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ObjectVideo HQ, Virginia, U.S.A. (Photo by ObjectVideo) |
These are different times. Throughout industry and government, the need for security, information and infrastructure support has never been greater. In the current climate, the threats are more pervasive, crossing into every facet of our lives. From airports to utilities, far-flung perimeters or inner-city rail systems, demand for more sophisticated security and surveillance solutions is dramatically on the rise. A constant state of vigilance is the now the norm around the world.
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ObjectVideo analytics detectiond track boats in a Port scenario |
ObjectVideos Event Counting Suite counts individuals as they enter and exit a building or defined area (Photo by ObjectVideo) |
Intelligent video technology from ObjectVideo addresses this demand on two levels: increased security effectiveness and insight into business processes and data. With the right technology in place, organizations can turn a previously passive sensor into a real-time knowledge tool. Vision-based business intelligence allows end users to increase surveillance effectiveness, reduce threats and loss and make better business decisions based on real-time data.
As the leading global provider of this technology, ObjectVideo has helped customers integrate its software for security, public safety, business intelligence gathering, process improvement and other applications. More than 760,000 channels have been sold. The applications are wide-ranging in scope and focus, from protecting U.S. marines in a war zone to monitoring banks and stores for safety and security.
The company’s innovative products convert video to data in real time through the detection, classification and tracking of activities. How do they do it? The little-known science of computer vision enables ObjectVideo’s patented technology to detect, classify and track objects, and immediately generate useful output. User-defined rules determine that output and can range from real-time alerts to triggers for stored business data. The options are wide open.
ObjectVideo software is available to the market through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that embed its technology into a variety of devices. Their worldwide partner network includes industry-leading manufacturing and technology partners.
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ObjectVideo OnBoard (Photo by ObjectVideo) |
ObjectVideo was founded in 1998 by renowned scientists and program managers from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), part of the U.S. Department of Defense. A private company backed by leading venture capital partners, the company employs more than 100 highly-skilled professionals (more than 20 percent hold PhDs).
Taking this technology to its full potential is a constant pursuit. ObjectVideo holds more than 50 patents and patents pending and continues to dedicate considerable resources to research and development. It’s an exciting chapter for the company, given the evolution of the technology and product enhancements that it is spearheading.
ObjectVideo’s industry-leading software is available as ObjectVideo OnBoard, which is a digital signal processor-based technology that OEMs can embed in video-enabled devices for customers to deploy anywhere within the video surveillance infrastructure.
The company has also just released OV Ready, an XML-based intelligent video network protocol that makes it easy to quickly deploy a network of interoperable intelligent devices feeding into enterprise video management systems.
Applications
Enlightening the View from Seaports to Borders
ObjectVideo’s field-proven, patented video analytics technology is at work today in hundreds of organizations worldwide. Everywhere the products are in place is an opportunity to enhance security, streamline operations and provide business intelligence.
The science of advanced computer vision is the foundation of ObjectVideo’s innovations. Through this science, ObjectVideo is uniquely able to overcome operational challenges of different dimensions. The environment could be retail, banking, transportation or gaming. In any case, ObjectVideo enables a whole new level of surveillance efficiency. With the software able to detect a wide range of events, activities like perimeter breaches, loitering, unauthorized entry/exit and theft are easier to detect and deter.
Hundreds of organizations worldwide have integrated ObjectVideo software into their security and surveillance systems. End users include U.S. government agencies and critical infrastructure facilities like ports, dams and nuclear power plants. ObjectVideo solutions are at work in transportation authorities, chemical plants, state and local entities and retail establishments. Along the way, they have helped customers enhance security, streamline operations and provide business intelligence.
There are measurable benefits to be gained from integrating ObjectVideo’s intelligent video solutions. These success stories illuminate the real potential for enhancing an organization’s security and surveillance strategy.
Real-Time Insight at a Casino
Improving the customer experience makes a bottom-line difference at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Barbara County, California, the U.S.A. That capability was improved dramatically when Chumash integrated a solution that featured ObjectVideo technology.
ObjectVideo’s video analytics enable the resort to utilize its existing video system to collect and act upon important data that was never before captured. For example, it is critical that managers know the number of guests in the 94,000-square-foot casino at any given time to ensure that the resort is adequately staffed. Turnstiles and other electronic sensors are not viable in this type of open environment, so managers had to rely on manual counters operated by employees on the casino floor.
