• FLIR shows two new thermal imaging surveillance systems

    Thermal imaging used to be an expensive and esoteric technology; not anymore; innoative developer shows systems — one based on microbolometer infrared sensor technology, the other on foveal vision concept

  • New video analytic software can detect violent behavior

    University of Texas scientists make a leap with software trained to distinguish between a hug and a push, or a handshake and a knifing; system is so far 80 percent accurate, and commercial applications could be available within a year; some see future in smart television searches, too

  • Indonesia wants to buy Israeli UAVs

    UAVs are used by more and more militaries and law enforcement forces, and the Indonesian military is no exception; it first tried to develop the vehicle indigenously, but the result was disappointing; the world’s largest Muslim country then looked around, and decided to purchase UAVs from Israel

  • Predator B to return to the Arizona skies

    Six months after a crash cast doubt on UAV reliability and cost, DHS is ready to try again; Predator B a government favorite despite problems, and two others are scheduled for delivery soon

  • Northrop Grumman decides to enter Navy UAV competition

    Company proposes its Global Hawk for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program; cost remains an issue for widespread UAV deployment, but Navy sees much to gain in a technology with a long flight time and a high ceiling

  • Security officials worry about Google Earth

    Terrorists may use satellite images to identify targets and plan attacks, experts say; concern is global as Dutch, Russians, and others worry; democratizing Internet spreads access to high resolution photographs; rogue nations the big winners here

  • CACI joins Alien Technology’s RFID Solution Center

    Wal-Mart, the Pentagon, and a growing list of other organizations now demand that suppliers tags their supplies with RFIDs in order to manage supply chain operations better; more and more governments around the world are creating documents for their citizens — from passports to driver licenses — which incorporate RFID technology; little wonder, then one of the largest government contractors join the center for the technology created by one of the leading companies in the field

  • RFID-based airline baggage handling tested

    RFID technology is spreading to more and more sectors of the economy; the latest to test the RF tracking system are airlines and airports, both aiming to make baggage handling more streamlined and accurate; challenges for the adoption of the technology remain, though, chief among them is cost

  • 3VR video management system tracks faces with low bandwidth costs

    By turning images into metadata, system cuts down on transmission and storage fees while giving security officials a fast way to sort through footage; 3VR approach takes individual snapshots as it records, allowing for easy searches later on

  • Researchers discover alghorithmic method of identifying naked bodies

    Innovative image analysis approach is designed to combat pornography in the workplace, but creative security personnel may find inspiration for video analytics

  • Lockheed Martin to develop stratospheric airship fabric

    It’s not your father’s Hindenburg; dirigibles — in their traditional, lighter-than-air configuration or in hybrid form — are gaining popularity as intelligence observation posts high in the sky (Israel, for example, has one parked high above the Gaza Strip, and a couple in the north, keeping an eye on the goings on inside Lebanon); the Pentagon wants airships for intelligence, too, but it is also considering the craft for transporting troops and equipment; oil and gas companies want to use them to ferry supplies and equipment to remote locations, and other commercial entities show interest as well