How to Select and Deploy Video Analytics
Intrusion and tamper detection, counting and license plate recognition are just some of the real-world campus applications for this type of software.
In the case of a backpack left behind, however, Panasonic Director of Business Operations Dave Poulin advises institutions of higher education to be careful when using analytics to scan for these items in that they are so common on college campuses: “Obviously, you are going to have to work very hard to determine where you use that application due to false alarms.”
In cafeterias, bookstores and pharmacies, this solution could come in handy with loss prevention, claims DeSousa.
“We can provide analysis of cashier behavior to tell you if a transaction has occurred with no customer present,” he says.
Linger and dwell analytics solutions can identify loiterers and even be calibrated to detect when an officer, staff member or patient is lying down because they are ill or have been assaulted.
There are also possible applications for facial recognition in dorms to confirm the identity of a resident or even as part of two-factor identification for access control to high-security areas. For example, an authorized staff member or student could be required to have his or her identity verified via facial recognition and a PIN.
“On the flip side, with facial recognition, we can’t forget about searching after the fact in investigations,” says Poulin.
If the system records a person’s face, investigators can go back through the recorded video and search for that particular person to determine if he or she were there before an incident. The search can also be expanded to video taken by cameras in other campus areas. This type of search functionality can also be applied to objects, such as cars, backpacks and clothing.
Selecting the Correct Product Is Critical
In order for video analytics to accomplish all of these tasks, campuses must conduct site surveys and then buy the right solution that is designed and then calibrated to achieve their organizations’ security and operational goals.
Wendi Burke, IQinVision’s director of marketing, advises schools, universities and hospitals to start small.
“Don’t buy a huge package at first,” she says. “They are too complicated for beginners. Analytics works better over time when you know how to use the solution.”
Although campuses should not bite off more than they can chew, oversimplification also has its pitfalls. Cook claims that campuses often make the mistake of only buying one or two parts of a solution rather than all of the components required to achieve a particular goal. Or, they might attempt to apply a solution that works well in one situation to another where the solution is prone to failure or false alarms.
“For example, a device that is used for counting people entering a building may not be best suited for protecting an area against trespassers,” he says.
Selecting the right integrator or manufacturer to help you with site surveys and product selection is also important, says DeSousa.
“Not all integrators have experience deploying analytics, so pick a good one and make sure they have some understanding, or partner with a manufacturer that can provide guidance.”
Choosing the appropriate types of IP cameras and their feature sets is also important. “If it’s a hallway, we need a camera with the focal length and resolution to actually see a face,” says Poulin. “In a parking lot, we not only need the angle of view to be in the right spot where the cars are most likely to drive, we will probably also need IR illuminators for different lighting conditions and for light reflectivity so we can read the license plate. We might even need two cameras: one to catch the overall scene and the car make and color and who is in the car; the other is zoomed in on the license plate.”
Cook recommends campuses select a solution that is designed to be end-to-end.
“Too many times there are several manufacturers jockeying for product to be positioned in the solution,” he says. “You have the camera, the video management software, the platform that will receive the communication protocols, the Internet and, finally, the analytics. The solution has to be designed and engineered correctly to be workable, either by a company that has an end-to-end solution with all of the necessary integrations or a cooperating collaboration of all the necessary manufacturers to achieve an end-to-end solution.”
Properly Install and Calibrate Your System
Once the site surveys have been completed and the equipment has been purchased, it must be installed correctly, in the right locations and then properly calibrated. Burke warns against keeping the systems on their default settings.
“Everything has to be customized,” she says. “When you are doing things like outside motion detection where you have squirrels or any type of animal that would go through a scene, or wind or trees, plants and gra
ss, and you haven’t properly set it up, you are going to have nuisance alerts constantly.”
Burke recommends that when the system is being set up, the person installing it should block out areas that could capture movement of trees and other plants. To avoid nuisance alarms due to small animals, she recommends the installer create parameters so that an alert is only issued when an object takes up a certain amount of space within the scene captured by the camera. That way the system only alerts on real threats like a car or a person.
The placement of the cameras is also crucial to capturing good analytics data, adds Poulin.
“If you want to know if an object was left behind in an access-controlled entrance, we probably need a camera dedicated to that, not a camera across the street that is catching the entire scene,” he says.
For campuses deploying facial and license plate recognition, appropriate databases must be created. Photos of authorized staff and/or students must be taken, and their vehicle license plate information must be collected. There is also the potential for campuses to tap into government databases that have images and/or vehicle license plates of known offenders. Campuses must work out agreements with local, state and possibly federal officials to determine if they have access to that information.
When Confused, Ask for Help
Although purchasing, designing and calibrating a video analytics system can be overwhelming for many university, school and hospital protection professionals, help is available. Qualified integrators and video analytics manufacturers can assist you in making the right decisions so your solution will work properly and make your institution’s security and operations more efficient.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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