Resource Blogs
Analyzing Big Data
As our information world continues to generate an unfathomable amount of stored data, a surprisingly common term has been coined to describe this expanding mass ...BIG...or Big Data to be accurate. How big is big, one asks? The answer: big enough that conventional data structures and analysis cannot effectively deal with it. IBM calculates that, every day, 2.5 quintillion bytes (that’s a million trillion bytes, or exabytes) of new data is created. They further estimate that, by 2020, the amount of digital information created and replicated in the world will grow to 35 trillion gigabytes. Some of this data is highly structured (e.g. financial information) and other data, such as IP video, is unstructured. The science of big data has given rise to a new job title, data scientist, i.e., one who can scientifically and creatively make sense of all of this.
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Make Way for H.265
January 25, 2013 marked a very important day in the timeline of video compression standards, but few security people probably noticed. On that day, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) approved H.265, known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).
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Making Sense of Convergence
Much has been written over these past few years on the topic of convergence, and I would guess that, if you were to ask ten people in the security industry what convergence means, you’d get a like number of differing answers. So, when I sat down to write about technologies driving convergence, I really wanted to start off with a clear statement of what’s being driven and why.
I prefer to take the broad view and look at convergence as the blending and sharing of information across the enterprise for the greater good, enabled in large part by network technology and permitted, if not promoted, by the various stakeholders. This is not just about IT and security, or putting security on the corporate network — it embraces any department or system whose information can interact, inter-relate or affect the business.
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Avoid PoE Woe
One of the really nice innovations in the industry has been the adoption and widespread availability of Power over Ethernet (PoE)-enabled devices, powered over the same Cat 5e (or better) cable carrying Ethernet. It is so easy that the technology can be taken for granted and important considerations overlooked.
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Video Storage: Take a Big Byte
Terabytes, petabytes, exabytes, zettabytes, brontobytes...what’s our security world coming to?
When you combine the trends of more surveillance cameras, higher bandwidth requirements, fatter bandwidth pipes and the continuing decline in storage costs, you get near-exponential growth in bytes stored. The question is, how do we manage this vast amount of video data? I’ve discussed this question with several large-scale storage vendors recently and learned some very interesting things.
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About Face
The security market has seen its share of technologies that scream “My time has finally arrived!” For facial recognition technology, most of us are still waiting; however, advances in accuracy and the fact that it has found applications in government and municipal law enforcement settings has me thinking that the technology’s “time” is about to arrive.
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Laser Tag
Remember the days of the simple photo-electric cell? Using either a transmitter-receiver pair or a single TX/RX with a retro-reflector, the interruption of an IR beam would trigger an alarm, stop a process, or simply act as an input to another process. We have come so far!
Today, using laser technology, a beam can be emitted into free space, reflect off an object, and, upon returning, provide the input to calculate distance of the object based on its flight time. Compound that with the fact that the beam is scanning continuously over a pre-determined arc travelling at 386,000 miles per second and you’ve got something interesting. Some refer to this technology as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), based on the same concept as RADAR, but using laser light instead of radio waves. Because laser light is higher in energy and shorter in wavelength than radio waves, it reflects better from non-metallic objects and provides mapping advantages over RADAR.
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Video at your Service
The major product sectors of the security industry seem to have all followed a similar progression: analog (or low-speed serial), to digital, to IP, and now, to the cloud. The security industry may be lagging behind the IT world in terms of standards, features and product applications; however, they are both traveling the same path — and it leads to the cloud.
Just look at the video market: VCRs are extinct, hybrid DVRs bridge the analog and digital worlds, and NVRs and dedicated or shared storage equipment reside on networks, accessed by an array of video management products. Thus, off-site video storage and monitoring, implemented through the Internet (the “cloud”), is becoming a real business. IMS Research points out that the Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) market was approximately $500 million in 2011 and could reach $1 billion by 2014.
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Recognizing Bad Behavior
Most video analytic technology has evolved from machine vision technology, as used in manufacturing automation. Along the way, technologies such as artificial intelligence have helped to create varying degrees of product differentiation. The ultimate objective of any analytic is to either identify anomalous situations or behavior, to provide an alert, or to yield some statistical analysis of a scene; however, almost all seem to rely on pre-defined criteria or rules to define what is “normal” and what is not.
Automating a system to learn what is “normal” requires an analysis of an overall scene dynamic and flagging instances that don’t normally occur — not because they have violated a rule, but because you don’t normally see that behavior. It is possible that no rules have been written to detect that particular behavior. This is akin to the human brain saving memories and building up long-term impressions of what has been seen before so that it knows that something is not right.
