Facility Safety Management

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Intelligent Video Technology
Enhancing Facility Security
& Employee Safety
BY BROOKS MCCHESNEY

Whether walking through an airport, entering the lobby of a major corporation or driving through a busy metropolitan intersection, you may have noticed closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) almost
everywhere.

Networks of these cameras were first deployed nearly 40 years ago, and in today’s post 9/11 world, they have become nearly ubiquitous. This video surveillance is being used for an ever-increasing variety of situations from perimeter security to controlling employee access to the most secure or hazardous areas.

Currently, the safety and security industry is in the midst of the most dramatic evolution in the use of video surveillance cameras since they were first deployed. While advances in electronics have enabled smaller and more reliable cameras and other hardware, the real technical breakthrough
is in the way video can now be captured, recorded and analyzed using sophisticated intelligent video surveillance software.

This behavior-based software is able to detect specific threats or violations of security policies and sends a video clip combined with other sensor data, to a responder to take action in real time. This significant technology advancement is propelling facilities security from a reactive exercise to a
pro-active, integrated security action.

Intelligent video means intelligence is added to video as it is captured and analyzed by behavior recognition software. CCTV combined with intelligent video software generates more accurate alerts and alarms, and results in greater situational awareness of threatening or dangerous situations
as they unfold.

With this new technology, security managers can better deploy their human resources, achieve significant savings in monitoring costs, while increasing the level of security they provide.

Intelligent video software is currently being implemented and tested by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at various facilities in an effort to impact security levels as soon as possible in
government and public transportation facilities.

For instance, SmartCatch, a sophisticated intelligence video surveillance software from Vidient Systems, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, is currently being deployed at the Tallahassee Regional Airport where it
is part of an advanced new airport-wide security system designed specifically to rapidly intercept and neutralize threatening intruders, whether it be individuals on foot or in vehicles.

Such software also plays a key role in securing critical infrastructure facilities such as banks, data centers, utilities, and power plants. As awareness of the demonstrated value of software-equipped CCTV continues to grow, intelligent video is rapidly evolving into a mainstream technology.

The Application of
Behavior Recognition
A prime benefit of intelligent video is that it eliminates the need for continual human monitoring of video for possible incidents.

The task of watching video monitors is complicated by the number of cameras and their rotation cycles along with the numerous other responsibilities assigned to safety and security personnel.

With intelligent video, monitors do not require continual staffing. When a pre-de-fined behavior occurs, recording begins automatically and alarms and alerts are sent to appropriate safety and security responders.

If a responder does not take action in a specific time period, then the alert or alarm is elevated and sent to the next responder. The software coordinates a comprehensive, enterprise-wide response. This is especially important when several different groups of responders are needed to interdict
in a specific event. Intelligent video also allows security personnel to go back and review individual responses to an incident, analyze the incident logs and response times, and implement improvements in their organization’s security procedures and policies where necessary.

Looking Ahead
With advanced intelligent video software bringing behavior recognition and alert management
technology to CCTV systems, security capabilities are being extended in ways that recently were not possible. Security personnel can do their jobs more effectively, security resources can be deployed
in more cost effective ways and, more importantly, facilities and personnel can be assured
of safer working environments.

As optics improve, and CCTV systems include high-definition cameras and thermal and infrared devices, there will be other dramatic advances. Ultimately, security personnel will be able to anticipate and respond to events even more rapidly, effectively and efficiently. FSM
Brooks McChesney is president and chief executive officer of Vidient Systems, Inc., which designs, develops and deploys behavior recognition software systems that enable highly efficient, accurate, and cost-effective video surveillance networked used to monitor secure locations at major transportation facilities, corporations, and public institutions.