Consider what happens to criminals who write bad checks. Nowadays, a security camera can track someone who walks into a bank and take a sharp picture of the person's face. It can then compare that face to a database of known fraudsters. By the time the person walks up to the teller, the system can warn the teller not to cash a check from that person.
This technology is available today thanks to San Francisco-based 3VR, which has applied its search technology to face recognition. Using off-the-shelf computers, the 3VR system captures an image of a face from a security camera and compares it to faces stored in a database. More than 90 percent of the time it comes up with an accurate match, according to the company.
Three of the nation's top 10 banks as well as the Bank of Hawaii are using it. Other customers are in retailing, travel and national security.
The Drake Hotel in San Francisco discovered a case of employee fraud as a result of the 3VR system. It showed that one employee was clocking in and then disappearing for hours at a time. The system enabled hotel security to search through camera videos for the worker's face quickly, said Lisa Kershner, director of operations at the Drake.
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March 28, 2007
Ipsotek
From CNN.com:
A nice interview with Sergio Velastin of Ipsotek out of the UK. Velastin is a leading scholar on developing smart camera systems. Some quotes from the article:
Industry experts suggest that after 12 minutes of continuous video monitoring an operator will miss up to 45 percent of screen activity. That rises to up to 95 percent after 22 minutes.
"Humans will always be better than machines at spotting real behavior, but most security guards have an almost impossible task to watch so many screens all the time that they can't be used practically," Velastin told CNN.
"Most people do things in a fairly straight forward way and we're able to gain statistical knowledge of what they do. From that it follows that you can raise an alarm if something is deemed 'infrequent', which usually means abnormal or suspicious," he said. It sounds simple enough, but the task of creating a computer program that can filter out all the normal background goings on of a situation, be it on a train station platform or high street, has proved to be extremely complex.
In three to five years we hope to have a program that would identify from your walk whether or not you are carrying a gun," he told CNN.
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February 28, 2007
Cameras in Teenagers' Cars
From WSJ.com:
American Family Mutual Insurance will offer some of its customers a camera system known as DriveCam as a way of improving teenagers' driving behavior. The DriveCam captures sights and sounds inside and outside the vehicle.
DriveCam's palm-sized, exception based video event recorder is mounted on the windshield behind the rearview mirror and captures sights and sounds inside and outside the vehicle. Forces (e.g. hard braking, swerving, collision, etc.) cause the recorder to save 20 seconds of audio and video footage – the 10 seconds immediately before and after the triggered event.
When the video event recorder is triggered a light blinks to alert the driver. This is intentional so the driver knows what he/she did to activate the video event recorder and can aim to avoid repeating that behavior.
DriveCam's Certified Driving Behavior Analysts take a cursory look at downloaded events to identify anything that would be critical for a customer to know immediately (e.g. a collision). Next, the experts closely review and assign a risk score to each event.
The story provides some anecdotes of teenagers who claim that the blinking light has led them to drive in a safer fashion. I think the feedback loop here is an important component for not only tracking behavior, but also trying to improve it. Read the article to get the full details on privacy, the role of parents, and how this will affect our insurance rates. Here is the WSJ video (the article is much better):
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November 27, 2006
Sensors for Detecting Aggression
From CNET News.com
A Dutch company, Sound Intelligence, has an audio sensor system that can detect people speaking in aggressive tones. The system can then alert officials that violence may be imminent. According to the technology overview, there are certain sounds that are "indicative of aggression and fear have specific characteristics to which any person can not help but respond." The company claims several installations with happy clients. This is a good example of how sensors can be a useful addition to smart camera systems.
Slashdot's YRO also linked to this story, but there I didn't see anything insightful in the posted comments.
Update: The Times has a better article on the technology. Some highlights:
The sensors are used at 300 sites in Holland.
The equipment can pick up aggressive tones on the basis of 12 factors, including decibel level, pitch and the speed at which words are spoken. Background noise is filtered out, enabling the camera to focus on specific conversations in public places. . . . “The cameras work on the principle that in an aggressive situation the pitch goes up and the words are spoken faster,” said van der Vorst. “The voice is not the normal flat tone, but vibrates. It is these subtle changes that our audio cameras can pick up on.”
Police and local council officials are still assessing their impact on crime, although in an initial six-week trial in Groningen last year the cameras raised 70 genuine alarms, resulting in four arrests.
“In the UK this is a new step. Clearly there is somebody or something monitoring people speaking in the street, and before we were to engage in that technology there would be a number of legal obstacles.
