Benchmark July 2020

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Benchmark

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION & SMART SOLUTIONS July 2020

Cloud

A service-based VMS option

Verification

Adding video to detection

Integration

Making more of IoT

Leaving Lockdown

The role of technology in the ‘New Normal’

Technology: Benefits of AI

Thermography: Enhanced Vision?

Smart: Adding Value with VMS

CCTV Integration

Lift Access Control

Visitor Management

Lighting Control

Car Parking Access Control

Movement monitoring

Compliance with business systems & government regs

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Fire System Integration

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contents july20_v9_000_Benchmark_feb15 05/06/2020 16:38 Page 1

JULY 2020

Contents 5 Editorial End users are seeking benefits from their smart solutions. The fact the systems are ‘smart’ is not, of itself, enough.

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6 The Benefits of AI Much is made of the AI-enabled future, but how can the technology add value and a return on investment to today’s solutions?

12 Technology for the New Normal As the country eases out of lockdown, what can technology offer to businesses and organisation seeking a return to normal operations?

20 Thermal Imaging The role of thermal imaging creates accurate and reliable options for those seeking advanced visual solutions.

24 Integrating Detection with Video Editor Pete Conway E-mail: pete.conway@benchmarkmagazine.com Advertisement Manager Paul Amura Tel: 020 8295 8307 E-mail: paul.amura@proactivpubs.co.uk Production Matt Jarvis Tel: 020 8295 8300 E-mail: matt.jarvis@proactivpubs.co.uk Administration Tracey Cole Tel: 020 8295 8306 E-mail: tracey.cole@proactivpubs.co.uk

Adding a smart video integration can enhance the performance available from intruder detection systems.

27 Perimeter Protection

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The days of physical solutions are over; technology can add value when protecting perimeters.

29 Smart Buildings The key to smart building benefits in the collection of accurate and relevant data.

30 A Smart Approach to VMS Object classification allows the creation of more accurate Rules, which in turn drives additional applications when implementing a VMS.

32 Sign up for Benchmark E-News Stay updated with the Benchmark E-News service and keep informed about tests, assessments, innovation and smart technologies.

ISSN: 1750-1040 Editorial and Advertisement Office PO Box 332 Dartford DA1 9FF © Pro-Activ Publications Ltd 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Benchmark reserves the right to alter, abridge or edit any submissions prior to publication. The views published in Benchmark are not necessarily those of the publisher.

While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of material included in Benchmark, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of all product reviews, tests and assessments, judgements have been made in the context of the equipment supplied at the time of the review. Any judgements are based upon situations relevant at the time of writing, and comments relating to cost are based upon published prices available from major distributors.

Comments are based upon products and systems currently available in the UK market-place.

33 Infrastructure News The latest news and technology updates from the world of infrastructure and cybersecurity.

36 Service-based VMS Cloud-based video tends to be aimed at smaller sites, but with XProtect on AWS, Milestone delivers high functionality.

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38 Benchmark Innovation Awards 2020 The finalists of the Benchmark Innovation Awards 2020 are revealed.

43 Mobile Credentials The use of BLE credentials allows access control systems to be more flexible.

44 Bulletin New products and news of interest of integrators and end users seeking to create smart solutions.

49 IoT and Alarm Systems Increasing the role of IoT can deliver advanced solutions to end users.

50 Benchmark Online Benchmark’s website is a valuable resource for those seeking to benefit from smart solutions.

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COMMENT

When ‘Smart’ is not Enough ake a look at the marketing claims of companies in the smart solutions sector and you will see a lot of material declaring the use of AI technologies. Many manufacturers will have it emblazoned across their promotional materials, and a few have even incorporated into their company logos.

The abbreviation AI has suddenly become a necessity for many manufacturers and service providers when presenting their companies. In truth, definitions of AI are vague, and even the experts have differing ideas. The boundaries of what constitutes artifical intelligence have always been fluid, and continue to be so.

Pinning it down to a hard and fast definition is simply not going to happen.

In the past, some manufacturers appropriated terminology from other sectors, using current buzzphrases but applying their own spin to the meaning. With AI, this cannot happen, as the processes to achieve the end goals come from other sectors. We cannot reinvent AI, because the associated technologies are well established and understood.

However, the bigger question is what the smart solutions industry in general hopes to achieve by highlighting the use of AI. Is the push merely a game of oneupmanship, making sure that the phrase is used before competitors use it? Is it a fear than unless they have AI in their ‘shop windows’, the rest of industry might think they are behind the curve? Do they think that the term is enough to grab the interest of integrators and end users?

If the move is driven by the latter – and it probably is – has the point been missed?

Simply declaring AI as a selling point is akin to stating Digital or Data and leaving it at that.

It’s not a great message, because it tells those looking on very little about the reason for considering a solution from the company in question.

AI doesn’t mean superior performance, smart design or groundbreaking innovation.

The use of AI technologies and principles will

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AI has become a buzzphrase in the smart solutions sector, with manufacturers rushing to make use of the term in their marketing materials. However, the question that goes unanswered is how much of a difference this makes to end users. have a significantly positive impact on the smart solutions market as a whole, but end users don’t buy AI. End users buy benefits and added value.

They buy solutions to problems and invest in systems that make their businesses more secure, more efficient and more flexible. It is the benefits that AI delivers – data mining, smart search, automation, advanced reporting, behavioural analysis, site management and a host of other value-added services – that they will buy, because these give a return on investment.

AI is the background technology, the underthe-hood algorithms, which enable smart solutions to do what they do. Customers will buy the results, the real-world benefits, not the algorithms which allow them to access the sought-after results.

The use of AI technologies and principles will have a significantly positive impact on the smart solutions market as a whole, as will deep learning deployments, but end users don’t buy AI and deep learning.

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial Intelligence: how can it add benefits?

The word ‘Intelligent’ is increasingly being applied to all manner of systems and devices, and whilst there are a growing number of technological developments which add value, there is some debate as to how ‘intelligent’ these options really are. The introduction of the various sub-sets of artificial intelligence technology seems to promise value for end users, but what is AI and machine learning, and can it help create smarter systems? t is virtually impossible to go anywhere in the smart technology market, including the security and safety sectors, without coming across some reference to artificial intelligence (AI). Indeed, there are some systems which proclaim they are AI-enabled without going into any detail about how the benefits can be realised. It’s as if the goal is to flag the system as AI-enabled rather than solve problems.

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The first point to consider when assessing the likely benefits from AI is that finding an agreed definition of what constitutes artifical intelligence is a bit like trying to knit fog!

Although AI is a generic ‘catch-all’ description which intimates a level of performance rather than specifying definable and quantifiable capabilities, it has been embraced by many as the leading bullet point to describe their latest device or system.

When AI first surfaced in the 1950s, it was considered the stuff of science fiction.

However, as people came to understand how technology was achieving its goals, they dismissed the thought that machines could show intelligence!

Big Blue is a great example. The chess playing computer was developed by IBM, and went on to become the first computer to defeat a reigning world chess champion in a chess game using standard timings. Hailed as the pinnacle of artificial intelligence, IBM was even accussed of cheating to take the win.

However, when people realised the computer

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has simply searching massive data sets to find relevant moves, the illusion of ‘intelligence’ was removed.

Over the years, our expectations of AI have changed. As people come to understand how the processing is achieving its goals, it ceases to be considered as AI. While this does drive innovation, it also makes a true understanding of what AI is and what it is not hard to pin down.

It could be argued that any device or system using two or more cross-referenced sources of data to define whether or not an event has occurred is ‘intelligent’ when compared with one that uses a single source of data.

However, most people associate the AI description with systems that make decisions autonomously, based upon a wide variety of criteria either gleaned from multiple data sources or compiled by the system itself.

Such AI systems may well be computationally powerful, but the decisions being made are typically not based upon realtime assessments of the events unfolding, nor are they based upon experience or training.

Typically, the decisions are either based upon alphanumeric values such as pixel changes, or values derived from running mathematical algorithms. In some cases, they are solely decided by searching huge data-sets for a prescribed solution.

Rarely do the systems assess how the changes correlate with known and established patterns, such as predicted site status, an assessment of objects activities in the live scene, or expected behaviours.

While the majority of these systems are certainly complex and highly advanced, they are looking for known or predicted patterns and taking pre-defined actions as a result.

These systems may not be intelligent in the true sense of the word, but this isn’t to say that they’re dumb. The solutions offer a wide range of flexibility and can introduce high levels of added value for security, safety, site management and business intelligence.

However, what many of the established systems and their deployed algorithms lack is the ability to classify objects or define scenarios and apply relevant discretions based upon data or information learned – either from teaching or experience – when deciding how to manage incidents.

If an event occurs, these mainstream systems will report it if they have been programmed to do so. If the events occur every day, the systems will report them every day, even if an operator repeatedly clears down the notification without taking action.

The systems will not learn to ignore the events, unless they are specifically reprogrammed to do so by an operator or integrator.

Also, if an unexpected event occurs which the systems are not programmed to detect, they will not see this as an anomaly and as a result won’t present them to the operators, nor will they learn how to deal with similar events in the future based upon the operators’ responses.

Even today’s more advanced technologies often rely upon the use of programmed and 7

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clearly defined behaviours – either inputted by the integrator or user, or defined by the manufacturer – to check for violations and exceptions.

Understanding exceptions The ability to be taught what is normal and what is exceptional is the basic foundation for intelligence in terms of how a system operates. If a system can recognise objects, detect behavioural patterns and then apply a degree of reasoning based upon the context of the gathered information, it is closer to being ‘intelligent’.

In terms of Machine Learning – which is a sub-set of AI – huge data-sets are fed into a computer. These are used to provide a wide range of criteria against which a machine can assess a situation. Depending upon the inputs it receives, it will select a relevant output. This is based on predicition algorithms. In many applications, Machine Learning will be sufficient for most tasks.

However, it must be remembered that with Machine Learning, if the system does not have the appropriate data, it is unlikely to be able to deliver the expected results. Machine Learning is a process, and expecting systems to ship with all relevant data isn’t always a good thing.

Machine Learning is a more flexible sub-set of artificial intelligence, but is heavily dependent upon input data. Thanks to numerous Hollywood productions, CSI-type television shows and a general 8

misunderstanding of the way in which technology works, many end users believe the ability for Machine-Learning systems to gather data independently, assess and understand it, and then apply reasoning based on the data is already with us. This can actually be a negative, because it means their expectations for advanced technologies are much higher than they should be.

This can also be a stumbling block for integrators who are tasked with designing and delivering intelligent systems. Whilst many in the smart systems industry understand the technologies require varying degrees of training and the supply of relevant data sets, the end user can sometimes drastically underestimate the need for such set-up and teaching.

However, if the right approach is taken, and expectations are tempered, there is a sub-set of Machine Learning which moves things even closer to the generally understood concept of intelligent systems: Deep Learning.

The neural connection For a good few years, neural networks, and more latterly deep learning, have been buzzphrases associated with the more significant advancements in the field of Machine Learning. Many academics will point out that deep learning is merely neural networking revisited. In the past, some manufacturers have claimed to offer systems based upon neural networking, but because of limitations on processing capabilities at the time, these

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BENCHMARK TEST

options rarely made an impact or delivered the levels of performance promised.

As with many AI-based technologies, neural networking was heralded on the basis of what it could ‘theoretically’ achieve, long before it had the capabilities to get close to the promised results. If anything, the neural networking bubble burst – from the point of view of many end users – before it even got going.

It’s interesting that many innovators working with neural networks switched their terminology to Deep Learning when the processing power became available to actually deliver on the claims. It allowed them to disassociate their solutions from the issues of the past. Unfortunately, the clamour to claim some level of Deep Learning has seen some drifty back to referring to their solutions as neural networking.

In truth, it matters not which terminology is used. For integrators and their end user customers, the important point is that thanks to advances in IT resources, modern solutions can make use of the technology, and deliver real-world benefits without the need for excessive budgets.

Deep Learning, or neural networking, is based upon the use of multiple cascaded layers of algorithms. Each layer makes use of input and output signals. Effectively (and in simple terms) a layer will receive an input, which it will then modify and pass on as an output. Each subsequent layer treats the output of the previous layer as its input. Deep

Learning is so-called because it makes use of multiple processing layers. Each layer can ‘transform’ the input it receives based upon the parameters for which it has been trained.

The key here is training. Rather than simply following a defined set of rules, the advanced processing replicates the way neurons work in the brain. Certain inputs can be given greater priority than others, and the system can decide whether inputs are of value or not.

By breaking tasks down and filtering specific information, Deep Learning enables machines to perform complex tasks in a manner similar to the human brain.

While standard systems tend to look for defined values for input data, Deep Learning systems can use pixel values, edges, vector shapes and a host of other elements – visual, audible or data-derived – to classify objects or comprehend behaviours and react accordingly.

This is achieved by effectively training the algorithms with significant data sets. While Machine Learning requires data sets to reference, Deep Learning is trained by processing the data.

By way of an example, if a standard system deploying IVA is searching for vehicles, the parameters used will typically be size, shape and possible speed and location. If a roadway has been defined, it expects to see vehicles there. Of course, the integrator needs to enter size and shape parameters, along with speed and direction information. They also need to define detection zones. In short, the system must be told what to look for, and if objects

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detected match the programmed description, they are likely to be a vehicle.