The underlying science is based in “neural networks”, described by Wikipedia as “composed of interconnecting artificial neurons (programming constructs that mimic the properties of biological neurons).”
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Product A&E Specs - Where Does A Manufacturer Start?
How many manufacturers publish a really good A&E specification, or even know really where to begin? I get to see a lot of A&E product specs and have written a number myself. The variation in quality and availability of A&E specs is so widespread, it borders on the ridiculous.
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The Number 1 Secret to Creating Value
Ask questions.
Yes, it’s that simple… ask questions. From the initial handshake to the closing of the sale, asking questions and never telling the client what they should think or feel will indirectly build all the value you need to win the business.
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Positioning GPS
From the first time I used a Hertz GPS navigation system in lieu of a paper map on the front passenger’s seat, I have found the technology to be an almost indispensable tool. Its adoption over the last 10 years has been remarkable and, for many, a must-have feature in cars and phones. Not surprisingly, GPS has security applications — and vulnerabilities. GPS is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites circling the earth twice daily at about 12,600 miles altitude. GPS satellites transmit 50-watt signals (@ 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band for civilian use) which GPS receivers use to determine time of transmission and, using the signal speed (nearly the 186,000 miles per second speed of light), calculate a distance to each one seen. With three satellites in view, latitude and longitude (2-D) can be derived; and altitude can be calculated (3-D) when four or more satellites are visible. Many GPS units show derived information such as direction and speed, calculated from position changes.
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Go to the Replay
The industry is getting smarter in realizing that the information captured on video equipment may be useful in non-traditional security or non-security applications, including retail assessments, crowd patterns, patient care and monitoring, employee behavior, operations assessment, litigation mitigation and more. Assuming any of these are conducted within legally accepted boundaries, the net effect is to deliver enhanced business-related ROI from the security department. Of course, this presumes that the information useful and relevant, and that security people and their IT and business counterparts are able to work together to connect the dots.
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In-Depth on NFC
Much has been written about Near-Field Communications (NFC) for consumer transactions; however, NFC is still so new that I want to address it in a broader security context and, hopefully stimulate some creative thinking. In my opinion, multiple security applications are waiting to be developed.
NFC is an RFID standards-based wireless technology, operating at 13.56 MHz over extremely short distances (less than 2 inches). When designed into a smartphone, it is capable of enabling data transfer between the phone and a companion device. The Nokia model 6131 was the first NFC phone, introduced in 2006. The predominant application driving this technology has been electronic payment as a follow-on to contactless smart cards, and manufacturer interest has been significant, as witnessed by the growth of the NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org) — founded in 2004 by Nokia, Philips and Sony — to more than 135 members today.
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Getting Beneath the Surface on Biometrics
Biometrics is one of those areas of security technology whose roots go back a ways, but whose best days are yet to come. I can remember getting fingerprinted prior to my Air Force ROTC summer camp years ago (won’t say how many); and taking my kids to the local police station to get their prints on file — for all the right reasons, I might add.
Since then, fingerprint technology has subtly made its way into our daily lives through consumer products, which drive technology acceptance and lower costs. How many of your laptops have a fingerprint reader on them? It has become quite common.
Beyond, electronic scanning now captures multiple fingers, single finger rolls and flat features. It has been provisioned in mobile applications and in harsh environments, allowing for quicker identification and apprehension of criminals. Fingerprint reading is the granddaddy biometric on steroids. And biometric technology has spread…along several dimensions.
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What's New in Video Storage
There is arguably no higher cost component in a video surveillance system than video storage equipment. Coupled with the proliferation of CCTV cameras, the ability of network-based video systems to enable easy viewing of live and stored video at multiple locations has driven video storage to higher levels of importance and utility. There is no doubt in my mind that not only will the number of stored bytes of video data continue to rapidly increase, but also that offsetting advancements in a number of areas will keep costs reasonable.
Start with the cost of the storage media itself. In 1950, the cost per megabyte of storage was approximately $10,000. In the early 1980s, that cost had fallen to less than $500; by 1990, under $10; and by the late 1990s, about a penny. In 2001, we saw the cost per gigabyte less than $5; under $1 in 2004, and less than a dime in 2010. Today, you can purchase a 3 TB SATA drive from Amazon for $159. Granted, these are only drive costs and do not reflect the hardware and software around them to make them work, but the downward trend in raw storage costs continues. This will only fuel the appetite to store more.