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November 08, 2006
Eyenet
From Daily Southtown:
Eyenet is an Illinois company that sells ALPR (automatic license plate recognition) technology. It can work with the existing camera and laptop in the squad car. This means its a lot easier and cheaper to deploy their technology. I don't know the cost, but we are likely to see its widespread use. ALPR (also known as ANPR) works well and is a very useful tool for the police. Its a great example of smart camera technology.
Check out their web site, it appears to have some nice demos.
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November 07, 2006
IBM & Siemens
From SecurityInfoWatch.com:
IBM is now officially entering the smart camera market. They call their system the S3 for Smart Surveillance System. I have been waiting for this announcement. IBM has been doing a significant amount of research on smart surveillance or what they use to call their PeopleVision project. You can get a lot more information on the S3 system including technical publications over at IBM Research. Its fairly impressive and you wonder how this will transfer over to their products. Its nice from my position to see a vendor flex their technical acumen.
Also, this is another sign of the importance of this industry. The big players are moving in and swallowing startups. Last week Siemens Building Technologies acquired Vistascape.
Update: Informationweek has a nice synopsis on the capabilities of S3:
The technology, which IBM is calling S3, features a host of software applications that work together to provide real-time analysis of images capture on video cameras. IBM says the S3 system can be programmed to spot suspicious behavior, such as prolonged lingering at an airport security fence. It could also nab an employee who's spending too much time in the lunchroom. S3 offers a range of additional surveillance capabilities, including license plate recognition, face recognition and badge reading. It's also designed to analyze data captured from physical sensors, such as electronic bomb and chemical sniffers. . . . IBM says it's S3 system contains features that allow the images of individuals not under suspicion to be stripped out
Update 2: An amusing anecdote about what S3 was first designed to do from Internetnews (plus more on S3):
Although IBM (Quote)is making news today with its Smart Surveillance System (S3) video, which it says can tell a terrorist from a traveling salesman or a scammer from a shopper, researchers began the project with a more modest goal. They wanted to tell a cumquat from a rutabaga.
"Veggie Vision," as it was called a few years back, employed quickly-evolving video interpreting techniques and software to help grocery store cashiers manage the most exotic vegetables and enter the correct price.
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IBM & Siemens
From SecurityInfoWatch.com:
IBM is now officially entering the smart camera market. They call their system the S3 for Smart Surveillance System. I have been waiting for this announcement. IBM has been doing a significant amount of research on smart surveillance or what they use to call their PeopleVision project. You can get a lot more information on the S3 system including technical publications over at IBM Research. Its fairly impressive and you wonder how this will transfer over to their products. Its nice from my position to see a vendor flex their technical acumen.
Also, this is another sign of the importance of this industry. The big players are moving in and swallowing startups. Last week Siemens Building Technologies acquired Vistascape.
Posted by rshah at 09:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 26, 2006
Boeing Wins Border Contract
From Red Herring:
Boeing has won a contract estimated to be worth $2.5 billion on securing America's borders. Boeing is planning to install a network of cameras and sensors for the Secure Border Initiative. For background, see 1, 2, and 3.
This is going to support and create a whole range of advance surveillance technologies, including smart cameras. The Red Herring article points out that there are lots of companies moving into the video analytics market.
It also mentions several companies developing smart camera technology that venture capitalists have been supporting:
Agentvi (formerly Aspectus), IntelliVid, Covi, VideoNext, Vigilos, Aspectus, 3VR Security, and EnVysion
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Siemens Signs Agreement to Acquire VistaScape
From SecurityInfoWatch.com:
The title says it all:
Video analytics company VistaScape will be joining the folds of building systems integrator Siemens Building Technologies, the companies announced today.
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August 23, 2006
GE Smart Camera Research
From Capital New 9:
A story on research at GE on smart camera technology. Nothing new, but another company focused on this market.
The article quotes Peter Tu:
"We've got thousand and thousands of cameras already up, you've got million and millions of pixels collected every second, if you really want to be proactive about stopping events that you might not even anticipate, video is essentially on of the key elements."
And so in a world that's battling terrorism, GE's video surveillance projects are crucial. Research Scientist Peter Tu and his team have been working on software that allows them to see several camera angles as one bird's eye view, programs that enhance face recognition. They can even track people in crowds.
