| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | Welcome to the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Although the show has grown out of all recognition in its past 35 years, I suppose the same could equally be said for the technology. Whilst previous events have seen a veritable explosion in the number of CCTV exhibitors, the inexorable move towards IP Video is enthusiastically embraced by some, yet still to some degree and perhaps understandably, dreaded by others. In the past, the latest model CCD cameras and DVR's have managed to fill many a happy shell scheme, and yet the move towards "state of the art" digital equipment, has resulted in a significant increase this year in Mega Pixel cameras, and a noticeable surge in the number of companies offering ANPR, Video Analytics and Body Worn Video (BWV) solutions. The market for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems is set to grow significantly, and whilst the technology is now fairly stable and well proven, the fact remains that it is not without an achilles heel. As an affordable engineering solution it will no doubt increasingly find favour in situations where car park and traffic management, become key issues in the maintenance of site security. That said, a predicted move towards taxing company parking spaces here in the U.K., will almost certainly accelerate the need to deploy these systems more widely, although perhaps not for the right reasons. There are already growing signs that the general public are becoming less enamoured, and certainly with regards to traffic enforcement, far less tolerant of video surveillance, which is increasingly perceived as a revenue generator rather than a crime reduction tool. If this growing unease is fuelled by further expansion of 'traffic' management systems at the expense of tackling more worrying issues of criminality, then a public backlash against the use of CCTV now appears almost unavoidable. At the high tech end of the product range, Video Analytics, although in terms of market penetration still very much in their infancy, are developing at a great rate of knots, and whilst accuracy and reliability can still be an issue in many situations, the technology will increasingly be adopted both as a management tool, and also an affordable method for optimising precious network bandwidth. But herein lies a significant problem; as "VA" is increasingly being deployed remotely to create 'smart' camera functionality, this invariably carries operational risks, both in terms of vital Forensic Surveillance requirements, and also meeting the needs of the Criminal Justice System. Using a VA package to spot unusual behaviour or locate a particular vehicle or suspect for example, may be very workable for the technology, but if it is deployed remotely without a continuous Evidential Video Record backup, the chances are that much potential evidence will effectively have been witheld from any subsequent investigation. It can certainly provide an effective way of reducing bandwidth loadings on a network, but if vital witnesses or worse still apparently innocuous suspects, are being ignored or overlooked because they aren't triggering the system, then all that expensive technology could actually compromise an investigation, rather than assist it. I suppose the bottom line is that any intelligent video analysis tool, must be used intelligently; and to that end, some responsibility should lay with the manufacturers, to ensure that their products are used appropriately, and for the right reasons, in any given situation. In recent times, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of manufactures that are selling products with a proprietary codec or protocol incorporated into the design, and whilst this does have obvious advantages for the individual business, it doesn't really help the industry to develop a reputation for producing products that can be easily upgraded, integrated or renewed. The mid show announcement by Axis, Bosch and Sony that they intend to cooperate on developing a standardised interface for network video products, is to be very warmly welcomed, and if other manufacturers can be persuaded to participate in this very worthy exercise, no doubt the industry will benefit as a whole. It was interesting that on my travels around the halls, time and again stands populated by impressive high tech equipment, failed to deliver when it came to demonstrating performance under less than challenging conditions. Some MegaPixel cameras were let down by inferior optics or problems with the network configuration, and indeed on one stand, the camera failed three times in as many minutes, with a reassurance from the salesman that it will "re-boot in a minute", which is hardly acceptable given that it is supposed to be part of a vital security system. If the truth be told, no less than six manufacturers suffered embarrasing failures at precisely the time DJ visited their stands; ladies and gentlemen ... this is not good! On a personal note, I'd like to make a rather radical suggestion to all those people tasked with working a stand during a trade event like IFSEC. First off it costs nothing to smile and say hello, and given the overall cost of maintaining a presence at a major event, it's only common sense that visitors should be welcomed enthusiastically, and not simply profiled and then disregarded, as was unfortunately the case with some exhibitors. Consider that my selection of "ten interesting products" highlighted in the show review, could probably have stretched to twenty or perhaps more with very little effort on my part, but then without the benefit of telepathy or at least an advanced Press Release, it's just not possible to visit every stand exhibiting CCTV and IP Video products worthy of a mention. So next time an exhibitor is planning how much to spend on showing at an event like IFSEC, perhaps they should spend just a few minutes thinking carefully about what needs to be done to make their visitors feel welcome and engaged; and if you really don't know how, just ask D.J.! Well given the obvious success of this years show, it only really remains to say that next year will see an even bigger event, with the show moving to larger halls at the NEC. Now if only somebody could come up with a personal SatNav for visitors to the show; we need never get hopelessly lost, ever again!! Better start planning for next year .... !! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
<< Part 1 - DJ's IFSEC 2008 Review - Part 2 >> << Doktor Jon's IFSEC 2008 Forum >> << Doktor Jon's current CCTV News >> - << Doktor Jon's current CCTV / IP Video Industry News >> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IMPORTANT: No material may be reproduced, copied or redistributed from this site, © doktorjon.co.uk 2004 - 2008 Homepage...:...Gateway...:...Technical Gateway....:....Quickfind Index....:....Equipment Directory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