If, during a storm, a large cardboard container (or other object of a similar size to a small car) was to be blown along the road, the system would create an alert. This is because the object is the size and shape of a vehicle, and is on the roadway, moving in a defined direction.

When a Deep Learning system is trained, it will be shown datasets of pictures and videos of vehicles. These will include a huge variety of vehicles from a range of angles, all performing in different ways. The only consistency will be the presence of vehicles.

By using the depth of processing, the system will learn what characteristics are common with vehicles. It will understand vehicles have lights, wheels, doors, windows, etc.. It will recognise that light reflects differently off the windows of travelling vehicles.

Whilst it will still look for size, shape, speed and directional information, it will further analyse detected object to ensure they have the characteristics of a vehicle as well.

The real power of Deep Learning becomes evident when a suspicious vehicle is detected.

The system can then learn specific features of the car (colour, exact size and shape, modelspecific features, even dirt or damage) and search across an entire estate of cameras, even those on separate systems. Within seconds in can deliver results, and the user can filter those by ‘accepting’ images of the right vehicle. This data is used to better filter results. Alternatively, the user can search for red vehicles, for example, in a given time 10

window and location. Once the suspicious vehicle is found, it can be used to drive filtered searches.

With a standard system, the best you can hope for are hundreds of vehicles, maybe filtered by all the possible shades of red.

The technology community has worked to train Deep Learning-based systems to recognise objects with accuracy. Not only will a correctly trained system differentiate between a quadruped animal and a human on their hands and knees, it will also identify if the animal is a dog, horse or other creature if it has been trained to recognise these.

The training can also include behavioural traits, identification of individuals, unexpected or unusual activity, etc.. This is important because it allows smart systems to be deployed with much less incident-specific configuration by the integrator. Instead systems present end-users with a range of events and incidents. The user can then decide which of these are important and which are innocuous. By filtering the results, the system will only identify events of interest.

The bulk of training a deep learning system occurs before it is made available to the industry. Manufacturers will ensure the core learning has been implemented. However, the technology continues to be trained while in use. If it detects an object, activity or an event that it has not seen before (and which is therefore an exception), this can be flagged and presented to the end-user. They can then decide whether or not the system should continue to notify for such occurrences or ignore any similar incidents in the future.

It is important to understand that Deep Learning is an intelligence-based technology, and has a huge number of applications.

Experts estimate that in the future up to 80 per cent of service-oriented jobs will be disrupted by the introduction of systems using Deep Learning technologies.

For smart applications, it is vital the technology is properly implemented. This makes it very important to work with manufacturers who have an established track record in delivering advanced technologies.

In summary AI makes a number of systems more effective and efficient, and better able to deliver the expected level of performance. It also enables integrators to work more closely with their customers, and for those customers to realise greater benefits from their investment. AI is not a silver bullet, but it does elevate standard systems to smart solutions.

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COVID-19

Technologies to Assist in the New Normal

With businesses and organisations seeking a return to operations in what is being referred to as the ‘New Normal’, many manufacturers are offering technologies and devices designed to ease the resumption of activities in the face of COVID-19. s a growing number of businesses and organisations seek a return to operations following the lockdown and disruption linked with the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of manufacturers are offering technology-based devices and systems to aid in meeting the various requirements. While technology does not offer a silver bullet for the problems faced, it can help with compliance issues during a return to some degree of normality.

One of the often-quoted uses of technology is thermography and infrared temperature detection. Where devices have the ability to detect temperatures with a high degree of accuracy, these can be deployed to check for people with fever. While not every person infected with COVID-19 will have a high temperature, and not every person with a higher temperature will be infected, the information can help with filtering people.

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Video analytics also has a role to play, with possibilities to enforce social distancing by alerting operators if people are too close together or congregating in large groups.

Mask detection is also possible, according to some IVA suppliers.

Access control has also come under the spotlight, and can play a role in occupancy management, controlling footfall and logging who in a corporation has been in a confined space with others.

There are also some technologies which are predicted to fall out of favour. There will be a swing away from contact-based technologies, with more acceptance of non-contact options.

For example, a report from ABI Research predicts a revenue drop of US$2 billion over the course of 2020 for products which use contact-based biometrics. The report claims this will be balanced by an upsurge in adoption of non-contact identification and tracking technologies, including those which make use of artificial intelligence algorithms and face recognition technologies.

Technology has a role to play in ensuring guidance is adhered to, and Health and Safety policies are followed. The following products and solutions can assist businesses and organisations seeking a return to operations.

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COVID-19

Security & Safety Things offers On-Camera Apps Security & Safety Things has announced the commercial availability of a number of new smart IP security cameras, from a variety of vendors, that leverage the Security & Safety Things open and secure IoT platform. This new generation of security cameras will operate using the free S&ST camera operating system, which enables the cameras to run multiple AIenabled applications in parallel.

The apps automate the analysis of video data to produce valuable operational intelligence for business optimisation as well as providing easy-to-deploy tools that can aid in re-opening measures after the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Organisations of all sizes need flexible solutions that enable compliance with constantly changing pandemic health and safety mandates and provide future value to ramp up and optimise their ongoing business operations,’ states Hartmut Schaper, CEO, Security & Safety Things. ‘Companies can now deploy cameras, running the S&ST OS and using a selection of apps from our Application Store, to detect the absence of facial coverings in a retail environment. Tomorrow, the same camera can help that retailer to optimise merchandise placement based on store foot traffic, in one store or throughout the enterprise, along with further optimisations.’

Qisda/Topview will be the first camera manufacturer to launch a camera running the S&ST OS, followed by AndroVideo, who will also start shipping its S&ST enabled cameras in Q2. Bosch is making its INTEOX camera line available as of July, followed by Vivotek and BSTsecurity in Q3. The first devices from Hanwha Techwin that run the S&ST OS are expected to be commercially available in Q4.

The free Security & Safety Things OS is built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It leverages the expanding processing and analytic power of modern IP cameras to exponentially increase the amount of operational intelligence that can be mined from traditional surveillance footage.

The applications that can be installed on these cameras, both in an on-premise as well as a remote setting, are created by highly specialised third-party developers and are available through the platform’s open Application Store. It already features more than 50 applications from more than 35 developer partners, with more than 30 additional apps expected to be added to the store in the future.

Genetec assists with Occupancy Management As many business and organisations get set to start reopening, the need to enforce physical distancing measures is critical. To help monitor occupancy levels and ensure compliance with regulations, Genetec offers an Occupancy Management Package.

The Occupancy Management Package includes analytics and reporting tools that enable users to leverage their security system to count the number of people in a store or similar business area, visualise data, and alert employees when occupancy limits are reached.

Audit reports can also be easily produced to demonstrate compliance with physical distancing regulations. Users can define policies that adhere to local guidelines for occupancy, and mobilise their operations to limit the risk of transmission.

Live occupancy data is displayed in clear, graphical ways. When occupancy limits are approaching limits, employees who are responsible for monitoring the situation can receive alerts on a mobile device, via email, or on the Security Center dashboard so they can take appropriate action.

Rob Borsch, Practice Leader, Retail and Banking, at Genetec, stated, ‘In order to enforce strict occupancy rules, users will need to do more than just count the number of people entering their premises – they will need to know how many people are inside a space at any given moment, continuously monitor this data, and be able take action when thresholds are reached.’

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COVID-19

Digital Barriers provides fever scanning solution

Videx sees increased focus of Access Control The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare and medical organisations, and operational management approaches have changed across the sector. Videx has seen a rise in demand for intercom systems. The contagiousness of the coronavirus, coupled with the higher volume of patients admitted to hospital with the disease, has increased the need to secure specific wards and departments.

At the same time, GP practices, pharmacies and other healthcare organisations have also reconsidered their entry provision to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.

IP based intercoms are popular due to the flexibility and ease of installation. The Videx IP kit comes as an expandable system with multiple entrance and call points that can be customised to suit the needs of any building, whether an A&E department, outpatient unit or medical centre.

IP-based systems don’t require dedicated wiring infrastructure and can be used on existing networks. These networks can be shared with other technologies such as video surveillance, building management, etc..

Digital Barriers has announced the release of a real-time remote fever scanning solution that adds remote monitoring.

Fever scanning cameras help safeguard frontline workers against potential infection.

The addition of Digital Barriers’ remote monitoring enables this to be carried out without the need for close human contact, thereby cutting the risk of transmission.

Providing both a thermal and HD optical camera, Digital Barriers’ EdgeVis Live technology ensures reliable real-time standoff temperature detection and profiling, even in locations with poor bandwidth and network connectivity. The thermal camera analyses body temperature, and sounds an alarm when a specific temperature threshold is exceeded.

The solution provides users with a means of quickly identifying staff and customers who show one of the signs of an infection.

Digital Barriers’ remote fever scanning solution can be deployed as a standalone system or as part of a networked solution, linked to a centralised command and control location.

Zak Doffman, CEO at Digital Barriers, stated, ‘Protecting key workers has never been more vital and we’re pleased that EdgeVis Live, our resilient live streaming capability, can play a crucial role in remotely identifying potential carriers of any likely infection, thus safeguarding those we are relying on most, as well as the wider public.’

Wrong Way Detection helps with social distancing Video analytics can be used to strengthen COVID-19 preventative measures, according to intuVision. Wrong Way Detection in essential retail environments can be used to ensure customers follow any one-way aisle restrictions for safe distancing. intuVision if offering Stop-the-Spread analytics tailored for controlling the occupancy levels in stores and monitoring crowd density and face mask usage in public areas to ensure essential businesses can safely operate during COVID-19.

Wrong Way detects customers who are not following the marked directions; upon detection, the software generates warnings and alarms, as well as logging instances of non-compliance.

The alarm conditions and follow-on actions are fully configurable, not only with direction, but also distance and time travelled in the wrong direction.

Depending on the use case scenario, intuVision's output triggers and Review Application can be used to meet a range of customer requirements. Immediate action can be taken to remind customers, such as triggering audio alarms or triggering digital signage.

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COVID-19

Hanwha Techwin cites advantage of video analytics Hanwha Techwin Europe has stated the latest advances in video surveillance may be able to help businesses safely reopen after the restrictions associated with COVID-19 are eased. As the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 reduces, thoughts are turning to how businesses will be able to safely reopen. Inevitably, social distancing rules will have to remain in place and this is likely to mean only a specified number of people will be allowed to be in a controlled area at any one time.

Video surveillance cameras which are preloaded with people counting video analytics can provide real-time information on the net number of people on the premises at any particular time, as they are able to simultaneously count both people entering and leaving a premises. The data can be displayed on smartphones, laptops and PCs, to provide managers with an early warning if permitted numbers are close to the limit.

Although developed to help retailers gain an understanding of customer behaviour, video analytics capable of identifying occupancy levels provide a powerful tool to identify if too many people are congregating in specific areas.

AI-Crowd video analytics, developed by Hanwha Techwin’s technology partner, A.I Tech, is able to provide an estimation of the number of people present in crowded areas where they might be expected to move slowly or stop, whilst AI-Overcrowd will generate an alert if the occupancy of an area exceeds a specified threshold.

As with people counting analytics, this solution can be quickly deployed and used ‘out-of-the-box’, as it can also run onboard cameras, which have open platform chipsets.

Many cameras will support two-way audio and as such, will enable operators to communicate with visitors that they need to move out of the area.

In addition to these specialist video analytics applications, a large number of IP network cameras from Hanwha Techwin include various license-free analytics. The latest generation of Wisenet cameras, for example, are equipped with a suite of Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), which includes enter/exit direction, tripwire and face detection.

Combinations of these various forms of video analytics can be configured to form a cost-effective digital barrier to prevent entry into prohibited areas.

TDSi launches Track and Trace module TDSi has announced the launch of a free Track and Trace module for its EXgarde security management software. Track and Trace is designed to help organisations investigate and map the movement of people potentially infected with COVID19, so those who have come into potential contact can isolate or seek medical testing or assistance.

The module has been developed in response to global requirements to help contain and fight the spread of COVID-19.

Access control systems are well placed to not only restrict movement, but also to accurately record it. Track and Trace is a free download to all users of EXgarde.

The module makes detailed database enquiries, reporting movements of specific individuals as they pass through secured access points. It gives an accurate account of other individuals who have used these access points. This data helps users assess and test those in potential danger of infection, as well as enabling the cleaning of relevant areas and the introduction of isolation measures where appropriate.

One part of containing the COVID-19 pandemic is tracking infections and preventing further spread. Smartphone apps for tracking require people to actively participate. Electronic access control systems can track anyone who enters a secured area using a system credential.

Track and Trace can be used at a variety of premises,ranging from SMEs to large multi-national Enterprise applications.

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COVID-19

Eagle Eye supports dual spectrum cameras Eagle Eye Networks has announced enhancements to the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS include support of dual spectrum cameras used in elevated temperature detection. Interest in the use of dual spectrum cameras with integrated analytics for locating faces and measuring temperature has increased as users look to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The Eagle Eye Cloud Video platform supports a range of thermal cameras.

However, some newer cameras operate simultaneously in the visible spectrum and the thermal spectrum, combine information from both spectrums to obtain temperature readings more accurately on the human face.

