The Sphere>Points platform connects your organization to what matters most across the sphere of your enterprise. Sphere>Points is situational awareness & actionable intelligence via an integrated approach to: sensors, processes, devices, communications, networks, systems and the people and teams you count on. Now with you can extend that With Intelligent Analytics and Spatial Awareness for Video Surveillance.

Analog CCTV systems became commonplace in the 70’s for video surveillance applications. The systems originally used analog cameras and recorded to video tapes as it was the only available technology at the time. The transformation to the digital world began in a series of steps. Around 1990, the cameras became party digital by utilizing CCD sensors internally even though they still used analog outputs. Then in the mid-90’s, VCRs started being replaced by Digital Video Recorders (DVR). The DVRs were fed analog input from cameras through coax cables but they digitized the images and stored them in digital form. Initially, the DVRs had analog outputs for viewing the images on a monitor connected directly to the DVR. A few years later, DVRs added a network connection, which allowed the stored images to be remotely from another computer on the network.

The final analog link that remained was the link from the camera to the DVR. The transformation of this is now in full flow in the marketplace with the advent of video edge encoders and IP cameras. Video encoders convert the analog video into a digital stream on the network basically performing the functions of digitizing and compressing the video. IP cameras perform the same functions internally and can thus be connected directly to the network. This allows the traditional DVRs to be replaced with servers that can handle all the functions of recording, display and storage. Video surveillance systems are undergoing a complete transformation to this IP video world that provides an unprecedented level of functionality and cost savings. IP video management offers numerous advantages such as network-based remote monitoring of cameras, data compression, ease of storage, etc. A big advantage of digital video is the potential of using video analytics, i.e. intelligent video processing to automatically detect events such as an intruder in a restricted zone and raise instant alerts. This can replace the need for constant human monitoring of video feeds from numerous cameras, which is difficult and unreliable.

Challenges in Facilities Security

In a post 9/11 world, protecting critical facilities – corporate headquarters, shopping malls, hotels, government buildings, courts, train stations, etc. against terrorist threats has become of paramount importance. While this is a vital task, it is also extremely complex and difficult. These types of structures are often huge, are located in urban areas and usually have lots of human and vehicle traffic around which makes them more vulnerable. It is necessary to secure these areas without disrupting everyday routine activities. The solution in place today involves CCTV surveillance cameras and human monitoring. Given the complexity of the task, it is very difficult for a human operator to maintain sufficient focus to notice real threats while staring at a video screen for hours on end. Both security breaches and false alarms are commonplace in these setting with existing solutions in the marketplace.

This is where video analytics has a role to play - provided it can detect real threats and not trigger a myriad of false alarms. The consequences of an undetected threat can be severe. On the other hand, too many false alarms can lead the human operators in the loop to eventually not rely on the analytics system as a guide and revert back to simply using their eyes. Clearly, there is a need for a more intelligent system that can accurately and instantaneously detect potential threats – for the authorities to make rapid and well-informed decisions and respond in real time. And that’s exactly where the Sphere>Points Intelligent Video Surveillance Solution for Facilities Security comes clearly into play.

The Sphere>Points Video Analytics Surveillance Solution

The Sphere>Points intelligent video solution has numerous features and benefits that help transform passive CCTV systems to proactive rapid response intelligent video systems for securing government and corporate facilities:

Instantaneous event detection: The Sphere>Points solution can identify a variety of user-configurable events such as:

• Suspicious, unattended packages left in secure areas
• Tailgating individuals at restricted doorways and access points
• Intruders or vehicles around the building perimeter
• Illegally parked cars or abandoned vehicles in or around the facility
• Sudden crowd formation
• Others custom designed to meet your requirements

Real-time alert: automatically triggers an alarm when an event takes place, showing the live video from the location, the moment the event was triggered as well as the location of the event on a map. Once the event is triggered the full power of Sphere>Points and Sphere>Mobile can be harnessed to responded to and resolve the security event.

Fast investigation: shows the recent events as icons on a rolling timeline that allows the user to quickly investigate the cause of all recently transpired events.

Perimeter security: detects and classifies moving objects (people or vehicles) around the perimeter while minimizing false alarms from small animals, swaying trees, etc. Gate counting: automatically counts vehicles or people crossing a user-defined line or zone. This can assist with crowd control and in reducing congestion as well as parking lot monitoring.

High quality compression: superior video compression ensures high quality live as well as recorded video while reducing both bandwidth requirements and storage needs. Video can be recorded centrally, locally or a combination of the two. All this can be tailored precisely to a customer’s requirements.

Superior video analytics: reduces the demand on security personnel monitoring multiple video feeds continuously by functioning as a reliable second viewer that never gets fatigued and increases the probability of detecting real threats.

Improves response time: takes over primary responsibility for monitoring thus freeing security personnel to focus on event assessment and response.

Spatially locating the event: The map view is very useful for personnel investigating an ongoing event to immediately recognize the spatial location of where it is occurring and to look at surrounding areas to gauge what might happen next or where the next threat might occur. This could enable them to take appropriate preemptive action.

Software implementation: A pure software implementation that offers easy upgradability and customizable applications. You no longer have to deal with a one-size-fits-all approach to analytics. You are not limited by computational power as is common with DSP-based implementations.

Cost savings: The Sphere>Points intelligent video surveillance system monitors, analyzes, and records video data from hundreds of cameras simultaneously, enabling the optimization of security resources. With high channel capacity and the most efficient compression in the market, Sphere>Points also delivers a system with a small footprint. It reduces recurring ownership cost and offers easy upgradability. With its unique feature set and very high quality analytics, you have a comprehensive turnkey video surveillance solution with unparalleled performance.