The installation is designed to enable a research team to gather real world data and build models and algorithms for software application development relating to Behaviour based Enhancement of Wide-Area Situational Awareness, or BEWARE.
Dr Tony Xiang of Queen Mary’s University said there were a number of challenges the university needed to meet in specifying the technology for the project.
“The problem we want to address is behaviour analysis using multiple cameras. We need to develop a model for detection and tagging of people across cameras, enabling an automated video analytics system to track the same person between views from camera 1 to camera 2, for example.”
A further objective is to automate PTZ cameras through software instructions linked with the tagging and behaviour profiling. Dr Xiang said: “Camera actions would be determined by the behaviour profiling. If the smart camera detects suspicious behaviour, it will automatically focus on the tagged person.”
Smart CCTV recommended a network of IQeye Megapixel IP behaviour-recognition smart cameras offering high-definition MJPEG video quality images. Milestone Systems’ XProtect IP video management system was specified as the recording platform to satisfy the project’s initial aims of watching people, clarifying data and for testing models.
Following training of the research assistants at Smart CCTV’s premises in Havant, the system is working efficiently and the team are using the cameras extensively to capture data.
Dr Xiang said: “We have an obligation to get best value for money and, as a Government Agency, we asked different companies for competitive proposals. Smart CCTV was the only company that provided the specialist technology that we needed to complete the project, on time and within budget. We particularly needed an IP-based solution that could be easily integrated with our existing building, cabling and network infrastructure.”
Nick Hewitson, managing director of Smart CCTV, said: “The combination of the Milestone software platform and IQinVision’s Megapixel cameras provides a highly effective and efficient way of collecting and managing high resolution video streams.”