Now, thanks to ObjectVideo software, Chumash uses its existing video system to determine the number of guests in the casino with greater than 98 percent accuracy and adjust staffing levels accordingly. Maximizing marketing programs is another benefit. The casino can use different cameras to track when and where people are entering and exiting the property. As just one example, they’ve using exit data to determine which special events and in-casino promotions best retain guests and result in increased business for the casino.
Chumash casino management makes smart use of the real-time insight they gain from video analytics. They are also at the leading edge of casinos that recognize a strategic investment in this technology now positions them to deploy increasingly sophisticated security, surveillance and marketing strategies in years to come.
Real Protection to Residents
How do you address security for a large public housing complex, where social problems and law enforcement create entangled, complex situations? In Puerto Rico, at Vivienda Public Housing, the answers came with a high technology twist: a video surveillance system that featured ObjectVideo’s enhanced video analytics.
Vivienda and other complexes like it are home to more than 350,000 public housing residents in Puerto Rico. Their safety has increased now that on-site police forces are supported by intelligent virtual forces that watch these facilities 24/7. ObjectVideo takes pride in helping to improve the quality of life for these residents.
This initiative started as a pilot project more than two years ago when Avant Technologies, a manufacturer of video surveillance systems, installed video monitoring to greatly improve the coordination of information at Vivienda. The initiative instigated a 25 percent decrease in crime. The Government of Puerto Rico then invested US$5 million in video surveillance solutions for 20 additional public housing developments. That’s when Avant called in ObjectVideo. Together, they created a worldwide model for intelligent video systems for public housing.
ObjectVideo embedded its video analytics in Avant’s system. ObjectVideo OnBoard analytics enables rules-based people detection, classification, tracking and real-time alerting. Each camera features video analytics and is part of a completely automatic system to assist police officers. A Video Sentinel server from Avant is the video management platform engine, driving live and recorded video, controlling encoders and providing user access control. A map-based graphic viewer provides access cameras with MPEG4 images.
Within each housing complex, real-time video feeds are analyzed by intelligent software that distinguishes between cars and people. Residents’ privacy is maintained with a special window masking technology. Monitored centrally day and night, the cameras are a preventative measure against crime. Suspicious information is identified and recorded locally and then sent to a centralized facility/ video retention center where it’s used to evaluate criminal activity or saved for future use in court. When an alert occurs, the remote guard can easily obtain that camera’s hi-resolution video over the wide-area network.
The net effect: increased safety for residences, better information and control for housing management, and improved forensics for law enforcement.
Saving Time and Money for a Port
The Port Authority of Jacksonville, Florida, the U.S.A., saw big challenges ahead. Jaxport, as it’s known, is one of the America’s largest and busiest ports. Terrorist attacks, undetected intrusions and cargo theft, among other issues, were real threats that had to be addressed.
Jaxport is a huge complex. Comprehensive security to protect its extensive facilities had to include better perimeter security and infrastructure protection. Management also sought better coordination between port and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel.
Accommodating the vast coverage area, ObjectVideo and its partners designed and implemented a special first responder system that gave port police the ability to directly receive alerts, regardless of location. Innovative wireless alert consoles were added to each police cruiser, giving them a map-based interface and flexible alert outputs. As a result, response times dropped dramatically.
Even with fewer officers, Jaxport has created a much larger security force by leveraging ObjectVideo technology to add capability and efficiency to its security strategy. At the same time, this solution helped Jaxport avoid the need for a costly centralized monitoring operation.
Look beneath the surface and one will see how ObjectVideo’s open architecture facilitated easy integration with existing security applications. Besides the obvious cost benefits of this approach, the end user is able to quickly add capability while minimizing disruption or downtime. All port officials now see the same thing: a common operational picture, increased situational awareness and the ability to respond in real time.
OV Ready
End users clamor for greater functionality in their enterprise video surveillance systems. Especially when it comes to video analytics, the view always seems to be “give me more”. In late 2007, ObjectVideo released OV Ready to give users exactly what they need.