Tu said, "If one is acting erratic or suspiciously then we can track this person, figure out who he is with, who he or she has been meeting with, what objects they're working with, which kinds of threatening behaviors, and possibly look them up against a database against know perps and terrorists." . . Tu said, "We can understand the motion of people, hopefully we can get to the point where we can get an articulated model of individuals and based on those motions and where people are looking, all of these things together we can combine that with the knowledge of what constitutes a dangerous act versus a safe one."
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July 24, 2006
SFO Airport
From The Detroit News Online:
An article about the smart cameras at San Francisco International Airport. It points out the basic uses for cameras such as "two airport workers scooting through a security door at the same time, when they should enter one at a time, or a vehicle parked too long at a place where it shouldn't be."
But for much more detail on the smart cameras at the airport, see the webinar by Vidient. It has lots of great information. The airport evaluated 18 cameras for 7 different behaviors. The final results were a > 91% accuracy rate with over 700 staged events and a 1% false detection rate.
The tested behaviors included:
Exit Lane Detection
Baggage Jam Detection
Baggage Inspection Table
Access Controlled doors
Vehicle Access Control
Large Stationary Vehicle
Stationary Vehicle
This was sponsored by Homeland Security and a sanitized version of the report will be available at some point.
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July 18, 2006
Smart Cameras for the Pool
Poseidon Systems offers smart camera technology for drowning detection. It relies on underwater cameras and a processor that analyzes/tracks swimmers in real-time. They have press releases stating that their system helped detect near drownings. Here is a screen shot from their web site:
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June 15, 2006
RMS Technology Solutions
From the Daily Herald:
A story on the manufacturer of Chicago's surveillance cameras with the blue flashing light. The best facts are the cameras were initially purchased as a $11 million "sole-source" contract. (I guess Chicago couldn't or didn't find anyone else that could provide such a camera?) And they recently sold 80 cameras to Baltimore.
But read the story if you are interested in the company, because they are looking for a national partner.
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NIce Systems
From The Register:
A story on Nice Systems which makes smart software. Nice is a leader in smart phone surveillance technology. This software is used by the police to identify people as well as when keywords are used. It is also used by corporate call centers to detect "emotions." For example:
FedEx's Custom Critical service, for example, uses Nice software to notice when someone says "wow," explains Eyal Danon, Nice's vice president for global marketing. "Whenever a customer says 'wow' on a call, that call immediately is being recorded and then it's being sent to hundreds and hundreds of call center agents so they can actually learn from the interaction and see what prompted the customer to say 'wow,'" he says. From ASAP
They are now moving into smart software for cameras. Here is a PR blurb from the Register article:
"By employing software-based analytics on unstructured multimedia content, companies are able to detect customer intent, often through near real-time interactions where a customer may express concerns, desires or provide other signals of their intentions," said the statement. The same advantages of crime prediction will be conferred on the security services, it said: "Our solutions enable our public safety and security customers to identify threats as they occur, and analyze video footage to identify suspicious objects or behavior more quickly and effectively."
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May 17, 2006
Smart Cameras in Barcelona
From SecurityInfoWatch.com:
The press releases are in full force with examples of how smart cameras are being deployed. Today's news is from ObjectVideo and the project is in Barcelona. The story states:
the Metro will use the ObjectVideo system to identify intruders in what the Barcelona Metro considers "employee only" areas, such as tunnels, restricted station areas and train parking lots . . . including the surveillance of station platforms, abandoned luggage and even "abnormal behavior by passengers."
The story also notes that accuracy has improved in recent years. For example, ObjectVideo "has written algorithms that are not false-tripped by recurring elements, such as arriving trains."
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May 08, 2006
VideoNEXT
From Newswire:
A press release for videoNEXT notes a few applications of smart cameras:
-- Airports currently employ guards to prevent people from entering the secured gate area by entering at the exit. Often this exit is a corridor that immediately adjoins the entrance, which is also manned by guards who are clearing passengers for entrance to the secured gate area. The videoNEXT object identification and tracking technology can be deployed to detect persons moving in the wrong direction. Upon detection, the system would alert guards stationed at the entrance. These guards could intercept the intruder. There are more than 400 airports in the United States. The exits are guarded seven days a week for 16 or more hours per day. The potential savings are considerable.
-- At border crossings, one problem for US Customs agents is that cars often ride up to a security point, then make U-turns. Law enforcement agents suspect that they are engaged in criminal activity, and run after seeing more security than expected. The object tracking technology can alert a person at a remote location that a U-turn has occurred and will record the make and model of the car, as well as the license plate.
-- The Army is also exploring ways to use the technology on the battlefield. If the system is monitoring an area, for instance, it can alert commanders when something or someone has moved in one of the areas being monitored.