These cameras output specific analytic information which has been integrated into the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS. Eagle Eye has tested and integrated a series of thermal cameras at diverse price points, all with varying levels of accuracy. Some of the more accurate cameras utilise a blackbody calibration unit in the field of view to provide a temperature reference point.

Morse Watchmans introduces new options Morse Watchmans has introduced touchless facial recognition and an antimicrobial powder coating on the company’s KeyWatcher and AssetWatcher systems. The enhancements fight the spread of COVID-19 and other threats.

Anti-microbial powder coating is now a standard feature on all KeyWatcher and AssetWatcher cabinets. Designed to resist the spread of microbes, the coating retains its anti-microbial properties through regular cleanings, while providing durability and scratch resistance.

A facial recognition access option reduces the chance of cross-contamination and disease transmission.

Norbain adds COVID-19 section Norbain SD has created a new section on its website for solutions aimed at helping businesses return to work. It comprises contactless access control, social distancing, and thermal imaging.

Jeremy Hockham, MD of Norbain Holdings, stated, ‘We’re in an ideal position to assemble a full picture of the issues being faced, and the solutions that our suppliers can provide. I strongly believe it is our duty to advise and support the market, ensuring that our customers, and their customers, find ways to help us all get back to a normal, albeit new normal, way of life.’

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VCA Technology allows tracking of individuals VCA Technology has released a software tool to help retailers manage footfall and occupancy in their stores. The software is able to analyse shoppers’ movements in, out and around the store by simply mapping their gait. By mapping this nature of movement, retailers will be able to differentiate shoppers whilst not infringing on their privacy.

With retailers needing to manage social distancing within stores for the foreseeable future, this solution enables them to monitor the store and apply rules to trigger alerts. This is especially crucial in queue management, which would need rigorous manual oversight. Alerts can help focus attention to where it’s needed; thereby keeping staff safe.

COVID-19 has rewritten the rules of retail, and social distancing policies will not disappear when lockdown ends. The gait analysis technology helps retailers manage this by implementing one-in, oneout policies, even in larger stores. Gait analysis will help manage this, regulating occupancy in a more efficient way.

Siemens offers temperature monitoring Siemens Smart Infrastructure has launched Siveillance Thermal Shield, which measures the body temperature of a person seeking to access a building and enables the results to be integrated into the video and access systems of corporations. Thermal imaging cameras are used to measure body temperature at a distance of up to two metres. If the screening indicates an elevated body temperature, a second reading must be taken using a medical thermometer to confirm the finding.

This solution integrates the third-party screening camera with the Siveillance Video platform and other security systems from Siemens. Measurements can be seamlessly integrated into the workflow of solutions.

Using Siveillance Thermal Shield at the entrance to a building offers a quick and easy way to screen employees as part of routine access control procedures.

To ensure accuracy, the cameras measure the body temperature near the eyes. A positive result triggers acoustic and visual alarms, allowing secondary checks to be carried out.

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COVID-19

Vodafone offers heat detection Vodafone UK, in partnership with Digital Barriers has launched a Heat Detection Camera to help organisations get back to work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It combines thermal imaging and Vodafone’s IoT connectivity to screen the temperature of people as they enter buildings.

Each camera can check the temperature of 100 people per minute; thermal images are streamed to a laptop or mobile device and instant analytics provide a discreet alert that a person may have a raised temperature. Alerts can be further investigated using standard clinical evaluation methods.

The IoT solution provides reliable and secure connectivity and enables standalone installation with no additional IT requirements.

The camera incorporates both thermal and HD cameras that deliver reliable, real-time body temperature screening accurate to within +/- 0.3 degrees Celsius, according to Vodafone.

VIVOTEK supports social distancing During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has become a standard intervention, proven to be an effective way to reduce the spread. Retail sectors have adopted practices such as limiting the number of in-store customers, in-store social distancing markers, investing in protective equipment, and increasing upper-limits on contactless payments.

AI-based IP surveillance solutions can reduce the load on manual management while also mitigating the risk of both employee and customer infection. VIVOTEK has implemented AI technology into its Crowd Control Solution. This includes an edge-computing stereo counting camera, PoE switch and network video recorder. The solution is designed to enable businesses to comply with social distancing regulations and maintain maximum occupancy.

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Geutebruck adds pandemic solutions Geutebruck has expanded its technologies to include body temperature measurement, detection of face masks and counting visitor flows to enable users to adjust their protective measures to the current situation.

Body temperature measurement allows automatic screening, and automated face mask detection verifies compliance with policies. When connected to an access control system, entry can be blocked for those not wearing a mask.

Visitor counting and flow management is ideal for retailers who need to ensure the number of customers in their premises is limited.

Fever screening options

AMETEK Land has released a fever screening thermal imaging system designed for accurate human body temperature measurement.

The vIRalert 2 fixed thermal imaging system provides an accurate and remote surface measurement of body temperature, automatically alerting the operator to elevated temperatures.

The technology calibrates the thermal image with a blackbody calibration source in real-time to provide a system accuracy of better than 0.5°C. The vIRalert 2 system provides accurate and reliable skin temperature measurement for screening at point-of-entry into key facilities.

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BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

Does Thermal Imaging offer added value?

Usually, when you consider a technology and its role in the security market, it’s immediately obvious where its value lies. However, the true value of thermal imaging is often debated, and many individuals hold differing values as to its worth (or lack of worth) as a security tool. However, putting aside some of the comparisons made in the past which have been less than helpful, it is clear thermography delivers a number of benefits. onsider mainstream security device, and the odds are that most integrators and end users will know what it is, what its values are and how to use its core performance to deliver optimised security.

Whilst there might be a variety of opinions about the best way to deploy the technology, the odds are there will be a common shared understanding of the benefits.

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As an example, consider video surveillance cameras. These are well-established a tool for image capture. As edge processing has increased, the devices also have the ability to use integral processing to enhance video output. The additional processing can range from multi-stream delivery through to analytics and even business intelligence. Core camera values are image quality, flexibility and add-on smart functionality. As a security tool, the camera is pretty well defined.

Let’s repeat the exercise with external detection. The purpose of these devices is again simple. They detect the presence of people and indicate violations, in terms of motion where there should be none. The core values are stability and catch performance.

The selection of cameras and external detection devices for this simple exercise is not accidental. Both devices are often referred to when the security industry tries to assess the value of thermography.

Ever since thermal imaging first arrived in the security sector, it has been compared to

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BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

both video camera technology and external detection devices. In reality, whilst thermography possesses some of the performance attributes of both, it is actually very different to these established technologies.

Not only does this mean that the comparisons are unhelpful in understanding the potential value of thermal imaging, but they also raise negative considerations about thermal imaging which are often not relevant nor helpful when designing a solution.

Light and heat Too often, thermography is considered alongside video, but the two are actually very different. One of the core values of video is image quality and the capability to archive and review visible objects, whereas one aspect of thermography which adds benefits is the ability to track targets which are difficult to see.

Video is based upon light-based imaging, and the captured data delivers streams of pictures which are comparable with human vision. If there is a person in a video clip and the quality is sufficient, they can be identified or recognised. Events can be assessed with a variety of information being collected. While video can be used for a number of purposes, the vast majority of security systems use the technology for identification, recognition and the gathering of information for evidential reasons.

Thermography is based upon emitted radiation. All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit radiation, and thermal imaging builds a picture based upon the levels of emissivity. Effectively, this means that the fine detail which high quality video delivers is not included. While parts of a person’s body might vary in temperature (and thus the degree of radiation being emitted), fine detail is not produced.

Because many in the security market think in terms of visual identification and recognition when considering video, references to the technology underplay the value of thermal imaging. A typical reaction is that a video camera delivers higher quality images which deliver the expected results; a thermal imager does not.

Whilst thermal imaging shares many traits with video – footage can be real-time, it is streamed and recorded across video surveillance networks, it can make use of video analytics and motion detection – it lacks the visual quality associated with video.

However, a video of someone in dark clothing running through a dark area at night is

unlikely to provide useful information to a video operator. In many cases, they might not even notice an intrusion. Equally, any analytics in use will also struggle as the lack of visual contrast will cause problems.

However, because thermography builds images based on emitted radiation, an intruder in the above scenario will not only be clearly visible to an operator, but will also be easy to track by video analytics. Indeed, tests of intelligent video analytics using thermography streams show them to be accurate and effective due to the very high levels of contrast, especially when the more common ‘white hot’ palate is deployed.

Not only do thermal imagers work in total darkness, but they can deliver usable images in fog, smoke, rain and snow.

One issue which can confuse is that thermal imaging uses the Johnson Criteria, a military specification, to attribute performance. Its references are detection, recognition and identification. Whilst these terms are used in the security sector, they have different meanings to the military. Detection is merely the ability to tell – with 50 per cent certainty – that there is ‘something’ there. Detection can be achieved using 1.5 pixels. Recognition is the ability to ascertain – again with 50 per cent probability – whether that ‘something’ is a person or vehicle. Recognition requires 6 pixels. Finally identification, which requires 12 pixels, should allow the user to work out whether a vehicle is, for example, a car or a jeep. Again, 50 per cent accuracy is the goal.

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BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

A different approach?

So long as integrators and their customers understand the background to such figures, it won’t be an issue. Obviously, ranges vary according to resolution and lens configuration, but tests have shown an operator can achieve a clear understanding of ‘what’ is being tracked at distances of around 200 metres with a resolution of 384 x 288 pixels and a 19mm lens.

Detecting problems Most long range detection devices will create an alarm if there is some kind of event (dependent upon the type of sensor). In security, this is typically human motion. Whilst manufacturers have taken significant steps to improve external detection, the technology often simply indicates that a person, or something similar, has been sensed. At worst, that detection will have happened somewhere in the sensor’s field of view. At best, zoning might allow a better idea of location.

Detection devices work best when used with a back-up technology or service. They can alert a system or operator to take further steps, but often won’t provide additional information.

Thermal imaging can be used for long range detection, and when combined with video analytics can automate actions. For the operator, a better understanding of what has triggered an alarm can be obtained with ease, as a visual record is created. Again, thermography isn’t impacted by climatic conditions.

One area which is becoming more common is the use of thermography in devices which use multiple technologies. For example, combining thermal imaging with other detection technologies can enhance performance, and including video as well creates a single unit delivering credible and effective protection from a very wide range of threats.

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The debate over the value of thermal imaging crops up on a regular basis, but making comparisons with other technologies will never be helpful. The thermal imager doesn’t do the same job as a video camera or a detector. It has elements of both technologies, plus a lot more besides.

However, to keep a realistic balance, there are things which video and standard detection do which elevate them above thermography.

Thermal imaging is an either/or choice. It works best in combination with other technologies, as do video and detection devices.

Thermal imagers really come into their own in challenging conditions. In periods of twilight or darkness, fog or inclement weather, thermography can deliver consistent images which identify the presence of intruders.

When motion is present, it does become much easier to determine whether a target is human or an animal, even when a video camera cannot see the target. Even if an intruder is concealed in undergrowth or in doorways, thermal imaging will detect them. It can identify a vehicle which has arrived recently by showing the heat from the engine.

Thermal imagers also work well with intelligent video analytics. Because the algorithms work on the visual information in a stream, they are more successful with thermographic palettes with high contrast.

If a system uses video analytics which include colour filtering, thermography can’t support that, as heat levels are displayed using custom colours.

Value for money?

In the past, thermal imaging was too expensive for many sites. Today things have changed, and a new breed of lower cost imagers are very price competitive.

The performance often comes down to resolution and lens. Skimp on either and the range of the unit is reduced. There are imagers that cost the same as budget cameras, but their usefulness – and subsequently their value for money – is limited. They will be fine in a few applications, but not for most.

If you’re looking for thermal imagers that will deliver detail and detection over ranges of 100 to 200 metres, then the cost will likely be around the same for a very high end video camera.

Given the abilities of such devices, the cost can be justified and thermal imagers do represent good value for money for mainstream applications.

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SMART SOLUTIONS

A Smarter Approach to Intruder Detection ideo is a great enabling technology, and its pivotal role in a diverse range of applications has grown significantly in recent years. As digitisation has spread throughout the video industry, so the options available have grown, often allowing added value to be introduced to legacy systems.

There have also been a number of cases where traditional shortcomings of certain technologies have been eliminated with the addition of video.

OPTEX is a well-established market leader in the field of accurate and reliable detection devices, and as a result understands the benefits and the weaknesses of intruder detection systems. Whilst accurate and reliable detection is achievable, there will still be nuisance activations created by innocuous events. Many of these will be attributable to user error, such as someone entering a protected area without unsetting the system.

While such events are not a failing of the technology, they can lead to a system losing its URN and, as a result, police first response.

Operators at an ARC have no way of knowing the cause of an alarm, and if they receive a confirmed activation, it will be passed to the police.

While the concept of visual verification is not new, it hasn’t been as widely embraced by many users because of reasons of cost. Even if a site has a video surveillance system, linking this with a professional graded alarm system isn’t always straightforward. Additionally, where this is done, ARCs often have alarm monitoring and video workstations in different parts of the control room. As a result, many sites miss out on the ability to reduce nuisance activations, along with other benefits which integration with video makes available.

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While intruder detection offers a high level of security for businesses and organisations, nuisance activations still remain an issue. End users are increasingly looking to enhance the performance of their solutions, and with alarms this includes visual verification. This can be achieved with any professional alarm system by adding the OPTEX Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution.

