K-12 schools worldwide vamp up security

Editor / Provider: a&s International, Alyssa Fann | Updated: 6/13/2013 | Article type: Education

Schools are meant to provide a safe haven for young minds to grow and learn. Hence, they often consist of bright and open spaces with large windows so as to create an environment that encourages learning. In light of the unfortunate Sandy Hook incident in December 2012, however, the very openness meant to encourage a friendly atmosphere also poses security risks. This feature looks at the K-12 security market globally, and the risks that schools face.

At first glance, universities are what come first to mind when it comes to campus security, due to their scale. For example, they generally are open multi-site environments interwoven between public and private property, housing expensive equipment and materials. However, the recent spate of K-12 school attacks has highlighted the vulnerability of defenseless K-12 students in what was supposed to be a safe environment for learning.

fatally shot 20 children between ages six to seven, and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The unfortunate incident was the second deadliest school shooting in US history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Far away in China on the same day, at least 23 elementary students were injured by a man with a knife at Chenpeng Village Primary School in Henan province. China has also seen its share of K-12 school attacks in recent years — an attacker killed eight students and injured several others in an elementary school in Fujian in 2010. Over the next three days after the attacker was executed by Chinese authorities, similar attacks were carried out by other attackers. A man attacked elementary school students in southern Guangdong, wounding 16 students and a teacher. The next day, a man in Jiangsu province stabbed 28 students, two teachers and one security guard, and the day after, a man in Shandong province carried a hammer and a can of gasoline into a village school where he committed suicide by setting himself on fire.

Attacks targeting K-12 schools are not limited to nation or locale. Countries including Germany, Norway, New Zealand, the U.K., South Africa, Brazil, Israel, and Italy have all experienced K-12 school attacks.

Global Market
According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, 570 million children are enrolled in schools globally and with so many innocent lives to protect, the K-12 education security market is a substantial one. Board-certified Physical Security Professional, Paul Timm, President of RETA Security feels that the market is virtually limitless — there are risks to schools that should be addressed wherever there is crime and violence.

“The combined education market (K-12 and higher education) is the largest surveillance market. The K-12 market may eclipse higher education's past growth and will certainly out scale it as facility quantities are greater within K-12 school jurisdictions,” said Steve Surfaro, Security Industry Liaison for North America at Axis Communications. Within this market, video surveillance and mass notification are the most commonly funded and deployed systems.

At the same time, Michael Dorn, Executive Director of Safe Havens International noticed a disconnection between the people, policies, procedures, and technology solutions designed to control them. “For example, we often find significant gaps in access control in schools that have excellent technology solutions because school employees and students have not been properly taught what is required of them to make the access control approaches work properly,” said Dorn. Training and practice are, therefore, crucial factors in optimizing the benefits of the security system.

U.S.
From a global perspective, K-12 schools in the U.S. are more prone to gun violence due to easier access to guns. However, attacks are not limited to gun violence — the deadliest school attacks in the U.S. involved fire, which killed 95 in a Catholic school in Chicago, and explosives, which killed more than 40 in a school in Michigan.

In the aftermath of the tragic events at Sandy Hook elementary school, K-12 schools across the U.S. are reassessing their security plans and their need for security equipment updates. Schools in Groton, Connecticut, are considering upgrades of an estimated US$300,000 towards the installation of panic buttons, access control systems, security patrols, and cameras that can be remotely viewed by the police.

For schools in Brookfield, Connecticut, municipal leaders have fast-tracked the approval of money to implement security improvements costing $347,500. They include access control, visitor management, special glass at main entrances, fences around the playgrounds, additional security cameras, new blinds, and upgraded radios.

In Hudson Falls, the central school district installed equipment upgrades that include a camera, intercom, and buzzer system at the main entrance of each of its five school buildings, at a cost of $1,100 each.

While a major problem with K-12 schools is funding, there is over $11.5 billion available in federal, state and private foundation, and corporate grants in the U.S. alone, noted April Dalton-Noblitt, Director of Vertical Marketing at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. Safe Havens International, for example, assisted with school security and emergency preparedness assessments for more than 2,000 schools alone in the past four years. To facilitate the funding application for schools, Ingersoll Rand also has a 24/7 cloud-based database of federal and state grant funding information.