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April 24, 2006
InfrAegis
From a press release:
InfrAegis Inc. (Ia) is releasing a new product. iaMedium is a national security and public safety communication system with the ability to detect a variety of hazardous threats, deploy prescripted countermeasures, and provide a first responder communications system to ensure reliable broadcasting in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack or natural disaster.
iaMedium incorporates four of IA's detection systems:
(1) Nuclear/Radioactive Isotope Detection System--statistically eliminates the possibility of false positive alarms;
(2) Computer-Aided Trace Detection System--determines whether weapons of mass destruction, explosives, firearms, opiates, vehicle-smuggled humans, or other contraband materials are present;
(3) Incident Video Synchronization System (IVSS)--records multiple streams of digital video in both day and night formats, positively identifying a detected vehicle, cargo container, or person via remote monitoring; and
(4) Global Operations Monitoring and Analysis Center (GOMAC)--monitors, records, analyzes, alerts, and enacts automatic preapproved electronic countermeasures when a threat is detected.
Administracion Portuaria Integral (API) (Integral Port Administration in English), in an effort to make the Port of Manzanillo one of the safest ports in Mexico, worked with InfrAegis to install the Vehicle/Pedestrian/Rail Detection System, (which incorporates Ia's Nuclear/Radioactive Isotope Detection System and GOMAC). This system has been operating in Mexico's Port of Manzanillo without interruption since November 2005. The system, detects radioactive and nuclear material entering or exiting the Port without disrupting port operations or workflow.
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January 25, 2006
Smart DVRs
From CNET News.com:
Startup 3VR Security is offering software that will analyze footage from cameras. Their software/hardware acts as a DVR that can store and analyze video data. It processes archived video footage and breaks the footage into scenes. It then becomes possible to search by time, camera, person, or triggered alert. The person is interesting because once the software identifies a person, it can then search the footage to find other instances of the same person. This sounds very cool!
The cost is around $1,000 per security camera.
Update:
3VR is hot. The NY Times has a story on smart cameras that features their technology. Nothing new in the story but a nice description of how smart cameras and 3VR's technology can improve surveillance systems.
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December 31, 2005
MDI Security Systems Launches VerifEye IVS(TM)
MDI is another vendor of smart camera software.
There new software, VerifEye Intelligent Video Security Software does the usual stuff:
The standard VerifEye IVS package offers the following features and capabilities:
-- People and Vehicle Tracking
-- Motion and Behavior Analysis
-- Facial Detection
-- Perimeter Monitoring
-- Intrusion Detection & Secure Area Monitoring
-- Unattended or Abandoned Object Detection
-- Asset Protection & Object Removal
-- Anti-Tailgating and Anti-Piggybacking
-- Object Counting & Statistical Reporting
-- Entry & Exit Directional Monitoring
-- Object Detection, Classification and Pattern Recognition
-- Automated Self-Learning
-- GPS and Port GIS Mapping
-- Multiple Camera Tracking
-- Dynamic Report Generation
-- Utilization of Infrared and Thermal Cameras
-- Video Stabilization
-- Automated 24/7 Video Monitoring with Real-Time Alerts
-- High-Tech Filters that Exclude Natural Background and Irrelevant Objects
Advanced intelligent add-on options for VerifEye IVS include:
MotionEye - A powerfully superior video motion detector. It is an excellent enhancement option to all Digital Video Recorders, security systems and sensors. MotionEye far outweighs the basic built-in features found in cameras and DVRs.
TrackerEye - A sophisticated technology that automatically tracks objects with Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) cameras and eliminates the manual control process by automatically following and tracking objects. In complex situations, TrackerEye makes intelligent decisions based on threat levels and distances; tracking targets until completely out of the camera's field of view.
IntrusionEye - A state-of-the-art video based solution to anti-tailgating, anti-piggybacking and anti-passback. IntrusionEye directly addresses the long-standing problem of "access bypass" faced by the security industry. It ensures compliance with access control procedures via video verification and can easily be added on to most systems, including MDI's award-winning SAFEnet and iTRUST integrated solutions.
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Video authentication
A PR on smart cameras that provide video authentication from IQinVision.
I have no idea whether there is a real problem and need for this technology, but it is interesting nonetheless.
IQinVision, market leader in high performance megapixel network cameras, smart IP cameras and network video recording systems, today announced the introduction of IQauthenticate on-camera image verification for all IQeye501 and IQeye300 Series Smart Network Cameras.