OV Ready is an XML-based intelligent video network protocol that standardizes ObjectVideo analytic rule, alert and configuration communications. The protocol is universally compatible with any video management system adopting ObjectVideo standards. Its features make it easy to build rules specific to each mission. OV Ready allows video analytics to be integrated enterprise wide.
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Photo by ObjectVideo |
OV Ready comes with a comprehensive specification and technical support program. It enables any software provider to create its own OV Ready-compliant version of its interfaces. These interfaces support full ObjectVideo functionality, including rule creation, analytic sensor management and event output. Now the end user can work with the growing network of devices hosting ObjectVideo OnBoard intelligent analytics while creating and managing rules and events conveniently through familiar graphical user interfaces of their preferred video management system.
OV Ready is a key component of ObjectVideo’s ongoing strategy to make video analytics more accessible and easy to deploy for customers.
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Cameras embedded with ObjectVideo analytics, hang from posts throughout the development, providing virtual police protection day and night. (Photo by ObjectVideo) |
ObjectVideo works with manufacturers to embed analytics in cameras, encoders, routers and a variety of network devices. Its innovations are driving costs down and reducing the hardware footprint. As importantly, open standards facilitate interoperability with existing systems. That’s important for organizations with significant investment in existing surveillance systems.
The end result for systems that integrate ObjectVideo is well proven across sectors. Users gain the ability to use analytics more easily than ever before, and greater functionality to strengthen surveillance and security capabilities where and when it’s needed the most.
With ObjectVideo, end users are able to obtain vision-based business intelligence, improve surveillance effectiveness, manage building systems more accurately and reduce harm and loss. That’s a view everyone can embrace.
What Intelligent Video Can and Can’t Do
The diversity of applications for intelligent video is astounding. There is no question that the right technology can take security confidence to new levels. The goal is making security systems smarter, faster and more efficient than ever while providing contextual information about each security event (i.e., what, when or how many) that is necessary for an informed response.
ObjectVideo software delivers true intelligence as proven in the field. But in this market, there are many wannabe suppliers that are touting technologies that don’t deliver. There are many false claims and too many unfulfilled promises. Nonetheless, the hype does drive premium pricing and unabated appetite for more features and functionality.
The challenge is distinguishing between hype and reality. This is critical as choosing the right supplier for intelligent video technology affects all aspects of the physical security operation. ObjectVideo’s experts suggest three criteria to separate fact from fiction. To be truly intelligent, the technology must be:
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An application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically computer vision
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Capable of reporting on actual events, not just react to movement
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Able to provide relevant, real-time information about the events
The distinguishing factor for ObjectVideo’s innovations is the effective application of the science of computer vision, the branch of AI that enables a computer sees, albeit in a fashion very different from humans. Because computer vision-based solutions have the greatest potential for very discriminating detection and very low false alarms, they have the potential to deliver the highest ROI. With this science at its roots, ObjectVideo’s path to success has been paved by teaming relationships with manufacturers to bring commercially viable video analytic capabilities to market.
Some suppliers, however, pitch certain technologies as intelligent, yet they’ve not. These include the newer field of biometric technology facial recognition as well as a technology that’s been around awhile Video Motion Detection (VMD). VMD comes and goes in different permutations but continues to be based on reaction to motion, not an interpretation of events or classification of objects.
To make the right decision, ask the right questions: Are the analytics computer vision-based or are they VMD? Are the analytics capabilities full featured or just a few algorithms that have limited applicability outside the specific scenarios for which they were developed? What are the vendor? abilities to provide training, configuration and full technical support to help ensure the user gets the most from its analytics investment?
Identifying the right supplier is one challenge. Another is timing. It’s important to factor analytics requirements as early in the planning cycle as possible. Then the analytics strategy is defined up front, the user can determine requirements and opportunities to be in the best position to realize the full value of their investment. A proper deployment thus improves security response and transforms eyes -- everywhere cameras into valuable data sources. With the right data at the right time, it’s easy to respond to real-time changes in the security environment.
The keys to success: dig deep on the criteria cited here and insist that solutions have comprehensive analytics functionality, are easy to integrate into existing infrastructure and align with the video analytics strategy for your specific mission.
Interview
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Raul J. Fernandez
CEO of ObjectVideo
(Photo by ObjectVideo) |
“Our success
comes from
the long history of innovation.”