System integrators in Massachusetts, can apply to become a certified vendor under the state, such as MA State Contract FAC64 or the traditional bidding method, such as MGL CH. 30B or CH.149. The FAC64 is a security-specific vehicle for the design and implementation of security related systems, and procurement of equipment throughout the state. Under the state contract FAC64, public schools can procure security equipment directly from vendors at favorable prices. “Using FAC64, schools can work directly with approved vendors to design and finally have the vendor furnish and install the desired solution,” said Greg Hussey, VP of Engineering at SIGNET Electronic Systems.

Asia
Many countries in Asia have strict controls and penalties regarding firearms, yet homicides in schools remain a reality. Hence, school shootings may be less common, but aggressors usually use knives, acid, and chemical agents to attack other people, according to Dorn. “There have been at least 25 deaths and 113 other injuries from edged-weapon attacks in China since 2010,” said Gerald Summers, CEO of Integrity Security Protection.

Consequently, a total of $1.27 million is being allocated to Guangshan County in Henan province, China, to address safety in schools in the aftermath of the December 2012 knife attack. The budget will be used toward 486 safeguards and safety equipment for all schools in the county, according to a local newspaper.

In parts of Asia, Dorn also noted an emphasis on access control on school grounds. “I have visited many schools in various regions of Vietnam and all of the schools were totally fenced with a security officer at the gate, even in remote areas like the Mekong Delta.” Another difference is less reliance on security technologies, such as access control systems and security cameras in many of the developing countries. “It has often been less expensive to hire security personnel than to purchase security technology, but this will change as the economic factors change. For example, the rapid growth in the economy in Vietnam appears to increase deployment of security technologies, as rising personnel costs make it more cost-effective to implement access control systems.”

Biometrics is also being applied to education settings. In Karachi, Pakistan, the Minister of Education has announced in January 2013, that biometric systems will be introduced in government schools and colleges aimed at checking absenteeism amongst students and teachers. The system will be introduced at a boys' school, a girls' school, and a college at the tehsil (county) level.

U.K.
Roughly 30 percent of secondary schools and 5 percent of primary schools in the U.K. utilize biometric technology for library loans and school dinner purchases, according to the UK Department of Education. However, in a survey of 1,059 schools conducted by East Anglia and Plymouth universities, it is estimated that hackers may have targeted 20 schools for data theft. Moreover, the findings indicated that 45 percent of schools had poor password security and 40 percent had minimum technical security measures in place to deal with logistic security breaches. For example, the study also found the security levels in schools tend to be inconsistent and rural primary schools were found to be even more susceptible as many do not have data policies or online safety policies in place.

The security of any biometric information has always been heavily debated and the UK Department of Education has recently amended its policy to require parental permission before student biometric information is collected. In May 2012, the U.K. became the first country in the world to address issues of parental consent when their children's biometric information is taken, stored, or processed by a school or institution.

The duties on schools in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 will come into effect starting Sept. 1, 2013. The law will possibly have implications for biometrics vendors because parents, in addition to the students themselves, will now have the power to object to providing biometric information to schools. If enough people object to biometric applications, the school might find the return of investment to be unsatisfactory. Informed consent can also become questionable if the biometric vendor is the sole supplier of information via the school to the parent. Hence, vendors and schools should provide clear and neutral information to the parents, and include non-discriminatory alternatives if they choose to not participate.

Recent events have shown that K-12 security should no longer take a back seat in school budgets. Schools should tap into the available technologies to assist them in optimizing the security of their campuses and the safety of their students.

NY law enforcement keeps watch on 2012 presidential debate with smarts

Editor / Provider: Milestone System | Updated: 6/13/2013 | Article type: Government & Public Services

In the weeks leading up to the town hall-style debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney in 2012, a security team consisting of Secret Service, NY state and Nassau County police were busy installing systems to ensure the safety of the candidates and attendees. Nassau County Police Department turned to system integrator EIA for the implementation of a temporary security surveillance monitoring solution that integrates 46 surveillance cameras with Milestone VMS at the 600-acre Hofstra University campus.