Legal use of digital images is limited because they are easily manipulated, often making the images inadmissible for prosecution. Many digital video recorders (DVRs) and network video recorders (NVRs) can detect tampered images after they have been processed but cannot verify whether the source of the video was authentic. Therefore, these widely-used video recorders can "authenticate" video that has been tampered with - IQauthenticate solves this problem.
Alan Brill, senior managing director of Technology Services for Kroll On-Track, believes on-camera image authentication will have a significant impact on the surveillance industry. "There is a real need to ensure that digital video images have not been tampered with," said Brill. "Without such controls, the use of digital video for prosecutions and other legal-related uses could be seriously compromised. With older film cameras you could ensure your video was real by tracking it from the time you removed the film from the camera. When the industry shifted to digital video this 'guarantee' disappeared."
IQeye cameras with IQauthenticate have a unique encrypted digital signature that identifies the IQeye that produced the image and detects if the image has been altered. Users simply submit an image to 'http://www.iqeye.com/IQauthenticate.html' for verification, and if even one pixel has been changed IQauthenticate will detect it.
Posted by rshah at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 07, 2005
Facial Recognition for the Masses
Wired has a story on Riya, which is a new photo-tagging service that uses facial-recognition technology to identify the people in your pictures. The goal is to quickly identify people in everyday pictures. Its a nice example of finding new uses for facial recognition technology.
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October 04, 2005
Gunshot detection by iRobot
From CNET News.com:
Another gun shot detection system, called Redowl from iRobot, however this one is designed to be mobile (it works with the Packbot). Some quotes from the article:
the company announced a prototype system designed to pinpoint incoming rounds from rifles and mortars, and also to provide surveillance and targeting capabilities. The remote-controlled gear, named Redowl (short for "robot enhanced detection outpost with lasers), is designed to work with iRobot's PackBot combat device.
Redowl features a laser pointer and illuminator, an acoustic localizer and classifier, a thermal imager, GPS (Global Positioning System), an infrared and daylight camera, and two wide-angle cameras. iRobot, which also makes the Roomba household vacuum robot, developed the Redowl system in conjunction with the Photonics Center at Boston University.
In field tests, the PackBot-Redowl combination had a success rate of 94 percent in locating the source of rounds fired from 9mm pistols, and M-16 and AK-rifles, at a range of more than 100 meters, the company said.
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September 19, 2005
Eptascape's Privacy-Enabled Video Camera
From the PR Department of Eptascape:
A press release on a software system for cameras that mask's people identities. However, a decryption key can be used by an "authorized" person to play back recorded video which reveals a persons identity. The Eptascape's web page is here, but provides no details (yet).
I would love to see a demo of this. Is the software smart enough to scramble identities without obscuring other important information? Relatedly, can camera operators still crudely leer at their subjects? I wonder what the tradeoffs are, because it seems a little tricky to me.
I am not sure about the target market for this product. Are firms going to use this on their internal surveillance networks? Is government going to spend the extra bucks to buy this software? If so, how will the authorized person be managed? Lots of questions, but at least Eptascape is thinking about privacy.
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May 26, 2005
Research from Up North
The Globe and Mail: Watching you, watching me:
An overview of some research by Dr. Vertegaal at the Human Media Laboratory at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. One commercial spinoff is the eyeBox by Xuluk:
The company's first product is the $799 (U.S.) eyeBox, a USB digital camera that senses when people are looking at it, and that can be used to control programs through head and eye movements. It also plans to bring eye-contact sensors to market that can be stuck to an object to detect whether someone is looking at it. Dr. Vertegaal says potential uses include psychological experiments or safety provisions, such as ensuring a machine is being monitored or a driver is alert.
The device could have other uses too, such as recording the interaction between people -- say, a police officer's contact with citizens or suspects. And Dr. Vertegaal is talking to researchers about using the eyeBlog to help treat autism, a developmental disorder affecting social interaction and communication. People with autism have difficulty making eye contact with others, he says, and an eyeBlog could track their ability to do so.
The eyeBlog is just one of the projects under way at the Human Media Lab. In another project called the Attentive Cubicle, an overhead camera observes the movements of people sitting in adjoining cubicles. If both turn to face the partition that divides the cubicles, the normally opaque divider becomes transparent (it uses privacy glass, based on liquid-crystal technology) and their headsets shut off to allow them to talk. "You could say," Dr. Vertegaal says, "we're trying to develop more sociable computers."