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Intelligent visual monitoring OPTEX has designed its Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution to enable easy integration between video devices and graded alarm systems, enabling ARC operators to carry out visual verification at their alarm workstation.

This allows fast confirmation of the cause of an alarm event. The Intelligent Visual

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SMART SOLUTIONS

Monitoring solution allows intrusion sensors and panic buttons to be linked with local IP cameras. When a detection occurs, images from the linked camera are captured and sent, with the alarm signal, to the ARC, enabling operators to view the cause of an alarm and make a decision as to whether or not the activation should be passed to the police.

The solution uses a network-based hardware Bridge and a cloud-hosted Video Monitoring Portal. The Bridge links the alarm panel with ONVIF compliant cameras or NVRs, which means a wide range of third party video products can be used. The video streams are transmitted to the Visual Monitoring Portal.

The Bridge needs to be registered with the ARC and the Visual Monitoring Portal.

When an alarm event is signalled, the ARC operator is notified immediately. Along with the alarm signal data, the Visual Monitoring Portal transmits the live camera view of the zone which has been triggered, along with pre-alarm and post-alarm video recordings. A site map with the location of additional cameras is also sent.

Once an assessment of the alarm has taken place, the ARC operator can either send the alarm to the police for response or, dependent upon agreements with the end user, send the notifications to a key holder who can verify the alarm and instruct the operator on necessary actions. This is done via an App, and the process requires a simple buttonpress – DISPATCH or DISREGARD – to request the alarm be actioned or to reject it as a nuisance event.

In some cases, it might be an agreed protocol that if the user doesn’t respond within a defined time window, the event will be passed to the police. All interactions are documented in an audit trail, ensuring compliance issues are met.

The Bridge is a small (82 x 100 x 36mm) polycarbonate box which incorporates four alarm input zones and a single trouble output zone. It also supports 10/100 Base-T Ethernet connectivity to link with the video surveillance system. The Bridge incorporates a Micro SDHC memory card slot.

Adding value Integrators can design a visual verification system using the Bridge to connect cameras with intrusion sensors. Deployments can be for single or multiple sites, and protection can be extended to both indoor and outdoor areas.

The Bridge easily connects to any alarm panel and the network. It automatically detects cameras or NVRs on the network,

allowing sensors or panic buttons in the location to be linked with them.

The Visual Monitoring Portal delivers a platform from which integrators can configure and manage connected devices. Interactive features allow customisation of map views to enable the locations of cameras, sensors and detection overlays to be shown.

All installed cameras, sensors and Bridge devices can be managed remotely, and realtime ‘health monitoring’ statistics are available to ensure the devices are performing as expected.

For end users, the OPTEX Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution is a simple and costeffective way to add a video element to a monitored alarm system. This enables a full understanding of any alarm situation through visualisation of events, allowing keyholders or security teams to make informed decisions, quickly and safely, when incidents occur.

Standard alarm activations often result in personnel having to go into situations blind, guessing at what actions they might have to take. Therefore, the use of the Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution can help with Duty of Care for staff, and can aid compliance with internal policies.

Because the solution works with existing alarm systems and ONVIF compliant cameras or recorders, it creates a cost-effective upgrade to a complete visual verification system without having to replace existing equipment. This reduces the need for additional capital investment and allows the work to be carried out with virtually no disruption to normal operations.

Installing the OPTEX Bridge and enabling visual verification via the Intelligent Visual Monitoring portal will not affect the integrity of the existing systems, and alarm grading and certification of the system is unchanged, ensuring the retention of police first response.

For sensitive applications, a privacy mode can be enabled. This ensures any human movement inside the building will only be displayed to ARC operators in silhouette form to guarantee privacy.

When the system is armed and an alarm event occurs, the full image is sent to the end user via an SMS message, along with the relevant DISPATCH or DISREGARD prompts. If the alarm is genuine and the user selects the DISPATCH command, the normal police notification protocol is initiated. Only then will ARC operators have access to the full video and be able to forward the uncensored picture to first responders, who can use the image to identify the criminal when arriving at the scene.

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FINAL perimeter july20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 03/06/2020 13:44 Page 1

PERIMETER

A Smarter Approach to Perimeter Protection? he perimeter is a very important element in any security plan. It is the first point at which a demarkation between public and private space is made, and represents the earliest opportunity for a business or organisation to ascertain a target – whether welcome or not – has entered its site.

Whether a system is designed to detect intrusion or simply identify that the status of the area has changed, it is important that integrators, and in turn end users, are aware of the need to have an identifiable and obvious perimeter if monitoring is to occur.

Whether this is a six foot fence festooned with razor wire or a simple low height physical differentiator will be dependent upon the needs of each individual site. What is more important is that anyone entering the private area is aware they have done so.

By creating an obvious perimeter, it can then be presumed any persons within the private area have made a conscious decision to be there. It makes sense to also consider whether a perimeter can be adapted to enhance the security of the location. Due to the fact that it’s best practice to create an obvious perimeter, it makes sense to also use it for the first layer of protection.

For some, the term ‘perimeter protection’ summons up images of physical barriers.

There is nothing wrong with a physical approach to perimeter protection, but such elements cannot offer complete protection.

Physical measures work by making it difficult and time-consuming for criminals to gain entry, hopefully meaning they will move on to a softer target.

To be effective, physical measures need to be used in conjunction with other systems.

Walls or fences can be scaled by determined criminals, and once this has been done the site is vulnerable unless the violation is reported by a monitoring system.

Given the depth of options, it makes sense to link physical measures with other systems to create a more holistic solution.

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Adding systems Technology-based perimeter systems are often considered as the sole preserve of high-

The perimeter of a site is the ideal place for the first layer of protection to be implemented. It represents the earliest point at which detection can be carried out and allows the creation of a defined boundary to ensure intrusions are not unintentional. Given this, the emphasis on perimeter monitoring should be significantly higher in many applications.

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PERIMETER

risk sites, while lower risk applications are viewed as typical users of physical options.

However, the evolution of technology – coupled with economies of scale – has resulted in the reduction of equipment costs.

Additionally, the use of wireless connectivity has made perimeter solutions a realistic option for all applications.

If a criminal puts in the effort, physical devices will be defeated. Technological solutions are more credible, and the argument for electronic perimeter security is compelling.

This isn’t to say physical elements do not have a role to play. They can act to create a sterile zone: an area where the boundary is established and beyond which any intrusion can be deemed to be an event requiring a response.

Sterile zones are common in perimeter solutions because they simplify the definition of exceptions. If a sterile zone exists, and all activity within it is prohibited, then any and all exceptions can be treated as violations. This enhances the use of smarter technologies, because the solution starts with a simple premise that nothing should occur in the sterile zone.

It’s worth considering the users’ goals when establishing which technologies to deploy in a perimeter system. In truth, this is usually a simple task. Most end users want to be informed of an intrusion or exceptional event as quickly as possible. Rather than delay intruders with obstacles that can be defeated in time, or capture video footage to be reviewed after an event, end users want to be empowered to take action.

A smarter design There are many technologies designed to create an early warning at the perimeter.

Detecting the presence of people before they can reach a protected area makes sense.

However, in the past, security industry standards relating to police response shifted the emphasis onto internal detection.

When it comes to detection over longer distances, there are a variety of options.

Choices can include passive detectors, active detectors, fence-mounted and other dedicated PIDS, video surveillance with analytics and thermal imaging with analytics.

Many manufacturers offer wireless external detectors and these can simplify installation and reduce costs. Where wireless connections are deployed, the stability can be as robust and resilient as hard-wired alternatives.

Increasingly, integrators are using detection devices in double-knock configurations. This involves devices coupled with others to 28

ensure an event is only signalled as an alarm if both elements are triggered, either simultaneously or within a given time frame.

External detection devices are costeffective, including photoelectric beams.

These devices have undergone significant advances with regard to processing and stability. Active detector ranges vary, with distances into the hundreds of metres being achieveable.

Laser-based detection devices are another option and the choice is growing. One benefit of laser-based sensors is the units can deliver exact positioning information. Laser sensors can pinpoint targets using X-Y coordinates.

With appropriate software, this information can be used to track targets around a site.

The use of analytics with both video and thermal cameras has allowed a more behaviour-based approach to be taken. When used in double-knock scenarios, the possibilities allow a high degree of filtering when deciding what constitutes alarm events.

Smart video technologies with behaviouralbased analytics add integration between the perimeter and other systems. For example, laser-based detectors can deliver positional information to a VMS, which allows PTZ cameras to automatically track suspects. The same system could be utilised as a traffic management tool, for example, during periods when the site is open for business.

Linking traditional detection devices and smart video systems is a simple task, as many VMS options allow rules to be created which link a wide range of inputs. The same can be achieved using smart intruder detection systems using recipes or scenarios to link numerous events such as detection alerts, site status conditions and video inputs.

Thermal imagers are becoming more affordable and offer a credible option for perimeter security, especially when linked with analytics. In many applications, thermal devices can deliver superior analytics performance due to the high contrasts in thermal images.

In summary Perimeter protection systems can be created with a range of technologies, and offer costeffective solutions which enhance security and offer a number of value-added benefits for site management.

Ongoing technological developments continue to offer systems that are affordable and reliable, and add smart technologies for enhanced value. Despite this, too many still view perimeter solutions as a specialist security option.

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SMART BUILDINGS

Smart Buildings: A Step Up? hen considering smart buildings, it is very easy to consider them as separate to the solutions on offer from the security market, but the reality is that the industry is selling itself short.

Intelligent buildingsrely on one thing: data.

The collection of accurate data, in real-time, is essential to the decision-making process. The value for end users comes from having accurate and credible data.

If you consider security solutions, they are effectively data collection and analysis systems. Because of the nature of security and risk mitigation, the systems are designed to capture accurate real-time data, and often to verify that data. The data collected is usually relevant to site and building status, and therefore can be exploited to achieve many intelligent building goals.

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Relevant data Consider the various technologies involved in a complete security solution. Access control captures and processes data about who enters a building. It tracks people around a site, knowing who is where at any given time. This enables occupancy data to be captured, along with searchable records of who is on site.

Intruder detection systems gather status information. Areas and partitions can be identified as armed or disarmed, and zones with or without motion can be identified in real-time. Also, the status of doors and windows can be monitored, with the opening and/or closing of portals being able to trigger actions. With secure wireless options available, this allows the use of contacts on a wide range of items as well as entry/exit points or windows.

Advances in processing and the increased use of GPUs has seen the potential for capturing and exploiting data from video surveillance systems grow. Video data offers a number of diverse benefits as it allows visually detectable information to be exploited without the need for human intervention or verification thanks to the increased use of IVA and AI technologies.

Video data can be processed for a very wide range of status reports. These range from simple events such as motion-based triggers, through a whole range of intelligent analytics triggers, through to site status reports based upon occupancy, flow, entry and exit times, condition reporting, etc..

Today’s commercial organisations understand the value of ‘big data’, and how it can be used to introduce efficiencies across a wide range of business and organisational needs.

Video systems also offer object recognition based upon deep learning algorithms. These can differentiate specific objects, even though they might of a similar size and shape. Adding another layer of possibilities, the development of deep learning technologies ensures that the potential on offer from video surveillance in smart buildings goes far beyond security.

In essence, any data that can be visually captured can be processed as a part of a smart building solution. Data can be collected about moving or stationary objects, appearing or disappearing people or items, speed and direction of flow, size and shape of objects, dwell times, behavioural trends, anomalies and exceptions, coloured objects, etc..

Increasingly, rules based upon multiple criteria can be initiated, either at an edge device or at a central management software platform. The information can be pulled from any of the systems and can provide significant benefits in a smart building implementation.

The right implementation It is important not to think in terms of a smart building controlling every single function via an integrated solution. Few building owner/occupiers want that. Many will already have legacy systems that perform certain building management tasks, and will be more than happy with how these function.

Additional smart functions which exploit the data being captured by the security system can be added incrementally, delivering proof of concept for the end user. As their requirements grow, so additional elements can be introduced. In many cases, the customer will not have thought about how they’d like to utilise data from the security system, often because they don’t realise the potential available. The key to additional benefits lies in ensuring users appreciate the power and flexibility of modern solutions.

End users invest in smart technologies, and such investments are easier to justify if they add business efficiencies, and offer an enhanced return on investment. Security systems can offer the benefits they seek.

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SMART SOLUTIONS

Adding Business Benefits with a Smart VMS

The modern VMS is so much more than video management software, and when an appropriate solution is specified, business and organisations can realise significant benefits across a wide range of operational activities. These benefits not only add value and increase the return on investment, but can also create intelligent solutions which ensure maximum efficiency when dealing with events. any manufacturers offering advanced video technologies will argue that their systems are intelligent, and to a degree they’d be right. Today’s video processing capabilities have expanded the potential from such solutions, making automated decision-making a reality based on data gathered from the captured footage.

In the past, video data was usually processed manually, which was both unreliable and inefficient. If an incident

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occurred, an operator would need to scrub through hours of video (usually video in which nothing of interest happened) to find snippets of footage which showed how the incident occurred and who was involved.

The process was labour-intensive, and often the time constraints meant some events were inevitably missed. For the business or organisation which had invested in the solution, this gave the feeling their money had been wasted.