Secret Service, Nassau County Police Department and Hofstra University security personnel had less than one month to complete a rapid deployment throughout the campus and surrounding areas of the university to prepare for the second of three presidential debates in the 2012 election.

The Nassau County Police Department deployed Sony 29 HD domes, and 19 bullet cameras with IR illuminators, an Arecont 20-megapixel panoramic network camera and a Direct Insight Node camera to cover all angles surrounding the presidential debate stage, the roads leading up to Hofstra, the buildings on campus and the crowds outside the event location. There was no limit on camera location: they were installed on bridges, telephone poles, light poles, along the Hempstead Turnpike - everywhere. Even a helicopter flying over the event was equipped with a HD camera to provide another view of the surroundings.

EIA helped connect the entire system through a combination of wireless systems and the existing fiber networks throughout the university and broadband services from Verizon. Each building on the Hofstra campus has its own IT network, but is controlled by the university's parent network. To build the elaborate security network, the cameras of the event's temporary security system were fed through the already installed parent IT network points. Through a Firetide wireless mesh system and failover network, all of the buildings and associated cameras were available to the police through secure firewall access.

With Milestone VMS, multiple mobile viewing stations could be connected to 46 camera feeds before, during and after the Presidential Debate. The entire operation was headquartered in a security operations center, with multiple mobile command centers strategically placed outside the Nassau Coliseum and in a fallback zone off campus. This provided authorized security and law enforcement personnel clear and detailed views of the crowds and Hofstra University surrounding areas including campus roadways, buildings, faces in the crowd and the presidential candidates themselves that could be accessed remotely.The Milestone solution connected the cameras through Wi-Fi over one network, so each command center and mobile user was able to view any or all cameras as needed.

"There were so many things going on–the helicopter in the sky recording a super HD broadcast-quality video, being pushed down through a very expensive camera, then recording it in Milestone, which presented a finished product seen in six, seven or eight viewing stations,”said Glenn Taylor, Senior VP Sales, EIA “We were able to serve it to anyone who was involved."

Mobile carts were constructed and rolled into the event a day in advance. The police utilized Milestone's mobile VMS for numerous officers to use from their smartphones. Plain-clothed officers monitored the crowds from within using access to the surveillance and to be seen in the command centers. The police fed HD video back through their smartphones with the Milestone screen recorder.

A few minor incidents were monitored during the event, which did not pose a direct physical threat to the President and governor, but resulted in actionable arrests. One protest group was streaming live feed to its website from campus. That group was linked to a watch list for the debate and the police monitored the live feed in the command center. Using VMS, they could view multiple angles and find what they needed by comparing the feeds.

Another situation included the Green Party Candidate, who was removed for protesting at the debate and heading a group that blocked streets and sidewalks. The command center was able to monitor that protest and make the appropriate call when it became a disturbance.

US water facility turns to IP-based video surveillance

Editor / Provider: Indigovision | Updated: 6/13/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) in New Mexico, U.S. has deployed an IP-based video surveillance system consisting of Indigovision's network cameras, encoders, and VMS to secure its 300-acre wastewater facility. The system was installed by Indigovision's local partner, Security USA.

Two of the biggest security challenges faced by the Water Authority included perimeter monitoring of a wide geographical area and protection of multiple remote buildings with limited connectivity. Because of the sheer size of the facility, shrinkage had also become an issue with thieves cutting through the perimeter fence with no prevention due to limited security camera coverage. Funding for the project was made available to the Water Authority via a grant given by the Department of Homeland Security due to the high risk, residential location of the facility.
 
The Water Authority did have a small number of existing analog cameras in place. However, the recording quality given by the existing DVR was poor and difficult to expand. In order to have a security system that would last at least 10 years, and would work on an existing network infrastructure, it was decided the new system had to be IP based.

The challenge was finding an IP security solution that could easily be deployed on an existing network over a wide geographical area, with no network bottlenecks. The solution also had to give smooth PTZ control, with high quality live and recorded video, from multiple viewing stations anywhere in the site. Finally the solution had to integrate with the existing analog cameras.
 
