PROMOTIONAL ARTICLE
Businesses today demand far more detail from their video surveillance footage than ever before. Higher resolutions, higher frame rates, better light sensitivity and excellent dynamic range all matter when it comes to capturing images that can distinguish individuals or objects for irrefutable evidence.
The growing demand for more detail and the increasing number of networked cameras has other consequences. Not only does the amount of data sky-rocket; all that data has to be searched through when looking for evidence or monitored live. When you consider that less than 1 per cent of data is ever used, and 90 per cent of screen activity is missed after just 20 minutes, focusing on what’s relevant is more important than ever.
Bosch is focused on delivering the highest quality relevant images for security applications. All Bosch cameras from the IP 4000 to the IP 9000 series feature on-board video analytics as standard, rather than as an optional feature, with no license fees required.
Video analytics acts as the ‘brain’ of a security system, using metadata to add sense and structure to video footage. This enables video cameras to understand what is happening and alert users to any potential threats as they happen. Each camera becomes smart, allowing retrieval of the right footage from hours of stored video instantly, analysis of the scene via metadata and instigation of actions more efficiently.
Video analytics makes data easier to manage. It’s possible to set alarm rules, such as someone approaching or climbing over a fence, so operators are alerted the moment this rule is met. Configured can be set to recognise changes in speed (running), shape (crouching) or aspect ratio (falling). All the analysis is done in the camera, providing ‘intelligence at the edge’.
By focusing on the point where data is captured, intelligence at the edge enables the reduction of network load and storage requirements by streaming only relevant data. This data can be video footage that includes the metadata, or the metadata alone. Searching through low-volume metadata enables retrieval of evidence quickly and simply, eliminating the need to watch hours of video footage. Events that were not set up as alerts can also be found. This is enabled by the unique forensic search functionality.
Intelligence at the edge also makes surveillance infrastructure more robust and reliable. Smart cameras operate independently without the need for a central analytics server. Decentralising intelligence removes any single point of failure. It also improves scalability by enabling the addition of cameras wherever they are needed. Another advantage of smart cameras is they can detect relevant information – for example moving objects – and dynamically optimise image processing to ensure correct exposure.
Bosch smart cameras feature two types of video analytics. Bosch IP 4000 to IP 6000 cameras come with Essential Video Analytics as standard; Bosch IP 7000 up to IP 9000 offer Intelligent Video Analytics as standard.
Essential Video Analytics offers advanced intrusion detection, enforcing health and safety regulations (e.g. enforcing no-parking zones or detecting blocked emergency exits), and analysing behaviour in retail environments. The camera-based real time processing can also be used to issue loitering alarms, detect left objects and detect a person or object entering a pre-defined field.
Intelligent Video Analytics is designed for the most demanding environments. Ideal for mission-critical applications, Intelligent Video Analytics deso everything that Essential Video Analytics does, plus has an ability to differentiate between genuine events and known false triggers such as snow, wind (moving trees), rain, hail and water reflections. It is also ideal for applications that require video content analysis over large distances.
With video analytics, the Bosch focus is on making video surveillance more relevant to the user, so events are not missed and the correct data can be retrieved quickly, however extreme the conditions.
Learn more about Intelligent Video Analytics in the new online magazine Rethink from Bosch.