In recent years, the use of new technologies and powerful video processing has resulted in video data being significantly more accessible. As a result, not only can securityrelated incidents be found, quickly and with ease, but the captured video data can also be used for a host of other applications. These can relate to business intelligence, site management, or a host of other tasks such as marketing and sales, occupancy control, compliance, etc..

What makes the use of video more efficient is the ability to use artifical intelligence, in different forms, to analyse the content of

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When developing the latest version of its advanced VMS, Cathexis decided to implement neural networking technology in its CathexisVision product. While some manufacturers have focused their efforts with AI on specific tasks, Cathexis realised that adding accurate and credible object classification would increase system efficiency across the board, and enhance the return on investment for end users.

The CathexisVision VMS solutions are able to categorise objects in the video footage, allowing the software to accurately detect whether an object is a person, a vehicle or an animal. It is the speed and reliability with which this is done which adds value for businesses and organisations.

The CathexisVision VMS has supported an extensive range of intelligent video analytics for some time, and while these do include a high degree of filtering, without accurate object classification some nuisance activations will inevitably occur. For example, if you consider line-crossing video analytics, the system will instigate a predefined action (or actions) when the virtual line is crossed by an object.

In order to enhance the accuracy of this analytics algorithm, a number of filters can be applied to eliminate nuisance activations.

These include minimum and maximum sizes for the detected object, direction of travel, inclusion and exclusion zones, shadow suppression, etc..

However, with the addition of neural networking technologies driving accurate object classifications, the VMS can add another element to a bespoke Rule, further enhancing efficiency.

the weekend, and the access control system not logging a manager as present on site. If all of these conditions are met, the system might record the activity in real-time, send a push notification with a snapshot of the incident to a member of the management team, and switch on local lighting. Any number of trigger events and actions can be specified dependent upon site needs.

Accurate object classification adds benefits to such a solution, as the Rule can require a specific object – a person or vehicle – to cross the virtual line. If, for example, the requirement is to log people passing into a defined area, an animal doing so won’t generate an action, even if it is within the expected size parameters.

In an application such as a transportation depot, it may be permitted for vehicles to enter and move around engineering bays for repairs and maintenance, but people are not allowed to walk in these areas. As such, CathexisVision could protect the spaces from unauthorised access by pedestrians, helping to ensure compliance and assist in site management. If people are detected, a local audible warning could be played, or red lights illuminated to stop all traffic movements until the area is cleared.

Where users are relying on their investment in smart technology to deliver real benefits, the use of CathexisVision, with its combination of advanced intelligent video analytics and the object classification feature, can create efficiencies and deliver a better level of information when decisions are made.

As well as virtual line crossing, CathexisVision also supports presence detection, entry and/or exit from a defined area, motion detection, delayed time or stopping in a defined area, directional and speed sensing, loitering detection, object sensing (such as object appear/disappear and object counting), queue management and numberplate recognition.

Bespoke Rules

Simpler searches

CathexisVision makes use of Rules to assess site conditions and implement bespoke actions. Rules can be very simple (such as if a virtual line is crossed, record video from a linked camera in real-time for 30 seconds) or significantly more complex, using a wide range of status information and data from the site. For example, the simple Rule previously mentioned could be enhanced to perform differently depending upon the situation.

A more complex Rule might combine criteria such as the virtual line being crossed, the time being between 17:00 and 08:30 or during

CathexisVision also makes use of advanced technologies to ensure relevant video footage can be found, quickly and easily. This not only helps when incidents occur, but can be valuable when analysing trends or making behavioural predictions during planning.

CathexisVision’s flexibility allows greater efficiencies to be realised, ensuring businesses maximise their return on investment.

Selecting a smart VMS can make sense in terms of operational support as well as protecting people, premises and assets.

captured video data and detect anomalies, exceptions, objects and linked events. While video analytics isn’t new, what has changed the way it can be used is object classification.

Smarter classification

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Benchmark

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION & SMART SOLUTIONS

Follow Benchmark eNews and Social Channels Benchmark is the smart solutions sector’s only magazine that targets system integrators and end users who are implementing bespoke and innovative solutions.

Written to help those who are designing, specifying, installing and using bestof-breed smart systems, Benchmark helps its readership by seeking out the most flexible and effective smart solutions.

Every week Benchmark sends registered readers e-mail-based content including new independent technology assessments, informative articles, buying guides, news and technical bulletins to ensure you are kept up to date.

Registration to receive Benchmark’s E-News service is free-of-charge and ensures you stay ahead of the curve and can access the latest information.

Because Benchmark generates all of the editorial content, you can access information not available elsewhere.

Visit www.benchmarkmagazine.com today and sign up

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INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS

Infrastructure News AWS announces general availability of Amazon Detective Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability of Amazon Detective, a new security service that makes it easy for customers to conduct faster and more efficient investigations into security issues across their AWS workloads. Amazon Detective automatically collects log data from a customer’s resources and uses machine learning, statistical analysis, and graph theory to build interactive visualisations that help customers analyse, investigate, and quickly identify the root cause of potential security issues or suspicious activities.

When customers face a security issue like compromised user credentials or unauthorised access to a resource, security teams must conduct an investigation to understand the cause, assess the impact, and determine the remediation steps. Before an investigation can begin, customers must collect and combine terabytes of potentially relevant data from the network, applications, and security monitoring systems, and make it available in a way that allows their security analysts to infer related anomalies. In order to explore the data, analysts rely on data scientists and engineers to turn simple questions into mathematical models and queries that can help produce answers. There is then a need to build custom dashboards to validate, compare, and correlate the data to reach conclusions.

Amazon Detective helps security teams conduct faster and more effective investigations. Once enabled, Amazon Detective automatically distills and organises data from AWS CloudTrail, Amazon VPC Flow Logs, and Amazon GuardDuty findings into a graph model that summarises resource behaviours and interactions. Using machine learning, statistical analysis and graph theory, it produces tailored visualisations to help customers find answers without having to organize data or develop, configure or tune their own queries and algorithms.

There are no charges or commitments required to use Amazon Detective, and customers only pay for data ingested from AWS CloudTrail, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud Flow Logs, and Amazon GuardDuty findings.

Altronix expands Trove power integration range

Altronix has introduced a new product to its portfolio of Trove access and power integration solutions. The units now seamlessly integrate with Lenel S2 controllers in a streamlined package for systems with up to 14 doors.

‘Altronix prides itself on designing and manufacturing solutions that solve realworld installation challenges,’ stated Alan Forman, President of Altronix Corporation.

‘We are pleased to be able support Lenel S2 integrators with a new option that streamlines installations and increases profitability.’

The integrated power solutions simplify board layout and wire management, while providing high levels of flexibility and scalability in the design and deployment of leading access control implementations. Trove enables easy configuration and pretesting of systems prior to on-site installation, and provides a single point of service and maintenance, while reducing time on site.

Altronix products are backed by a lifetime warranty.

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Mayflex appoints new account manager Mayflex has appointed a new account manager to manage and develop accounts in the Midlands and surrounding areas, with a specific focus on the security product portfolio as part of the converged solution.

Matthew Farthing joined the business at the end of March and comes to Mayflex from a security installer background, so is familiar with the type of customer Mayflex works with. Having worked in a general sales and national account management role, Farthing is currently undergoing an induction.

Regions covered by Farthing include Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton, Birmingham Wolverhampton, Coventry, Telford, Peterborough and Cambridge.

Tom Filce, Head of Security Sales at Mayflex, stated, ‘Matthew has joined the Mayflex team at an exceptional time for the industry and the country. We are forging ahead with a full remote induction plan by using the tools and infrastructure set in place by our IT team.’

Buffalo announces EU management change Buffalo, a global provider of network storage (NAS) and professional networking solutions, has announced a management change at Buffalo EU. With immediate effect, Satoshi Inaba will assume the position of Managing Director. Inaba will take over this role from Takehiko Inoue, who will return to Japan.

Satoshi Inaba worked in senior management positions for over 15 years at various subsidiaries of the Buffalo headquarters Melco Holdingsin Japan, North America, the Middle East and the APAC region.

He worked directly for Buffalo from 2004 to 2009 as Chief Operating Officer of Buffalo Americas and for five years as Assistant General Manager of Buffalo APAC. Before joining Melco, Inaba was Alcatel's Country Manager, responsible for expanding sales and marketing activities in the LAN switch market in Japan.

In his new position, Inaba is responsible for the management of Buffalo in the European market and will work to consolidate Buffalo’s position in the network attched storage sector.

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AMG launches range of cost effective media convertors AMG has release the AMG210M Series Mini SFP Media Converter range which is claimed to be both cost-effective and flexible in field deployments as part of a planned development drive to expand its range of Ethernet transmission solutions.

Designed for commercial applications with operating temperatures of 0-50 degrees C, the new range of media converters include options for 100Mb, Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet transmission, all of which incorporate intelligent configuration features, according to the manufacturer.

Built into a compact (90 x 60 x 20mm) housing, the AMG210M series is available in four variants: a 100Mb Media Converter, a Multi Rate Media Converter (100/1000Mb), a Dual Port Multi Rate Media Converter (100/1000Mb) and a 10GB SFP+ Media Converter.

Easy and quick to install, each mini media converter features user-selectable DIP switches to allow the configuration of intelligent features such as Link Fault PassThrough, where the loss of either the RJ45 or SFP will cause the corresponding port to link down, enabling a fault to be detected by other connected devices.

Other configurable features include port isolation, jumbo frames, automatic laser shutdown and SFP speed selection.

Supporting network continuity, the mini media converter’s Automatic Reset function detects if a fibre connection is lost, and automatically performs a power cycle to try and re-establish the link, reducing system downtime and engineering callouts.

For ease of installation, all AMG210M series media converters ship with an in-line style wall mountable power supply and can be deployed standalone or wall-mounted using the included kit.

To fit the vast scope of applications, Multimode or Singlemode SFPs can either be included in the choice of units or ordered separately from AMG’s range of SFP modules.

For additional flexibility, the optional AMG210C high density chassis with dual redundant PSUs allows up to 12 AMG210M Series media converters to be rack mounted in 1U of space, making it ideal for applications where rack density is a key requirement.

AMG Systems has designed the miniaturised SFP media converters to support the transmission of video and data systems in a wide range of commercial and industrial environments.

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TECHNOLOGY

The Role of Deep Learning in Smart Solutions Deep Learning is currently a buzzword in the world of smart solutions, but what is it, and how can it help create intelligent solutions? n today’s advancing technological landscape, the terms ‘smart’ and ‘intelligent’ are often overused. References to AI are common, and another technology which regularly crops up is Deep Learning.

Deep Learning is often referenced as the ‘silver bullet’ of intelligent solutions, but different people have conflicting understandings of what this term means. It makes sense for any integrator or end user to have a good understanding of what the technology can offer, in order to ensure their expectations are met.

I

Deep Learning in a nutshell Deep Learning is just one element of the growing use of Artifical Intelligence (AI). AI is an over-arching technology which includes several sub-sets. Within the AI arena sits Machine Learning. This is more flexible, and allows systems to be taught certain parameters and criteria which can be used in the decision making process. Deep Learning is a more advanced sub-set of Machine Learning.

It is important to understand this hierarchy, as while all Deep Learning is Machine Learning and AI, not all AI or Machine Learning delivers Deep Learning techniques.

Machine Learning uses large datasets to detect patterns, and tries to predict what might happen, and which actions are recommended to deal with the predicted event. This dataset-based approach is clearly more flexible than using explicit programmed instructions.

What makes Deep Learning different is the use of an artificial neural network with a number of computational layers. This allows data inputs to be processed to assess and collate information, without the need for extensive data sets to be used as a reference.

Deep Learning solutions are trained with data

inputs until the outputs achieve a high level of accuracy.

As an example, each deep learning level is trained to transform its input. In a vehicle detection application, the video input is passed to the first layer to transform pixels into edges, while the following layer might encode the arrangement of edges. The next layer can identify specific vehicular characteristics, and the process continues until the neural network identifies the object as a car.

As the neural network has been trained to recognise vehicles, it is aware of the core characteristics of various cars, vans, buses, etc.. This training allows it to accurately classify objects.

Because of the number of neural layers used, the process doesn’t impact on the image data. It uses the data, along with the knowledge of vehicles it has been trained to use, to identify them.

Deep Learning at the edge Hanwha Techwin has introduced 4K Wisenet P AI cameras featuring license-free Deep Learning video analytics which offer a high level of detection accuracy, whilst minimising false alarms. The deep learning analytics detect and classify various objects, including people, vehicles, faces and numberplates, and can identify the attributes of objects or people, such as age group, gender, or the colour of the clothing.

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VMS on AWS: Scalable, Flexible and Reliable analytics or report generation, or have been designed for smaller applications with a few cameras. Where add-on value was provided by cloud service additions, it was still necessary for end users to invest in hardware, and to meet all the additional costs such as maintenance and software upgrades, power, cooling, future system scaling, etc..

With the vast majority of businesses already deploying some level of SaaS for core operations, the benefits of such an approach were well understood.

Milestone Systems has launched XProtect on AWS, allowing users to enjoy the full range of benefits from a SaaS solution, without the previously required financial burden of a hardware-based infrastructure.