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May 12, 2005
Earcams Listen to the Sound of Violence
From CoCo: Earcams Listen to the Sound of Violence:
Camera's are getting ears: in the Dutch city Groningen surveillance camera's are equipped with sound detection technology to detect sounds of violence. The company behind the technology, Sound Intelligence, says:
Our technology is inspired by the human auditory system and allows the detection and classification of all kinds of sound sources in arbitrary noisy acoustic environments.
A news item on Dutch television reported today that Groningen has been experimenting with the technology in the city's center without the knowledge of the Dutch privacy watchdog, or the public for that matter.
Groningen's mayor and those who designed the "earcams" point out that the sound surveillance merely picks up sounds of violence, points the camera towards the source of this sound and does not record anything.
Posted by rshah at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
ObjectVideo Awarded $3.2 Million from HSARPA
From ObjectVideo Press Release
Homeland Security Advanced Research Project Agency (HSARPA) awarded ObjectVideo two contracts of the four available for studying "Automated Scene Understanding". The grants, according to the press release, seek to move beyond current technology which monitors an "area of interest" to a:
system recognizes specific mobile assets, understands what rules apply to them, and automatically adjusts to protect them, no matter where they appear. It does all of this without a systems operator intervening.
More detail can be found in the HSARPA proposer information
Posted by rshah at 07:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 06, 2005
AIRA by Aimetis and the Limitations of Human Monitoring
Aimetis :: AIRA Home:
Another firm selling smart cameras. This one is from Canada. It does have nice page on the limitations of conventional video monitoring:
No matter how highly trained or how dedicated a human observer, it is impossible to provide full attention to more than one or two things at a time; and even then, only for a few minutes at a time. A Harvard University study concluded that humans are surprisingly unaware of the details of their environment, and often do not detect large changes to objects or scenes (‘change blindness’). Furthermore, without attention, humans may not even perceive objects (‘inattentional blindness’). The Harvard experiment results showed that 50% of people counting the passes made between two basketball teams will not notice a gorilla walk into the middle of the viewing area, beat its chest, and walk out. In another study, military experiments demonstrated that after 12 minutes of continuous viewing of 2 or more sequencing monitors, an operator will miss up to 45% of all scene activity. After approximately 22 minutes, an operator will miss up to 95% of scene activity. The conclusion is clear - humans do not reliably detect security threats, whether watching live video or reviewing archived data, resulting in false conclusions that nothing occurred when, in fact, something did (referred to as ‘false negatives’).
Posted by rshah at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 03, 2005
ActiveEye
ActiveEye web site:
Active Alert™, our flagship product, is the only solution in the industry that can simultaneously track and classify multiple people, vehicles, and objects in normal crowd densities.
ActivEye’s founders have over 50 patents granted and pending, and have worked together as a team for seven years creating state-of-the-art CCTV products utilizing artificial intelligence and computer vision.
Posted by rshah at 11:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Public Eye on Urban Eye
Public Eye blog covers the creation of Urban Eye, which is a European research project for studying the social implications of video surveillance. There are several reports available. For news coverage see DW-World Link
FYI - The excellent Public Eye blog is run by Peter Quintas who sells TrueSentry, an advanced network-based digital video surveillance system that provides intelligent threat detection and response tools.
Posted by rshah at 11:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
ADT and VistaScape at Logan International Airport
ADT Security Services Inc., a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, today announced it was awarded the contract to provide a video intrusion detection and reporting system at Boston's Logan International Airport and other properties operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). The system will help monitor Massport's waterfront perimeter. The contract calls for the installation of sensor devices to detect perimeter movement, automated surveillance software from Atlanta-based VistaScape Security Systems, a wireless network and continuing system maintenance.
Work on the project will begin immediately. The system to be installed by ADT is capable of detecting intruders at night and during poor weather conditions. The detection devices will be integrated with VistaScape's SiteIQ(TM) automated surveillance software, which will automatically trigger an audible alarm when violations of security rules, such as movement in restricted areas, are detected. The automated surveillance software provides full-time monitoring of incoming video signals, improving the performance of on-site security personnel and permitting them to extend their coverage to other areas of concern.The completed system will also feature a wireless network that can give Massport security staff firewalled, secure command and control capabilities through a wireless, Web-enabled remote management system.
Update from Times Argus:
Advanced tech is already a major element in Logan's strategy. Last week, Massport finalized plans to install infrared cameras to keep watch day and night over the facility. The highly automated cameras will be directed by software provided by VistaScape Security Systems of Atlanta. They will be able to track intruders and relay their location instantly to hand-held computers carried by state troopers, said Dennis Treece, chief of corporate security at Massport.
