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answer is simple: these cameras still
need to be managed, and what does
this the best is a good VMS!
The real game changer will be
in the smaller camera count market
where we will see edge storage
replace the DVR rather soon. This
trend may be even more disruptive
when we combine good camera-
edge-recording and analytics. A
third layer is when we combine edge
recording with hosted video. Using
analytics with increased edge storage
capacities will be attractive because
this solution does not require con-
tinuous Internet bandwidth.
So while humans can remember
even our earliest memories, an IP
surveillance system has the most
reliable long term memory and its
short term memory growth is far
outpacing our own.
Man vs. machine
When we compare man vs. ma-
chine in the surveillance world,
the one certainty is that we need
to work together for maximum ef-
ficiency today and into the future.
Humans have higher pixel vi-
sion, but the IP camera helps us see
in difficult light and pure darkness.
Guards and officers in the field can
scan quickly for signs of trouble,
while their colleagues in the com-
mand post use cameras to zoom
in for a closer and safer look.
Our brains can analyse a scene and
predict behaviour thanks to human
intuition, but the IP camera is there
to help with repetitive tasks without
getting bored or falling asleep at the
wheel. Our long term memories are
unrivaled in the animal world, but
the camera never lies or misremem-
bers.
Moore's Law keeps on working
to give us more processing power
and usable resolution, while the
latest human evolution seems to
be that we are growing larger, taller
and, yes, wider just like our old
analogue TVs!
IP video will continue to im-
prove, and humans must adapt to
get the most out of the technology.
After all, in a footrace, it's clear
that Mr. Moore is much faster
than Mr. Darwin. n
So too do surveillance systems.
Consider long term memories as
the server-based and NVR systems
with the ability to download and
store video for long periods of
time. Local, edge-based recording
is then short term memory
which is improving in the camera
not through memory exercises,
but through Moore's Law.
Edge-based storage in a small
camera system environment has
many benefits and it will continue
to get better. Today's standard
for a modern surveillance system
is HDTV and, if configured
properly, the user will never miss
a single frame. With the evolution
of SD-cards, which are now avail-
able in 64 and 128 GB with more
storage to come, we can easily
store weeks of high quality video
inside the camera or encoder in
the coming years.
And as edge-based stor-
age grows, so too does internet
bandwidth and availability. Just
as our own human behaviour has
dictated the rising use of Gmail,
online banking, movie streaming,
personal storage, file sharing and
other cloud-based services, a simi-
lar need for anytime, anywhere
video access and offsite storage has
led to the emergence of hosted
video. While edge recording is
perfect for single site deployments,
hosted video has seen success
where the end-user has multiple
dispersed sites to monitor.
Yet a question I often get when
speaking about the growth of
edge-based and hosted video stor-
age is if these technology trends
mean the end of the VMS. The
there is nothing like a guard or
operator. While advanced behav-
ioural analytics are improving, the
human element will be important
for many years to come even if
CSI and other TV shows would
like you to believe otherwise.
The key to the future is mining
all the high-quality video data that
IP cameras capture and consider
new and novel uses for this infor-
mation. The retail market will be
the biggest winner in the future.
Analytics will continue to improve
especially as software developers
from all walks of life are attracted
to the surveillance industry with
the goal to develop applications
to run inside the camera itself
but a human will nearly always
be required for this aspect of the
industry to thrive.
However, when talking about
analytics and software, there is
the rising issue of potential patent
lawsuits attempting to block the
use of a specific algorithm. This
is happening in our industry as
well as many others, including the
mobile phone market. One solu-
tion could be to pool patent fees
amongst the patent holders in or-
der to share these innovations with
the world while keeping overall
costs down for the end-user. This
will leave us free to innovate and
drive business. Until then, we as
people will have an advantage
over surveillance systems for many
years because it's not possible to
patent humans (fortunately!).
How's your long
and short-term memory?
We all have personal memories
that we can look back on in an
instant. I'm not a neurology spe-
cialist, so it's astonishing how our
brains can analyse the pictures/
videos from our past and have the
ability to record for many years.
Here, even the most advanced
computers completely lag humans.
That's good news for police officers
interviewing folks about a crime
even if eye witness testimony is
sometimes proven shaky.
Humans are said to have short
term and long term memories.
eye is faster than the
majority and still beats
the autofocus algo-
rithms of most cameras.
Thus, improving focus will be the
manufacturer focus for the coming
years.
However, since the human eye
lacks optical zoom, IP security
cameras have a major leg up. We
continue to see improvements in
the evolution of optics and motors
in PTZ cameras that Darwin can't
keep up with.
But remember, in the same way
the human eye can contract infec-
tions and obstructions, so do se-
curity cameras. Dirt, fog, dust and
even spider webs affect the camera
as much as they do our own eyes.
Without the ability to brush de-
bris away from their lenses, instal-
lation environment and housings
are increasingly important and will
see further development. Unlike
our eyes, however, the biggest leg
up for the camera is that it never
needs to sleep!
From detection to analysis
The no-need-for-rest feature of
cameras means that video analytics
is superior in the ability to per-
form around-the-clock, monoto-
nous tasks like people counting,
cross-line detection and license
plate recognition (LPR). Think
about the patience you would
have to have to sit on the side of
a highway and make a note of all
the license plates that drive by. But
when it comes to more advanced
analytics, the human brain and in-
tuition wins over a security camera
in most aspects.
When in controlled environ-
ments, advanced analytics are
working really well. Face detection
by a video surveillance camera in
a crowd is something we all can
dream of, but face detection in a
controlled environment can be
deployed successfully. This intelli-
gent feature will not only play a big
future role in access control, but in
more unique applications like retail
customer reward programmes.
When it comes to detecting
strange behaviour and forensics,
voice of
the security market
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Humans have
higher pixel
vision, but the
IP camera helps us see
in difficult light and pure
darkness. Guards and of-
ficers in the field can scan
quickly for signs of trouble,
while their colleagues in
the command post use
cameras to zoom in for a
closer and safer look.