As demand for Software-as-a-Service provisions Enhanced flexibility XProtect is Milestone’s VMS solution which is increases in the business community, so a greater capable of supporting unlimited devices, number of end users are looking to leverage the servers and sites. However, it is also costeffective, allowing small sites to benefit from benefits of cloud-based service implementation. the inherent power of the software. The VMS VSaaS (video surveillance as a service) is still a is open platform, and supports in excess of 8,500 devices, including those from all relatively new sector, and has – until now – often professional manufacturers.

XProtect not only manages video, but can focused on smaller, simpler solutions. However, also be used with access control systems, with the launch of XProtect on AWS, the potential alarm management systems, IoT devices, data and reporting devices (such as POS on offer from VSaaS can meet demands regardless collection and ATMs), sensors and detectors, industrial of system size, both now and in the future. and environmental monitoring, and a whole he continual growth of SaaS (software as a service) has seen demand soar for flexible and cost-effective solutions across a wide range of industries. As a result, service-oriented hosted solutions have become a pivotal part of the technological landscape. Businesses and organisations seeking efficient and reliable systems expect a cloud-hosted service-based solution to be on offer, and that includes the rapidly growing world of video.

Cloud services have been around for some time in the video sector, but have either offered add-on services to supplement a traditional on-premise system, such as video

T

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host more.

In the past, XProtect implementations have required on-premise hardware in the form of servers or appliances, but the launch of XProtect on AWS allows a fully service-based offering to be deployed. This not only saves investments in hardware, but also offers benefits with regard to licensing, upgrades, scalability and speed of implementation.

Whenever cloud-based services are discussed, questions are always asked about reliability, both in terms of performance and cybersecurity. To ensure users have peace of mind, Milestone is using AWS. AWS (Amazon Web Services) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, and offers over 175 fully

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featured services from data centres around the world. It supports millions of customers, including many of the largest enterprises and government agencies, who have selected AWS to lower costs as the organisations become increasingly agile, allowing for improved innovation.

AWS reassures users of global availability, reliable infrastructure and advanced services which can be accessed via the AWS Marketplace.

Instant VMS AWS Marketplace is an online software store which enables immediate deployment of software applications and services.

Implementing XProtect on AWS Marketplace automates the OS and VMS installation, with a pre-configured VMS activated after just a few clicks.

Milestone is set to offer two products within AWS Marketplace: XProtect Essential+ and XProtect VMS. XProtect Essential+ is Milestone’s free-of-charge XProtect product. It includes licenses for up to eight devices.

XProtect VMS can either be licensed as a new product, or a BYOL (Bring Your Own License) option will be available. This will allow the license for any existing XProtect onpremise system (such as Express+, Professional+, Expert or Corporate) to be transferred to the AWS solution, and customers will receive the same range of features and functions as their legacy XProtect on-premise system.

AWS Marketplace will use XProtect 2020 R2, Milestone’s most recent product version released in June 2020. Going forward, Milestone will add the most recent product version of XProtect to AWS Marketplace on the General Availability date, ensuring implementations are always up to date.

Cybersecurity is a constant concern for businesses and organisations, and again AWS has a strong offering in this arena. AWS cloud environment is managed and operated by skilled IT professionals, and customers benefit from AWS data centres and a network designed specifically to protect information, identities and applications. Indeed, end users can improve their ability to meet core security and compliance requirements, such as data locality, protection and confidentiality. AWS Services are GDPR ready and AWS is committed to offering services and resources to help customers comply with GDPR requirements.

In the near future, Milestone will be providing an AWS Services tool to allow the calculation of accurate pricing for the various

services required to run any given XProtect VMS deployment via the cloud. This will ensure the total cost of ownership can be confirmed.

The Milestone benefits For those designing and implementing XProtect VMS via AWS, there are a number of benefits over the more traditional on-premise option.

Integrators can further grow business by shifting the ‘heavy lifting’ typically associated with managing data, allowing them to focus on the provision of added value services.

The inherent flexibility also offers the ability to address new markets, providing not only security and safety systems, but also site management and business intelligence.

Installations are faster and simpler, as the need to specify adequate server hardware is reduced, as is the need to ensure a seamless integration between the OS and VMS. Also, maintenance and support is streamlined.

For the end user, benefits include the reduction of any initial investment in hardware, and on-going costs can be controlled as customers will only pay for the processing power, storage and other resources that are used. Managing these IT resources can be done in minutes, allowing users to react to any changes in site needs.

Also, systems can be scaled with ease, allowing upgrades and expansions, or additional resources to be added, if special events occur.

For businesses and organisations with multi-site installations, the system can cover sites in any AWS region, worldwide, with minimal effort.

There is also the capability to connect temporary sites to the VMS system in just a few clicks. This can often be a problem for integrators and users, and with on-premise systems can generate unforeseen costs.

However, the scalability of XProtect on AWS removes these problems.

Also, integrators and end users can work together to design a solution which meets the needs of each individual site. Systems can include cloud-based sites and on-premise equipped sites, and even sites which use a hybrid approach.

XProtect deployments can also be complemented by the inclusion of many other AWS services, all with no long-term contracts or up-front commitments.

XProtect on AWS increases the added value available from VMS solutions, whilst also delivering greater efficiencies to end users seeking smart solutions.

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INNOVATION AWARDS

Rewarding Innovation At Benchmark, we believe the future of the systems sector lies in the creation of innovative and smart solutions. In order to allow integrators to create such solutions for end users, it is vital manufacturers deliver innovation that both enhances the technological capabilities of their products, and allows those developments to be implemented in a realistic fashion. In order to highlight such advances, Benchmark runs its Innovation Awards scheme, which recognises and rewards innovative thinking.

Smart Solutions single intuitive GUI ensures security, energy management and maintenance teams can easily access real-time, accurate status information about the systems on a site.

Avigilon: Appearance Search

BriefCam: Video Content Analysis Platform BriefCam offers an intelligent video analytics platform which delivers innovative capabilities, allowing end users to quickly and effectively search, analyse and act on intelligence gained from real-time or ondemand video content. Through AI, Deep Learning, advanced object detection, identification and classification, it allows operators to make sense of the video data by filtering objects to pinpoint and track targets.

COSMO: COSMO PSIM+ To deliver seamless integration of security and energy management systems, COSMO PSIM+ allows flexible connectivity as it is an APIbased technology-agnostic solution. The 38

Avigilon Appearance Search is a feature of the ACC Enterprise (Avigilon Control Center) VMS. Sites using Appearance Search can deploy Avigilon’s cameras with self-learning analytics, or use the Avigilon AI Appliance with third party cameras. Appearance Search sifts through hours of video, across multiple devices, to quickly identify people and vehicles of interest, using deep-learning to find multiple appearances.

Qognify: VisionHub VMS+ VisionHub VMS+ is a security management solution which offers more than management of video streams. It includes workflow support, situational awareness and system management capabilities. It offers advanced geo-positioned maps, incident management with actionable guidance, and facilitates collaboration to help manage incidents.

DAVANTIS: DFusion Deep Fusion combines video analytics with Deep Learning. Deep fusion allows the system to detect all intruders, even in hostile and demanding situations, with an unprecedented reduction in the number of nuisance alarm activations.

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INNOVATION AWARDS

Video Solutions Milestone: XProtect 2020 R1 The 2020 R1 of XProtect adds features to the VMS and extends the offering with a Video Processing Toolkit. A Centralised Search feature makes it easy to find incidents by aggregating data, and uses AI, video analytics and machine learning.

Bosch: BVMS 10 BVMS 10.0 features improveddata security and privacy, greater flexibility with ONVIF Profile S certification and enhanced monitor wall functionality to deliver a more flexible VMS, including integration with access control. BVMS 10.0 is also secured using state-of-the-art IT technologies.

Cathexis: CathexisVision 2020 CathexisVision’s video analytics suite has been enhanced through the addition of Object Classification algorithms, which use sophisticated Neural Network technology. The algorithms allow an additional rule, only triggering events if the detected object is of a

pre-determined type, for example a person or vehicle.

FLIR: Elara DX The FLIR Elara DXSeries includes multispectral PTZ security cameras which provide full situational awareness.

Combining thermal and visible light imagers, the Elara DX-Series gives operators the ability to monitor large areas in complete darkness, glaring light, and adverse weather conditions including fog and snow.

Vicon: Valerus 20 Valerus 20 includes interactive mapping, bookmarking, and historical event search so users can react to events more quickly, monitor incidents more efficiently and perform thorough forensic investigations.

Access Control Solutions Paxton: Paxton10 Paxton10 offers a simple path to integrated access control and video solutions. It also enables interoperability with intruder and fire alarm systems as well as building management .It allows a return on investment, which makes the solution cost-effective.

3xLogic: infinias Corporate infinias Corporate access control software provides advanced features for securing and managing sites. The interface is presented as a simple, intuitive browser-based GUI. A powerful ‘rules engine’ makes it possible to perform a variety of functions based upon logical relationships.

Vanderbilt: BLE Readers Vanderbilt offers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) readers in conjunction with the company’s ACT Enterprise software, enabling the use of smartphones as credentials. Vanderbilt offers a range of BLE readers, a contactless door release button, virtual credentials and an app.

Johnson Controls: EntraPass v8.2 EntraPass v8.2 simplifies how users remotely access the EntraPass go mobile app.

Improved search capabilities and other upgrades deliver remote and real-time access. EntraPass go Pass requests are not attached to a selected SmartLink, eliminating the need to configure every connection.

Users will now be able to access inbound connections with ease.

Proxyclick: Proxyclick Proxyclick is designed to create efficiencies when managing visitors and contractors.

Security functions alert users when a visitor checks in, or creates notifications if they fail to check out. Advanced reporting allows the user to collect data and spot trends, produce reports and use surveys to gather feedback.

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INNOVATION AWARDS

Site Protection Solutions TAKEX: PR-30BE The PR-30BE from TAKEX is a reflector-based photoelectric beam which uses Time-of-Flight technology. The PR-30BE has a 30 metre range.

It determines the distance of any beam break with a high degree of accuracy , ensuring that genuine alarms are not missed. Because the sensor does not require power at both ends of the link, installation costs are lower.

OPTEX: WX Shield The four models in the WX Shield series provide outdoor intruder detection with a wide (180 degree) coverage. The sensors feature two independent 90 degree detection areas with the flexibility to configure individual settings, sensitivity levels and triggering outputs for the left and right areas.

Texecom: Impaq SC-W The Impaq SC-W from Texecom is a wireless shock and contact sensor. The detector makes use of VIBER Accelerometer Technology, and

is independently certified to EN50131-2-8 Grade 2, the new Standard for shock sensors.

Redcare: Redcare Ultimate Redcare Ultimate uses a private IP connection on the Redcare network and also supports a back-up signalling path which is powered by two 4G SIMs. The signalling system includes battery back-up in the alarm panel to deliver continuity. Monitoring ensures problems with the signalling infrastructure are notified within 90 seconds.

Pyronix: ProControl+ Voice Push Notifications The ProControl+ app from Pyronix allows the use of voice-based push notifications when alerts occur. For example, with the use of a camera, the user can view the exterior of their property, receiving instant notifications when motion is detected. This then enables them to visually verify the security of the property.

Analytics Solutions Vaion: vcore

VCA Technology: VCAserver

Vaion’s vcore software incorporates embedded video and audio analytics powered by machine learning algorithms, along with intuitive interfaces to simplify operational and installation processes. The vcore VMS supports cameras with integrated directional audio analytics, security appliances and a hybrid cloud service.

VCAserver is an appliance which can be used to integrate VCA’s analytics with a VMS, or as a standalone server for smaller installations.

When used in standalone mode, it is ideal for projects of 128 channels or less. Scalable, it provides cost-effective Deep Learning analytics for legacy systems.

IPS: Critical Infrastructure Protection IPS Critical Infrastructure Protection is an intelligent video analytics module designed to deliver real-time alerts if an intrusion occurs at a sensitive site. The analytics uses a patented three-zone concept, and recognises suspicious behaviour, allowing exact ‘friend or foe’ recognition to be carried out.

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Hikvision: AcuSense Technology AcuSense Technology provides accurate sensing. Powered by deep learning algorithms, it distinguishes people and vehicles from other moving objects.

Supported devices will only generate an alarm when the preset intrusion type (human or vehicle) takes place.

IDIS: IDLA IDLA is an artificial intelligence-optimised video analytics solution. By leveraging artificial intelligence and deep learning , the technology is claimed to have an accuracy rate of 98 per cent. The deep learning is based on an artificial neural network.

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INNOVATION AWARDS

Service-Based Solutions Arcules: XProtect Hybrid VMS Arcules-XProtect Hybrid VMS solution is a combination of Arcules’ VSaaS integrated with XProtect Corporate VMS. The result is a flexible hybrid video surveillance solution.

Customers can deploy systems to remote sites quickly, with minimal IT resources and downtime, while still benefiting from the capabilities of XProtect’s on-premise VMS.

Videoloft: Cloud Adapter The Cloud Adapter from Videoloft is a plugand-play appliance which allows cloud connectivity to be added to legacy or newly installed systems. It provides an additional layer of security and encryption to ensure systems are cybersecure. Purchase is a oneoff cost, with cloud services billed on a recurring basis.