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With more than 760,000 channels of video analytics sold worldwide, ObjectVideo is the leading provider of intelligent video software. The company’s innovative products convert video to data in real time through the detection, classification and tracking of activities.
Raul J. Fernandez is CEO of ObjectVideo, who brings more than 15 years of executive experience with innovative and rapidly growing technology companies. He is well known in the technology industry and the Washington D.C. area as the founder of Proxicom, which under his leadership evolved from a start-up into a leading global provider of sophisticated e-business solutions.
To keep up with the growing attention to intelligent video and find more about ObjectVideo, Sunny Kim, Editor of SecurityWorld INT’L, has met with Raul J. Fernandez, who in the interview talked about his motivation for joining ObjectVideo and the company’ competitive edges.
You were already successful with Proxicom. What Ied you to ObjectVideo?
What was most interesting to me after 9.11 was an opportunity to get involved with an extremely innovative company in the technology and security industry that really wanted to change the way business was done. The security industry has made a lot of progress with cameras and infrastructures, but all of this technology was still coming back to humans that had to watch the video to make decisions.
ObjectVideo automates the process of watching video surveillance, improving security across all different sectors, including anti-terrorism and homeland security. I wanted to be involved with ObjectVideo because its innovative technology is disrupting the way business has always been done.
What makes ObjectVideo an outstanding company today?
I think it comes from the long history of innovation ? the amount of just raw science and research & development that has gone into the company, which has been doing its business since the mid 1990s. ObjectVideo was founded by venture capital and a government research branch. The years of PhD research that has gone into its products is unmatched because we have been doing it longer and on a larger scale than anyone else. It’s easy for competitors to get some level of capability, but when you try to get 80~95% of the functionality we offer, the competition starts to drop away. Our success is due to the combination of this history and the commitment of the many individuals. Fortunately, our place in today’s market place continues to grow.
Please introduce your current sales network around the world. And explain your collaboration with WPG System for Asia Pacific.
ObjectVideo is a global company, but not a provider of end-to-end solutions. The most important thing to understand is that we are very different from analytic providers who try to position themselves as a complete solution.
We recognize that we are a high-value ingredient in a total security solution and we depend on systems integrators who resell, install and optimize our products to work with other solution components. We also have manufacturing partners who embed our technology into their
cameras, recorders, routers, video storage devices and capture cards.
So with that in mind, our sales network really consists of the top companies in the security manufacturing industry, including ADT, Tyco International, March Networks and HIK Vision. These and other industry leaders have products that have ObjectVideo technology inside.
Our relationship with WPG System is extremely important in Asia Pacific region. To be successful here, you need to understand the region and be experienced in doing business here. So, as a U.S.-based company, we wanted to find a partner with this experience who would essentially be ObjectVideo in Asia. WPG System is the company conducting business in Asia as if they were ObjectVideo. They do in Asia what we do in America and Europe, so they can provide integration support, localize software, and work with OEMs to protect intellectual property.
In todays hotly contested business environment, what are your competitive edges that differentiate you from other intelligent video companies?
ObjectVideo enjoys a significant global leadership position in the video analytics market. So we act like a leader. One of the ways we exercise leadership is by educating the market about the capabilities and limitations of intelligent video.
Another strong advantage of ours is our large number of customers and industry experience. Weve been doing this much longer than any other provider, and it shows in our product and in the comprehensive support we provide.
Intelligent video can be complex. How does OV help customers get a better understanding?
Intelligent video as a science, as an application and as a piece of software is extremely complex. One of the ways ObjectVideo has made the technology more accessible is by spending a great deal of time on making it usable for our end users. One of the reasons that we were successful is we’ve been able to take very complex science and software -- and all of the algorithms and all of the mathematical formulations making up that software ? and turn it into something that users can understand. Rather than focusing on the capabilities of the software, we focus on finding ways to apply intelligent video to solve real customer problems. And I think we’ve done a very good job of developing user interfaces, especially through our partnership with WPG System, who has great technical capability and is able to make sure that the software is localized to the individual markets of China, Taiwan and Korea. End users are not technical people, but security people. I think we’ve done a good job of making intelligent video very usable for security people.
For more information, please send your e-mails to swm@infothe.com.
ⓒ2007 www.SecurityWorldMag.com. All rights reserved.
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