Posted by rshah at 05:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2005
Video Investigator from Intellivid
From Intellivid:
They offer smart cameras for theft prevention. According to their web site, their technology allows you to:
Track suspects across multiple cameras without knowing camera names or locations. Computer-aided tracking (CAT) enables you to follow suspects even when you're unfamiliar with a facility
Receive real-time alerts: Monitor high value assets or restricted areas automatically with Video Article Surveillance™ (VAS)
Find people instantly by simply highlighting a region of interest
Manage and communicate investigation results easily and quickly: Integrated investigation management enables you to capture, combine and communicate video evidence and case notes quickly and easily
Posted by rshah at 03:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 06, 2005
ObjectVideo in Time
Time has a story on Objectvideo's technology.
The article notes that Objectvideo was founded in 1998 by DARPA scientists and venture capitalists in Reston, Virginia. Objectvideo is deploying an advanced surveillance system across the nation's borders. Additionally, the Navy is testing it to observe small crafts nearing their ships.
Posted by rshah at 03:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 03, 2005
Profits in Video Surveillance
A Reuters story has a few interesting facts:
The surveillance camera market has swelled to between $5 billion and $6 billion from about $2 billion before Sept. 11 — and will grow at 25 percent a year, Greiper said.
New technology allows cameras at sensitive federal buildings, major ports and transit hubs to differentiate between people and the objects they carry. If someone leaves a briefcase in an elevator at the Pentagon, for example, the camera will look back to find who left it and send the person's picture to a guard's hand-held security device.
Nice Systems, which makes this kind of technology, has seen its share price jump nearly 50 percent to about $32 in the past five months. In February, the Israeli company reported earnings of 47 cents a share, up from 9 cents a year earlier.
Posted by rshah at 09:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2005
Remington Arms Eye Ball
From Local Tech Wire: (Later story by Wired)
The 188-year-old firearms and ammunition manufacturer is rolling out a Technologies Division as part of its effort to help the company stay on the leading edge of development for law enforcement and homeland security toys and weapons.
The “Eye Ball R1” is a tossable, wireless enabled device about the size of a baseball. It is designed to be thrown, dropped or rolled into a building or location. The Eye Ball provides real-time audio and video to a personal display unit acting as a wireless receiver and control mechanism. The control panel includes a 6.4-inch color screen and can control up to two of the surveillance devices. After being thrown or tossed, the ball orients itself to provide controllers with a clear view, the company said.
The device is also equipped with what Remington calls “near-infrared” capability for use at night or in dark areas. It has a range of up to 200 yards.
Remington plans to sell kits containing two Eye Ball units, a training ball, a control panel and accessories for $4,800. The packages are expected to be made available in the second quarter.
Posted by rshah at 07:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 24, 2005
Automated License Plate Identification
Forbes has a story on G2 Tactics technology that can scan license plates on cars moving at 60mph. Teh technology designed by Andrew Bucholz is called Grand Larceny Auto Video Detection System (GLAVID). It can read the license plate of passing vehicles and compare it to the National Crime Information Center record of stolen cars.
The cameras sell for 25,000 and so far 17 have been bought, but only 2 to a law enforcement agency. The cameras are instead being used in cities such as New Haven, Conn. to identify people with outstanding parking tickets or personal property taxes. In New Haven, the camera has generated 500,000 in city revenue from overdue parking tickets and motor vehicle taxes.
More details of the camera and its technology for search multiple databases can be found here.
It notes that cameras can be used to search for BAD GUYS on the following lists:
Stolen Autos
Amber Alerts
Felony and Misdemeanor Warrants
Gang Members
Missing Persons
Revoked Driver’s License
First found at Arstechnica
Posted by rshah at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Cernium
Cernium offers Perceptrak, from their web site:
Perceptrak 3.0 is a complete enterprise system that immediately alerts security personnel to potentially dangerous or suspicious events through real-time behavior recognition and intelligent video analysis of live video. The software is capable of detecting 16 events, including erratic human behaviors, lurching automobiles, left-behind objects and much more. Perceptrak allows one person to monitor dozens or even hundreds of cameras effectively and can provide rapid return on investment through personnel efficiencies and reduced incidents. Perceptrak is the leader in the industry, analyzing and recording 16 cameras on a single PC.
Posted by rshah at 08:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 22, 2005
SmartConnect
Smartconnect provides software for video surveillance of point of sale (POS) terminal data. Through a web based interface, you can view camera footage. The software combines the camera footage with POS data in real time. This allows you to see all the customers that buy tuna salad sandwiches, how long the cash drawer is open, or watch certain employees.
