With video analytics a key technological development in CCTV, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has published a guide to Video Content Analysis (VCA). It seeks to outline how the technology could be applied to enhance the capability of an existing CCTV system.
Pauline Norstrom, BSIA CCTV Section Chairman, says: "Video Content Analysis, also known as intelligent video analytics, is the name given to the automatic analysis of CCTV images to create useful information about the content. VCA has a wide range of uses, for instance it can detect intruders, left packages and wrongly parked vehicles, as well as counting events such as people entering or leaving an area. In theory any ‘behaviour’ that can be both seen and accurately defined on a video image can be automatically identified and an alert raised."
“VCA can be used to increase the effectiveness and return on investment from CCTV systems by adding enhanced or increased capabilities to detect events and analyse post-event video. However with the emerging nature of VCA – it has become a reality only in the last three to five years – and the number of producers entering this new and exciting field, the range of products and the installation implications can be confusing for potential buyers.”
This guide seeks to provide a basic understanding of the technology for businesses considering the introduction of VCA technology for the purposes of security, safety, people and traffic management or event counting, as well as offering specifiers general advice helpful for assessing suppliers and their products. The guide to video content analysis can be downloaded by visiting www.bsia.co.uk/publications
