Video analytics to revolutionise surveillance

As the number of CCTV cameras in use continues to grow, so the need for a promising new technology called video analytics has started to accelerate.

This is the observation of analyst firm Frost and Sullivan, which has seen the surge in network video surveillance stumble on the labour-intensive process of monitoring the footage.

Video analytics can perform certain functions such as identifying abandoned objects, detecting motion and identifying traffic flow, making it useful for both security and managerial purposes in a variety of markets.

Although this technology is only in its beginning stage, a recent report by Frost and Sullivan suggests that video analytics has a lot of potential which can be used in many critical and non-critical environments.

"Video analytics is the process of using algorithms and software to analyse recorded or live video coverage," said Janaki Padmanabhan, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

"It is the next step to video surveillance where the intelligence of the system is utilised to enable the end user to identify key trends and significant changes in recorded images. The end user will be alerted when there is an unusual event. Video analytics is the key to help end users with the abundance of recorded information."

The research highlights the problem that regular surveillance encounters when those people monitoring the video footage tend to become inattentive and lose focus.

This type of human error diminishes when the video is recorded and analysed later, but this loses the advantage of real time response to situations.

By helping to identify patterns and alert personnel to abnormalities or deviations from the norm, video analytics can help solve these problems and help streamline processes.

The technology is limited however. According to the report, the primary drawback for video analytics in the retail sector is that it is difficult to define unusual behaviour due to the haphazard nature of customers.