24/08/2023
How AI Can Be A Game Changer For Security Camera
GUEST OPINION: For the first part of this Q&A, iTWire spoke to i-PRO director APAC (Oceania) Marius Van Der Merwe about the role of Artificial Intelligence in edge devices.
Part 1
Q: Quickly tell us a bit about what i-PRO has been up to in the past few months, since the brand change โ team growth, new partners etc?
Van Der Merwe: Since the brand change from Panasonic, i-PRO has been focusing on expanding its team and partnerships. In terms of team growth, we have hired new professionals in product management, sales, and engineering, strengthening our expertise in the field to be close to our partners. We now have 1,300 Plus employees operating across the globe. As part of our โOpen Policyโ strategy, i-PRO has also formed key partnerships with market leading companies like Genetec, Milestone and Luxriot on the VMS side to support extended market reach. We are also working with different technology partners in to further enhance our open AI platform on the edge strategy.
We position ourselves in the market as a hardware manufacturer focusing on the development of powerful Edge-AI cameras, open for customisation and integration. We opened our second factory in Japan very close to our R&D development centre last year. With the opening of this facility, we will be in a position to respond very quickly to the ever-changing demands and requirements of our customers across the globe.
Q: What are you seeing in the market at present โ are economic conditions making things difficult, supply chains still an issue?
VDM: The global surveillance camera industry, same as the whole tech industry, has been heavily affected by knock on effects of the pandemic, with supply chain disruptions being one of the biggest impacts to the market. This has driven a strong pivot for improved business efficiencies, increasing a demand for intelligent security cameras, especially in industries such as retail, transportation, city surveillance and healthcare โ so actually we have seen the market growing in these sectors for i-PRO.
To make sure we can anticipate this growth together with our partners and meet increased market demands, i-PRO put countermeasures in place to ensure industry wide component shortages were not a factor, enabling i-PRO to maintain standard supply processes.
Today, i-PRO is one of the rare hardware manufacturers who can deliver its products consistently in a timely manner. Our ability to maintain a high level of control and ownership over our production facilities and supply chain management enables us to achieve this. In parallel, we are re-evaluating our own internal processes to make sure our seamless operations can be passed on to our customers, so they are not faced with hardware shortages, and can carry out and install their projects on time.
Q: Tell us a bit about i-Proโs product vision at present โ what are you doing with cameras that sets the company apart?
VDM: We want to combine our strong legacy with our vision for the future. Our company adage is "your trusted next generation partner".
With more than 60 years of experience in the security industry, i-PRO is known for reliable and powerful hardware at the highest level. Our line-up is fully NDAA compliant, and because we recognise the importance of data protection and integrity, i-PRO is the leading manufacturer with the largest range of products meeting the highest level of cyber-security protection in the market (FIPS 140-2 level 3 Certified).
As pioneers in the AI era as we understand the huge potential behind this new technology, but also the responsibility that comes with it. i-PRO wants to make meaningful and usable AI more accessible for everyone. This is why our product line-up as of today includes 123 models already equipped with AI and more to be launched during this year. We see AI technology as our company standard, which is why our in-house applications are provided for free, to encourage customers to test and use it.
Q: AI is literally everywhere these days โ we have moved from it being something that everyone aspired to in their hardware and software, to a reality. What is the role of AI in a security camera?
VDM: All manufacturers claim that they have AI of some sorts. We have an explosion of startup companies that are developing AI applications, as well as companies building server-based AI applications. It is all happening at the moment, and very exciting. I think the reality is that we are at an infant stage of AI โArtificial intelligenceโ. The security camera or CCTV Camera as you know it today has started to change, we are getting bigger processor power at the edge and are now analyzing that data on the edge.
The role of AI in a security camera is to enable advanced analytics and enhance the camera's ability to detect and identify objects, individuals, and activities accurately. AI algorithms can analyze the video feed in real-time and provide insights into potential security threats or anomalous behaviour.
Some of the key applications of AI in security cameras include facial recognition, object detection, behavior analysis, and predictive analytics. Facial recognition can be used to flag individuals and provide alerts if a known person is detected, while object detection can help identify potentially dangerous objects in restricted areas. Behaviour analysis can detect abnormal or suspicious behaviour.
AI can also help reduce false alarms by filtering out irrelevant events and focusing on critical ones. This can save time and resources for security personnel and enable more efficient and effective security operations. For example, thanks to an i-PRO plug-in called Active Guard, Security Officers no longer have to spend time looking at multiple screens for persons or vehicles of interest or watch hours of recorded video to search for important events. Operators can register specific characteristics in their watch lists (for instance โmale wearing a red shirt and blue pantsโ) and the VMS will send them a real-time alarm whenever a match is identified. This enhances real-time situational awareness and enables proactive security. The same process can be set up for fast data mining of events during forensic investigations.
Overall, AI in security cameras can provide a higher level of security, accuracy, and intelligence, making it a valuable tool for organizations to improve their security level and reduce risk.
This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg and can be classified as machine learning. This topic is so big that it will take volumes to completely discuss and get your head around it. However, i-PRO do believe that we have changed from a traditional CCTV camera to a visual IoT device with very powerful capabilities, as we process more at the edge and just send the data. As we become more hardware focused that will give many AI solution companies that ability to bring their analytics to the edge.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/it-wire-sit-down-marius-van-der-merwe-director-i-pro-apac-part