Brivo: OnAir The Brivo security platform and Brivo OnAir API enables the design of access control systems making use of cloud-based services.

Users can create schedules, and personnel

can be managed, with permissions adjusted to grant different levels of user access.

Morphean: Management Platform Morphean’s Management Platform combines hosted video surveillance, access control, business intelligence analysis. Maintenance and updates are automatically provided by Morphean, and the ‘as a Service’ model is available with a monthly subscription.

Agent Vi: innoVi innoVi provides AI-powered video analytics for real-time detection of events, along with object tracking and quick discovery and export of events and related data from captured video. innoVi is available as cloudbased software as a service.

Business Intelligence Hanwha Techwin: Serverless ANPR Hanwha Techwin offers cost-effective serverless ANPR solutions. The use of camerato-camera IP-based communications enables up to four cameras to capture and transmit ANPR data. The cameras are configured as a single master unit and three slave units; the latter send data back to the master.

Genetec: Mission Control Mission Control is a decision management system that provides organisations with new levels of situational intelligence, visualisation, and incident management capabilities. It allows users to make the right decision when faced with unanticipated situations. It collects and qualifies data from sensors and devices, spotting complex situations and incidents.

AI Tech: AI-DASH-PRO AI-DASH-PRO is a dashboard tool for data collection and management. It collects data from AI-empowered IVA plug-ins. Data is sent

to AI-DASH-PRO, which can then be visualised in an intuitive web interface which aids the decisionmaking process.

Herta: Biomarketing Biomarketing iuses facial detection and analysis. The system allows parameters such as gender, approximate age and other characteristics or facial expression to be recognised. This information is used to target marketing messages to the individual.

Spica: Time and Space Time and Space is an access control and time and attendance solution. It provides real-time information about absence and attendance for employees, regardless of how complex the organisational structure, the number of employees or the number of locations.

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INNOVATION AWARDS

IoT Devices Axis: Network Audio Solutions Axis offers a range of networked audio devices which form complete high-quality audio systems, either as standalone solutions or integrated with other systems. Eventtriggered announcements and direct callouts can be initiated, and users can make live or scheduled announcements to different zones.

NVT Phybridge: FLEX24 The FLEX24 switch provides a cost-effective transition to IP-based infrastructure, allowing the use of numerous IoT devices in a simple, secure and cost-effective option. When the FLEX switch is paired with FLEX adapters, the enterprise-grade unit delivers fast Ethernet and PoE over multi-pair UTP cable with up to 610 metres reach.

SICK: LMS LiDAR Sensors The LMS series detectors are cost-effective 2D LiDAR sensors capable of delivering mid-

distance detection ranges. The sensors use multi-echo technology and algorithms to ensure reliable and consistent performance.

Data is output in real time, enabling applications to benefit from high accuracy.

Nortech: NorParc NorParc is a Windows-based counting and parking guidance system which provides centralised count management, monitoring and guidance control for parking facilities. It includes a range of RGB variable message signs using low profile LED matrices.

Mobotix: M16 Thermal TR The M16 Thermal TR is a thermal imager which features a calibrated sensor, allowing variances in temperatures to be detected.

Thermal radiation measurements can be used to trigger events based on the temperature increasing above or decreasing below a trigger level.

Infrastructure Intercoax: IPIFY Range The IPIFY range is made up of Ethernet over Coax (EoC) devices, including a comprehensive long range offering.

This allows transmission of data over any copper cabling, up to a distance of 2,400 metres. The links can include PoE, with power budgets of up to 60W for any IP end device.

Security and Safety Things: Camera OS and Application Store The smart camera OS allows third party manufacturers to leverage smart applications.

The operating system is based on the Android Open Source Project, and delivers developers’ libraries, an API framework, and codecs. The 42

Application Store allows users to download ready-to-use AI-based apps for cameras.

barox: RY-LGSP28-52/740 The RY-LGSP28-52/740 is a Layer 2/3 switch with L3 functions. Connected devices are supplied PoE, and support for 48 10/100/1000Mbps PoE+ allows use in projects where additional devices are deployed. It also supports four SFP 1/10Gbps ports.

Seagate: Seagate Secure Seagate’s self-encrypting drives offer hardware-based data security as an essential component of modern data protection. The integration of multiple levels of security protocols adds an additional layer of protection.

ComNet: CNGE20FX4TX16MS The CNGE20FX4TX16MS is a managed switch supporting 16 10/100/1000BASE-TX and 4 100/1000FX SFP ports. The hardened units are available for use with CAT-5e or optical transmission media. Plug-and-play design with no need for adjustments makes their implementation fast and cost-effective.

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ACCESS CONTROL

Smart Credentials ccess control is, at its core, a technology designed to enable access and egress for authorised individuals, but a vital condition is the ability to define who is authorised and who is not. Once an authorised identity is created, relevant access permissions can be granted.

The identification of authorised persons is carried out by creating trusted identities, established through the use of a credential.

Credentials come in many forms: a PIN code, access card, tag or biometric element.

Increasingly, credentials can be stored and carried on a mobile smart device.

By activating a secure app on the mobile device, the credential information which sets access privileges is transmitted, across the air, as a digital credential. If the necessary conditions are met, access is granted.

There are not many aspects of daily life that have not been touched by the use of smart mobile devices, and the world of access control is no exception. In business environments, most people will carry mobile telephones or tablets. An increasing number of manufacturers are enabling these to double as access control assets.

Research into users attitudes and patterns of behaviour with regard to mobile devices have shown people are less likely to forget their phones than a security pass or access token. They also are more likely to protect and secure a phone than a pass or credential.

For businesses, the cost of credentials can be significant in terms of procurement, along with the management of card issuance and replacing or updating cards. If employees are issued with phones, using these as credentials reduces the overall total cost of ownership of an access control system.

There are also savings to be made with regard to visitor management. When appointments are booked, the visitor or contractor can be sent an email. They then download the linked app, which includes their temporary access privilege. This can be a single use privilege which expires when used, or time restricted, based upon their needs.

As well as issuing the access privilege across the air, systems also allow the privilege to be revoked, even if the visitor still has the app on their phone.

Access control systems which support digital credentials predominantly make use of

A

two technologies: NFC (near field communication) and BLE (Bluetooth low energy). NFC was once considered to be the way forward, but it has battled with widespread acceptance due to the fact that some mobile phone manufacturers only use it in very limited ways.

NFC is a two-way communications standard, based on RFID, predominantly used in smartphones and other mobile devices. It supports encryption, which enables it to be adopted in secure ID-based applications.

Increasingly common in access control and other security systems is BLE. BLE is a wireless technology. Many manufacturers argue the technology has a greater potential for security use based upon almost universal smart device support.

BLE requires a reader enabled with Bluetooth signalling. Software installed on the mobile device is profiled for the access system. The application communicates with the reader, without a need for pairing as is required in common Bluetooth signalling, and the security key authenticates the user’s identity.

BLE is power-efficient and can support increased reading distances. In many systems, the readers can be configured to restrict range dependent upon the requirements of a given entry-point. This increases flexibility, enabling hands-free applications with ranges of up to 10 metres to be mixed with more secure touch-to-enter configurations.

The use of deliberate movements, such as twisting the device to activate the security element, has been adopted by some to make the use of digital credentials more intuitive.

The growing use of cloud-based systems such as ACaaS (access control as a service) means that businesses and organisations are able to grant and revoke permissions to mobile credentials over-the-air in real-time.

The approach also allows enhanced management of access control credentials, adding increased benefits for the user.

Advanced security implementations can ‘bind’ trusted identities to specific devices, ensuring that the relevant access control data is protected using best practice. It is also claimed that overall site security is increased thanks to research which shows people take greater care of their mobile phones than they do with access or identification cards.

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BULLETIN

Bulletin Benchmark looks at news and product launches of interest to those involved in the design, implementation and use of smart solutions Luminite upgrades OCULi cameras Luminite has announced a range of new features for the OCULi wireless PIR camera. The standalone OCULi unit is a powerful PIR detector featuring a built-in camera, which sends alarm notifications when it has a detection event, eliminating the need for constant monitoring.

OCULi is fully wireless and battery-operated, making it perfect for protecting vulnerable areas such as vacant properties and construction sites where traditional video surveillance systems cannot be installed due to wiring and power limitations.

The most critical new feature of OCULi is it’s updated power supply which allows batteries to be used in series, extending battery life.

The units also support use of rechargeable lithium batteries that can be used in conjunction with a solar panel.

When using rechargeable batteries with a solar panel, OCULi’s modem can be left online which allows users to view live images via the mobile app or web portal. Changes to the arming schedule can be recognised immediately by the unit, and image uploads to the server are typically reduced to three seconds.

When OCULi is used with a speaker, events can automatically trigger a bespoke message to be played once video has stopped recording. The message can be recorded by the user and stored on an SD card.

SIM activation has been simplified and nonnetwork specific UK SIMs are able to make use of EE network coverage.

Graham Creek, Managing Director at Luminite, stated, ‘OCULi has been designed to offer the end user a host of functions without power. The updates to the power supply and the use of solar energy make OCULi a compelling option for certain sectors of the market, where traditional devices cannot be used due to power constraints.’

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Bosch enables video-based fire detection in low light With a new version of its video-based fire detection system, AVIOTEC IP starlight 8000, Bosch Building Technologies enables the early detection of fires with cameras, even in low light conditions. Both flames and smoke are reliably detected down to an ambient lighting level of 2 lux. To achieve this, Bosch has extended its video analytics in the camera with the use of artificial intelligence, which processes the results of more than 20 algorithms and makes an alarm decision.

The new version offers a significantly improved sensitivity without compromising the solution’s robustness against false alarms. The new firmware version 7.61 is suitable for application in areas with very low light levels such as warehouses and production plants at night. In case of changing environmental conditions, the sensitivity can be adapted using programmable schedules. For example, it is possible to optimise against false alarms during daytime operations, while empty buildings, where fast detection is required, benefit from higher sensitivity at night.

As the solution works reliably with minimal ambient light, it saves costs relating to the use of the lighting.

Furthermore, it significantly reduces the threat for applications with high fire risks.

For example, in multi-story car parks, AVIOTEC IP starlight 8000 delivers reliable early detection to protect vehicles and electrical charging stations. In all environments, the installed cameras can be used simultaneously for fire detection and video surveillance, which further reduces installation and operating costs.

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BULLETIN

360 Vision introduces PoE capabilities 360 Vision Technology, the CPNI and CAPSS accredited manufacturer, has announced the introduction of PoE capability across its range of rugged PTZ cameras. In response to customer demand, PoE capability, complaint to the 90W IEEE 802.3bt PoE standard, has been added to the core range options of the Invictus and Predator cameras.

‘In the wake of our recent announcement relating to super low power camera options, we are delighted to be able to make the new PoE capability available to our customers,’ stated Mark Rees, Managing Director at 360 Vision Technology.

‘The demand for PoE cameras has increased significantly, due to the additional benefits available with this technology. Site installation flexibility, and a reduction in both cabling and hardware requirements, are game-changers, particularly in locations where there is no localised power available.

‘Our recent drive to dramatically improve power efficiency and green energy credentials has enabled us to add this important feature to the new generation of both camera ranges.’

The new PoE capability extends to all options on the Invictus range, including those with infrared and white light. For the Predator range, PoE is available for lighting options up to 250 metres for both infrared and white light.

Safe Zone appoints Stobbe Safe Zone, the manufacturer of the Safe Zone Gunfire Detection System, has appointed Brian Stobbe as National Director of Distribution Sales. Stobbe is responsible for the development, implementation and management of all distributor channel sales and support.

The Safe Zone Gunfire Detection System is a standalone, automated indoor gunfire detection system providing actionable intelligence to law enforcement within seconds of a gunshot.

Paxton launches Entry Standard monitor Paxton has added to its video entry product line by launching the Entry Standard monitor. The monitor allows users to view guests via video before granting or denying access. This product works as part of Paxton’s Entry door entry system.

The monitor offers a feature-rich and cost-effective solution for a range of applications. The monitor has been engineered with a focus on simplicity and ease-of-use.

The monitor includes high audio quality, full-duplex voice communication and a clear user interface on a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen. Its simple user interface with call and event log can be easily personalised with 14 different theme designs.

A caller snapshot feature enables users to see missed visitors.

The second-generation monitor blends contemporary aesthetics with high quality materials and a clean user interface. It has been designed to fit into any environment.

The monitor features a glass covered capacitive touch screen and high quality front facing speaker, and the high contrast screen ensuring the monitor is easy to read.

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BULLETIN

Hanwha Techwin adds cameras to Q Series Hanwha Techwin has further strengthened its Wisenet Q series with the introduction of 2 and 5 megapixel cameras. The 2 megapixel Wisenet QNB-6002 supersedes the QNB-6000, whilst the 5 megapixel Wisenet QNB-8002 is a new addition to the camera series.

The two H.265 cameras are equipped with an Open Platform chipset which provides the opportunity for end users to benefit from selected edge-based specialist applications developed by Hanwha Techwin’s technology partners.

The cameras also feature a suite of Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), which includes tamper detection, directional detection, defocus detection, virtual linecross, enter/exit and motion detection.

Other key features include WDR, which performs at up to 120dB to produce clear images from scenes containing a challenging mix of bright and dark areas.

