Video analytics

  • SurveillanceCellphones could soon see through walls

    Researchers have designed an imager chip that could turn mobile phones into devices that can see through walls, wood, plastics, paper, and other objects; the chip exploits the terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is one of the wavelength ranges that falls between microwave and infrared, and which has not been accessible for most consumer devices

  • SurveillanceIndia's demand for CCTVs growing fast

    Since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, city surveillance has become a high priority for India; India has twenty-eight states, most with a capital city and a number of other large cities, and video surveillance is being planned for many of them

  • SurveillanceNew surveillance system: 1 second to search through 36 million faces

    New surveillance camera system can search through data on thirty-six million faces in one second

  • SurveillanceDHS seeks camera that sees hundreds of kilometers at once

    DHS is interested in adding powerful military technology to its growing arsenal of surveillance equipment; the agency is considering new cameras that will be able to track and monitor several moving objects simultaneously over as much as four square miles

  • Infrastructure protectionInnovative CCTV protects copper cables

    The theft of copper cables has cost the British economy an estimated £770 million a year over the last few years; British company which rely on copper cables to deliver their services are deploying an innovative CCTV to combat the thieves

  • Surveillance technologyCompanies urged to limit sale of surveillance tech to repressive regimes

    The European Commission is urging private companies to limit the sale of surveillance technology to foreign countries that “repress” their people

    • 47

  • SurveillancePlan for cameras and mics in U.K. cabs draws sharp criticism

    Privacy advocates in Oxford, Britain are up in arms over plans to install security cameras and audio recording cameras in every taxi; the city council recently passed a plan that would require every taxi driver in town to equip their cabs with the £460 devices by 2015 or have their license revoked

  • Law enforcement technologyWorld's first 1080p/30fps video analytics solution on an FPGA announced

    Altera Corporation said it was introducing what it described as the world’s first FPGA-based full-HD 1080p/(30 frames per second) 30fps video analytics on a Cyclone IV FPGA

  • SurveillanceU.S. army orders 315 reconnaissance micro-robots

    Recon Scout XT weighs 1.2lbs (540g), can be deployed in five seconds, and thrown up to 120 feet (36m); soldiers and law enforcement use the Recon Scout system to determine the layout of the enclosed spaces, identify potential IEDs, and the fix the location of friendly, indigenous, or enemy personnel

  • SurveillanceStudy shows surveillance cameras reduce crime, in some cases

    A recent study found that security cameras in urban areas have had mixed results in preventing crime; the study aimed to determine whether installing surveillance cameras to reduce crime is an effective use of scarce resources, especially with states struggling with soaring budget deficits and police departments facing steep cuts; the study found that the efficacy of cameras varies and is largely dependent upon how the surveillance system is set up and monitored

  • Law enforcement technologySupreme Court to rule on age of "Big Brother" surveillance

    This November the Supreme Court is gearing up to hear a landmark case which will decide how far law enforcement agencies can pry into an individual’s private life; federal judges argue that the use of GPS surveillance by law enforcement is an “Orwellian intrusion” into private life and violate the Fourth Amendment; meanwhile police say GPS tracking is simply a more efficient way to tail a suspect’s car or track their movements, things they can currently do without a warrant

  • Researchers developing "soft biometric" video analysis system

    Researchers in Australia are developing a way to identify individuals using “soft” biometrics like their estimated weight, hair color, and skin tone in video footage; the researchers hope to create a Google-style search, where police officers can actually search for an individual in hundreds of hours of video footage just by typing in a basic description

  • SurveillanceFacebook could mean the end of undercover ops

    Law enforcement officials have begun using Facebook to identify criminals and gather information about their habits, but the technology has the potential to be a double edged sword; an undercover officer could successfully infiltrate a gang only to have their cover blown after their photo is recognized and their Facebook profile carefully scrutinized

  • Law enforcement technologyIdentifying bad guys in a crowd

    New CCTV technology aims to do two things: for post-incident forensic analysis the system retraces a person’s steps after they have left a site; and for real-time analysis the system alerts security to immediate or imminent threats; researchers say the technology will also address privacy concerns: if a computer could automatically detect and preserve footage “of interest,” the images of the rest of the people captured by CCTVs can be safely deleted, minimizing the invasion to privacy

  • Law enforcement technologySan Francisco to install real-time surveillance on buses

    Thanks to a $6 million DHS grant San Francisco’s MUNI buses will soon be equipped with a network of sophisticated high-tech video cameras that will allow the transit agency to view footage in real-time