Here is a screenshot:
Posted by rshah at 02:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 20, 2005
Vistascape
Mentioned in the March 2005 Wired
Vistascape
At VistaScape Security Systems, video surveillance enters a new dimension. Our SiteIQ™ surveillance solution displays a bird's eye view of your entire physical environment on one screen, enabling you to grasp your security situation as never before. We secure facilities with or without existing perimeter barriers by combining input from multiple cameras with other sophisticated, site-specific sensor data. Then we apply your customized security policies in real-time, pinpointing potential security violations before they occur. Unlike traditional surveillance systems that depend heavily on the judgment of security personnel, our automated alerts enable guards to respond more quickly than ever.
Posted by rshah at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
PL E-Communications Smart Software
Smart Software Gives Surveillance Eyes a ‘Brain’ (Feb 2004)
Randal Nelson at the University of Rochester is working on software for cameras that looks for things. While the software can:
Though a six-month-old baby can distinguish different objects from different angles, getting a computer to do it is a Herculean task of processing, and more complicated still is identifying a simple object in a complicated natural setting like a room bustling with activity.
Unlike the baby, the software needs to be told a lot about an object before it’s able to discern it. Depending on how complex an object is, the software may need anywhere from one to 100 photos of the object from different angles. Something very simple, like a piece of paper, can be “grasped” by the program with a single picture; a soda can may take half a dozen, while a complex object like an ornate lamp may need many photographs taken from different angles to capture all its facets. With those images in mind, the software matches the new object it sees with its database of object to determine what the new object is.
This technology has been licensed to PL E-Communications, LLC., which has plans to develop the technology to control video cameras for security applications. For instance, CEO Paul Simpson is looking into using linked cameras covering a wide area to exchange information about certain objects, be they suspicious packages in an airport or a suspicious truck driving through a city under military control. Even unmanned aerial reconnaissance drones like the Predator that made headlines during the current Iraqi war can use the technology to keep an eye on an area for days at a time, noting when and where objects move.
Posted by rshah at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
Markland Acquires Genex Technologies
There is an announcement of the acquisition for Genex.
According the press release:
Founded in 1995, Genex has an established history in video surveillance sensor science. Its Surveillance Group provides innovative sensor and algorithm solutions that are small, tactical, low power and low cost solutions. Its surveillance technologies combine powerful algorithms, such as object tracking and image enhancement, with revolutionary wide-area, 360-degree sensors. These solutions operate in visible, near-infrared, infrared, and acoustic wavelengths. Within its biometrics technologies the 3D Facial Recognition Group develops tools for enhancing facial recognition. By leveraging the power of 3D, Genex enables existing recognition systems to perform reliably while advancing progress towards total 3D systems. The company's tools allow for seamless integration of capabilities, such as 2D-to-3D face conversion and compensation for pose, lighting, expression, aging, and weight. Management believes that Genex expertise has particular impact within the DOD and Homeland Security market place.
Posted by rshah at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
Videient Releases SmartCatch 2.0
SmartCatch 2.0 has a new user interface allows for ease of use according to the press release.
Here is more from the press release:
SmartCatch 2.0 is available immediately through Vidient Systems, Inc., and NEC Solutions America, Inc. (NECSAM) who is marketing, selling and distributing SmartCatch worldwide through a partnership it formed with Vidient in September 2004.
. . .
Extending Vidient's primary application focus -- access control, perimeter monitoring and asset protection -- the company has added a number of advanced new behaviors, significantly expanding the uses of SmartCatch. A sample of these new behaviors includes the bi-directional tracking of cars and people, such as passengers going the wrong direction in exit lanes at airports; and, the detection of objects of all sizes, inside or outdoors, that have been left unattended in secure areas, such as parked cars that have exceeded their allotted time in passenger loading zones at airports and train station.
. . .
With its new distributed architecture, the components of Vidient SmartCatch 2.0 now function more independently. This enables SmartCatch 2.0 to support significantly more individual, widely distributed cameras while still enabling central management of security policy compliance, administration and alerts. This distributed approach lets SmartCatch support up to 100s of cameras in a single CCTV network.
. . .
The software's flexibility and scalability is also expanded through its new open hardware APIs. These new APIs broaden the range of security devices supported by SmartCatch 2.0, such as card readers, PDAs, mobile phones and pagers.
Posted by rshah at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)