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HD, 3D and Beyond
Don’t look now, but megapixel cameras are taking our industry by storm. According to many integrators I have spoken with, a great deal of their customers have moved to IP — primarily to be able to use megapixel cameras. Why? Greater fidelity, fewer cameras, digital PTZ — the reasons are numerous. IMS Research estimates that, by 2014, half of the network cameras sold will be megapixel. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Analyzing Analytics
Video analytics as a security technology has been hyped for the past several years, with the widespread view that it has been oversold, overpriced, misapplied and simply not ready for prime time. But recent advancements may change that view.
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New Alternatives in Ethernet Media
As Ethernet networks have moved to becoming the norm for IP-based transmission of video, audio and data signals, I wanted to examine some alternatives for transmission.
By now, most of us are familiar with common Ethernet media — Cat 5e, Cat 6, fiber optic cable, and WiFi. Today, Cat 5e and Cat 6 are the baseline means for Ethernet transmission, at least for horizontal cabling to the wiring closet. This cable is relatively inexpensive and well-understood.
But what if running new copper or fiber media is problematic, due to facility or budget constraints, and the conditions for wireless are not right for reliable deployment? Alternatives exist.
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Power Play
What comes to mind when you ask “What do CCTV, access control, intercoms, doors, contact closure modules all have in common?” One possible answer is IP connectivity. Now, you can add the ubiquitous power supply to the list. One company at least — Life Safety Power — has made IP-based features a signature element of its product line, and, given the likely advantages, I expect more to follow.
Form C contacts have been around since the dark ages — extensively used, reliable and necessary, a bit like analog video in the surveillance industry. It is well within today’s design technology to pull critical data from power supply circuitry. In addition to AC input or DC output failure and low battery supervision, there are numerous other monitoring possibilities, including actual voltage levels and their variability over time; current draw per output circuit; actual battery voltage and trend data; charging current; battery age and history; fault history and tamper events. All could be reported via SNMP or e-mail. Since power supplies are the lifeblood of most devices, timely e-mail and text reporting of device status can resolve problems quickly or prevent problems from occurring through pre-emptive action.
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How Secure is the Physical Security Network?
That physical security has long passed the point of no return on its transition to being IP network-based is generally accepted in the industry. One can argue that a critical mass of designers, engineers and technicians (if not the salespeople) in the industry has been reached, to the point where most IP-based security systems generally work — streaming, displaying and recording video, locking and unlocking doors, providing audio over intercom, etc.
Granted, the industry has a long ways to go in creating a set of generally recognized certification credentials which bridge IT and physical security. So, now that the industry has more or less stumbled its way through this first “phase” of the technology shift, we must turn our attention to the next challenge — security of these physical security networks.
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Thermal Imaging a Hot Technology
Infrared (IR) energy for sensing and imaging - either as a complement or as an alternative to visible energy - has for years been used in many applications, including physical security, military and law enforcement. But technological advances in both active and passive infrared are bringing the technology closer to the mainstream.
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Physical Security Network Management
One area within the subject of convergence that has received surprisingly little press, and that is conspicuously missing from industry product offerings, is Network Management targeted at the connected devices. The ISO defines five elements of network management: fault, configuration, accounting, performance and security. Some or all of these are implemented in a variety of Network Management Systems (NMS).
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IT companies should be leading the way in training
A topic that has gained significant attention in this industry has been that of training and certifying those who design, sell and install IP-based physical security solutions. In my opinion, IT companies have largely missed the boat on this issue. Where they have had the opportunity to take the industry by the hand to lead it to the IP Promised Land, they have instead relied on already-established programs, providers and certifications targeted at the IT professional. Thus, the industry’s migration to this technology is happening in a disorganized, unstructured manner, with many left wondering the proper path for learning and skills validation.
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Perimeter Security Advancements
When it comes specifically to outdoor perimeter sensing, there has been a general failure to assemble a group of interrelated video-based algorithms to deal with the multi-faceted challenge posed by the outdoor environment. Outdoor video detection must overcome a variety of issues, mostly caused by Mother Nature — such as wind, rain, vibration, background motion and scene clutter. A shaking camera creates constant motion in the video scene, greatly complicating detection, analysis and video compression, which relies partly on processing the changes in that scene. Similarly, wave motion, blowing leaves and trees swaying in the wind create a background of constant motion, complicating the job of the video signal processors and the compression engine. Fortunately, systems are now coming to market that have brought the impressive processing power of today’s digital signal processors (DSPs) to bear on these technical issues. This applied DSP technology, combined with effective detection components and processing, geo-registration, improved video compression, bandwidth management and auto tracking forms the basis for some very exciting and effective products.
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