With smart video compression, H.265, H.264 or MJPEG compression can be further enhanced by WiseStream II, a complementary technology which dynamically controls encoding, balancing quality and compression, according to movement in the image.

Bandwidth efficiency is significantly improved when WiseStream II is combined with H.265 compression, compared to standard H.264 technology. WiseStream II can help reduce the total cost of ownership of a video surveillance system by minimising the storage and bandwidth requirements.

An integral SD/SDHC/SDXC memory slot allows up to 128GB of video or data to be stored at the edge should there be disruption to the network. Video evidence, which might have been potentially lost, can therefore be retrieved when the network connection has been restored.

The cameras support use of PoE. 46

ATG Access offers bridge protection Manufacturer of road blockers, bollards and vehicle barriers, ATG Access, has launched its Populus Bollard system which is designed for ridge protection. It is the second bridge security system the company has brought to market.

The new solution is claimed to be the shortest, shallowest and the slimmest solution making it ideal for bridge applications.

The system achieved both the IWA 14 and PAS 68 standards during tests undertaken at the MIRA testing facility in March 2020, and was able to arrest a 7.5tonne vehicle traveling at 30mph at a 30 degree angle.

The tests simulated the distinctive features of a vehicular attack on a bridge and resulted in minimal penetration damage of under half a metre. Bridge design dictates that vehicular attacks are most likely to be carried out at a shallow angle, as a forward moving vehicle leaves the carriageway to mount the pavement at speed.

Bridges bring specific challenges to security systems such as drainage requirements, expansion joints and depth constraints. Coupled with the inability to close structures for prolonged installation periods, bridge security systems need to operate within strict parameters while delivering robust performance.

Designed for installation within areas with either no depth available or a challenging substructure, the system requires excavation of just 40mm and is installed without bolting, mechanical fixings or any upstand. Furthermore, it requires no finishing surface treatment to the highway to conceal the top of the product.

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BULLETIN

Hikvision offers face-based access and T&A solution Hikvision has announced its new access control and time attendance offerings, the MinMoe face recognition terminals. Designed to meet a multitude of real-world scenarios and customer needs, the MinMoe terminals include four series: Value, Pro , Ultra and Face Recognition Modules for Turnstiles. With powerful functions, the Value Series (DSK1T331) products have been designed for SMB scenarios, such as offices and retail shops.

Frank Zhang, President of the International Product and Solution Centre at Hikvision, stated, ‘We see great advantages in the touchfree experience that face recognition provides.

With advanced deep learning technology and diverse practical functions, we expect MinMoe face recognition terminals to enhance security and efficiency for our small- and mediumsized customers, making access control and time attendance much easier.’

The MinMoe terminals are powered by a deep learning algorithm, which increases accuracy of face recognition to over 99 per cent according to the manufacturer, and enhances verification speeds to under 0.2 seconds. The enhanced verification rates and accuracy ensure an improvement over swiping ID cards or fingerprint scans.

Equipped with dual lenses – visible light and infrared – MinMoe terminals will only grant access when both detect the same person, as well as determine whether the face is real and not an image. This anti-spoofing technology makes access control management safer and prevents attendance fraud.

Arcules partners with RAS Watch Arcules has announced a strategic partnership with RAS Watch to deliver a fully managed and outsourced global security operations center (GSOC) solution.

The jointly developed Rapid Deployment Kit incorporates the Arcules cloud video management system and Axis Communications IP cameras, as well as remote monitoring, alert verification and system health monitoring from RAS Watch.

With Arcules’ secure cloud-based video surveillance service and RAS Watch’s fully managed GSOC, business and security leaders can quickly, efficiently and costeffectively secure assets. Short-term contracts are available.

The Arcules and RAS Watch partnership allows for rapid deployment of both video camera technology and remote setup through the intuitive, easy-to-use Arcules cloud video surveillance interface. The Arcules service enables users to remotely manage views across all of a company’s locations, organise user and group permissions, check the status of cameras, set up alarms and notifications, and view security and business analytics.

RAS Watch’s GSOC empowers remote response and oversight for infrastructure, including video surveillance cameras, access control readers, switches and other infrastructure necessary to ensure system functionality. With RAS Watch’s tools and analytic methods, security is transformed from a typically reactive environment.

CSL expands its partnership with BI3 Following many years of collaboration, CSL and Business Insight 3 (BI3) will expand their partnership to incorporate the growing business intelligence market. CSL’s expert solutions, including CSL Router, will be supplementing BI3’s newest offerings to provide secure, reliable and rapidly deployable connectivity.

Business intelligence focuses on the collation and analysis of data and metrics, based on the behaviour and movements of customers, visitors and staff. Visitor and occupancy data insights are vital for businesses.

CSL is enabling BI3 to provide remote set up, configuration and ongoing maintenance of their systems, via CSL Router. Additionally, CSL Router’s 4G connectivity ensures that the data providing real time insight and management reporting is always successfully transferred from the premises to BI3’s reporting platform. This ensures there are no delays in dealing with any issues as and when they happen.

BI3’s Head of Operations and Business Intelligence, Richard Eaves, stated, ‘The demand for instant connectivity has been increasing significantly over the past few years. Today we see this as one of the main challenges facing the industry. CSL’s Routers allow us to offer a totally independent, reliable connectivity solution.’

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INTERNET OF THINGS

IoT and Intruder Alarms he world of connected smart systems is advancing at a rapid pace, and is being embraced by a growing number of commercial, industrial and residential users.

The value of big data, and the potential for mining that information, is understood by the vast majority of businesses. As such, modern technological solutions are expected to add value by delivering real-time status information which can be used to increase efficiencies.

Recent developments in IoT have enhanced the level of flexibility. Users are making use of these solutions across core elements of their businesses. Because IoT increases functionality based upon data sharing and data mining, it adds significant business value. When coupled with flexible communications options and modern IT infrastructure, the case for increased use of IoT is difficult to argue against.

As a result, there is a need for increased adoption of IoT technologies in site protection solutions, especially with regard to intruder alarm systems. Demand for field devices such as detectors and sensors will increase.

Current design thinking requires sensors to be used solely where an intruder might be detected. However, when adding services, systems will require non-security sensors too.

T

Increasing numbers Any rise in IoT implementations will cause the average number of sensors connected to each system to increase, and this will also promote the wider deployment of wireless sensors.

This is already evidenced by the fact that leading alarm manufacturers have significantly increased the number of devices their control panels can support.

It is forecasted the volume of shipments of wireless security sensors will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 6 per cent over the next five years. There will also be an increase in other detection devices such as those used for temperature management, flood detection, power switching, etc..

There are on-going efforts by telecoms providers to develop alternative networks to resolve issues of signal pollution, insufficient range, power consumption, capacity and the cost of devices.

To help meet signalling challenges, telecoms companies have dedicated part of

As the adoption of IoT technologies accelerates in the commercial sector, end users have heightened expectations from their tech-based investments. the Global System for Mobile (GSM) infrastructure to IoT technologies.

Referred to as narrowband IoT (NB IoT), CAT-NB and LTE-M are two protocols suitable for IoT that operate as part of existing mobile networks, allowing service providers to offer immediate IoT connectivity.

The deployment costs of NB IoT are high compared to other low-power WANs, which reduces their attractiveness for singlebuilding installations. Because NB IoT uses existing mobile networks, it also has challenges relating to weak signal penetration in thick walled-buildings or underground facilities.

Low-powered WANs such as LoRaWAN and Sigfox are popular alternatives which work alongside 3G, 4G and 5G frequencies. Each has features making it suitable for IoT applications.

These networks allow public and private setups which can be better suited to the specific needs of certain installations. They can be customised to deliver communications and security needs.

It is claimed these networks may be more resistant to jamming: LoRaWAN sends signals over a broader frequency spectrum, making isolating wavelengths a more difficult task.

For some, this is a positive when considering critical signalling.

User opinions Many end users have a different outlook when considering the benefits of IoT, because they already use the technologies their core business. Software as a Service, data mining or platform sharing are all commonly deployed, and users trust these services, because the day-to-day operation of their businesses is reliant on them.

As IoT, intelligent buildings and smart campuses become a standard approach to system integration, so companies offering such services will develop solutions which incorporate security data. As a result, end users will expect to achieve add-on value and return on investment from their systems.

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Benchmark

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION & SMART SOLUTIONS

BENCHMARK Driving innovation and smart solutions The Benchmark website is the leading information resource for those implementing smart solutions for security, safety, site management and business intelligence. It includes assessments of the latest technologies and solutions, as well as guides to system design, independent technology-based articles and information about the latest smart technologies.

Benchmark believes the future of many businesses and organisations lies in the creation and use of innovative and bespoke smart solutions which deliver multiple benefits to end users, and which can provide a tangible return on investment across a number of departments.

As converged solutions become increasingly important in the modern commercial world, it is vital businesses and organisations can realise the wealth of efficiencies on offer. To ensure this is achieved, it is critical that the added value available from modern technology resources is fully exploited.

Benchmark delivers the information needed to enable integrators and end users to fully realise the potential from modern smart solutions.

As the technological landscape evolves and the business community faces ever greater challenges, so the deployment of smart solutions becomes critical for the success of a wide range of ventures. With expertise in a number of technological fields, Benchmark provides unrivalled coverage across a number of sectors.

Designed to be easy to navigate, and with a strong focus on presenting the pros and cons of various technologies and design approaches, Benchmark makes it easy for those with an interest in smart solutions, intelligent buildings, IoT and smart cities to access up-to-date independent information to help create a more efficient future.

www.benchmarkmagazine.com

www.ifsecglobal.com

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF ONLINE CONTENT FOR SECURITY AND FIRE SAFETY PROFESSIONALS IFSEC Global is the leading provider of news, exclusive reports, industry thought leadership, webinars, whitepapers and more.

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• IoT • And more

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01/06/2020 16:49

Bosch IP 3000i cameras. Extend smart video surveillance to general surveilance applications.

Bosch all-new IP 3000i cameras offer high-quality, 24/7 performance and something never seen before in such competitively-priced cameras; built-in Essential Video Analytics as standard. Micro dome, mini dome, bullet and turret options are available with resolutions of up to 5MP for indoor and outdoor use. This intelligent solution is an industry first for general, cost-effective video surveillance.

Find out more at boschsecurity.com

MILESTONE SYSTEMS

How video can help with social distancing – and offer a way out of lockdown

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ow there is early talk of easing the lockdown, many governments and businesses are still working out how, in practical terms, this can be achieved. Contact tracing apps, extensive testing programmes and ‘health passports’ have been proposed as preconditions for the easing of the lockdown in the UK. However, despite these things, social distancing measures such as staying at least two metres away from other people and wearing face coverings in close quarters will remain in place for some time. In Wuhan, despite official lockdown restrictions being eased, many organisations are keeping social distancing measures in place voluntarily.

Video technology can play a key role in ensuring people maintain a safe distance from each other and making public transport, shops, offices and other workplaces, safe for those who use them.

Reducing the risk to police and key workers Physically monitoring people to ensure they remain apart from each other is an activity that puts police officers, transport workers,

shop assistants and other key workers at risk of infection. That’s where video technology can assist, by giving on-the-ground insights into potential over-crowding and nonadherence, while keeping workers at a safe distance from those aforementioned crowds.

Words: Neil Killick, Leader of Strategic Business (EMEA), Milestone Systems

Ensuring public safety For example, using video technology, the public sector can gain insights on the parts of a city that are most crowded and when, alerts when pedestrians are getting too close to each other, and any potential incidents at the entry to buildings and in public spaces. Giving them the ability to proactively prevent issues before they arise and threaten public safety.

Video analytics is now so advanced that it can even differentiate between families and children who maintain a close distance and groups of adults who should not be crowding together.

Preventing overcrowding In the private sector, advanced video analytics can help to prevent overcrowding inside and

www.milestonesys.com

MILESTONE SYSTEMS

outside of retail spaces and workplaces, by counting people as they enter premises or queue outside. This prevents a security guard or shop assistant from having to stand with a crowd, manually counting them and putting themselves in danger. It also ensures that building owners adhere to rules on capacity.

The same technology can also aid in enforcing ‘one-way’ routes through stores, train platforms and other spaces, by identifying when pedestrians have deviated from the prescribed routes and are moving against the flow of traffic.

Proactive management

www.milestonesys.com

Video can additionally identify the areas in a shop, station, workplace or public space that typically have the highest occupancy rates.

Heatmaps can help building managers quickly identify potential problem spots where infection may occur, and deploy preventative measures like mounting digital signs to inform of alternative routes or areas, dispatching enforcement personnel, or using a PA announcement to ask people to move.

Reducing touch Finally, when integrated with access control systems, a video management system (VMS) can allow people to access their workplaces without touching doorknobs or fingerprint readers. Providing further protection against COVID-19 which can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.

Adjusting to our new norm The world as we know it has changed and will continue to be disrupted for some time.

Public bodies and businesses must come to terms with this new normal and the responsibilities owed to citizens and workers in keeping them safe from infection. Video will be a vital tool in keeping people at a suitable distance, preventing crowding and proactively addressing hotspots - without also placing enforcement staff at risk. Used in combination with social distancing, contact tracing and other technology, video provides a way for the UK to come out of lockdown safely.