Indigovision's IP video security solution was chosen by the Water Authority due to meeting the stringent requirements, and the lower total cost of ownership. In addition to IP encoders being used network cameras were also deployed to monitor new areas within the site. NVRs were used to record video from both the network cameras and encoders with Indigovision's VMS being used to view, control and playback video evidence.
 
"Not only can we now view the video in our main security control room, several additional members of the team can now access video, from anywhere in the site, on their laptops,” said David Montgomery, SCADA Manager for the Water Authority. “With our previous system, this wasn't possible."
 
"Being able to deploy cameras easily in remote locations has given us better perimeter monitoring." Montgomery continued, "As a result, not only do we have a more secure site, we've reduced theft."
 

Seeing your face everywhere

Editor / Provider: Christine Chien, a&s International | Updated: 6/12/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Seeing the noninvasive, face-capturing benefits, different verticals are incorporating face recognition into their settings, acting as access control devices or identification tools. In each different setting, users must be perfectly aware of their environments and the dynamics surrounding it. Users need to know that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. Each environment requires its own customized settings and calibrations in order to guarantee maximum accuracy and security.

Most of the time, a correct selection, planning, installation and configuration of the cameras in a given scenario drastically reduce the sources of failure, said Carles Fernández Tena, R&D Project Manager of Herta Security. Common failures are also caused by incorrectly operating the system, such as the wrong adjustments of parameters and thresholds, or enrolling subjects with low-quality images. “In this regard, some sophisticated facial recognition systems currently incorporate automatic quality control modules and self-healing techniques to detect and rectify such misuses,” Fernández further explained.

The biggest problems are related to the lack of knowledge from users which can create frustration and anxiety, turning what could be a quick process into a time-consuming task. “The use of graphic aids, including video animations, can drastically improve the overall experience,” said Marc Spiegel, Regional Head of APAC at Vision-Box.

Matters of privacy can be an area of high concern for some users; this accentuates the importance of educating users on how biometric templates are stored, as they are often misled and think their data are open to theft. “Sometimes, users fear their biometric information will be stolen, but chances of that are unlikely because their raw data is actually configured to a digital code and saved in the database, instead of just the raw data,” asserted Raj Venkat, VP of Cards and Credentials at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.

City Surveillance
Employing facial recognition alleviates the work load of operators by simply sending out an alarm once a wanted criminal or target has been identified from the crowd. India's safe city project intends to cover several of its cities extensively by surveillance systems that can recognize faces and detect wanted criminals or terrorists, and flag off a centralized control room. Other surveillance systems put up by the police, other agencies and third parties, such as hotels and retail multiplexes, will be integrated as “databases.”

Even though the Tsarnaev brothers, responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing, were actually in the FBI database, the facial recognition software failed to recognize the perpetrators due to the poor picture quality of their faces that were mostly angled away. With rising awareness and installations of HD cameras, facial recognition for similar situations in the future will prove to be much more successful.

Law enforcement agencies can further take advantage of mobile devices, such as handhelds or smartphones, performing recognition on-the-go to further facilitate accuracy improvements and calibrations.

Event Security
Large-scale, open events — often sports-related — are prone to terrorist attacks; employing the right level of security measures is crucial. The capacious area increases the difficulty for the human eye to make out specific targets among the sea of faces. By utilizing facial recognition, security guards will be able to locate those on the blacklist or VIP list at an accelerated rate.

The upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Brazil, portrays the scenario perfectly. The country was determined to make the tournament “one of the most protected sports events in history,” shelling out US$900 million for the event. With the hefty fund, the country bought US military robots, Israeli-made drones, high-tech surveillance, and facial recognition glasses that can capture up to 400 images per second to be stored in a database of up to 13 million faces. The system is designed to match known criminals and terrorists. Currently, the guards are already being trained to properly operate these devices.

Airports and Border Control
Not only are facial biometrics used as part of the identifying process for national IDs and biometric passports, they are used in airports and border control as well. Now, biometric recognition is incorporated into solutions that are “designed to automate the secure and fast flow of passengers through restricted areas such as security and border checkpoints,” said Jim Slevin, Aviation Business Unit Manager at Human Recognition Systems (HRS). Recently, HRS deployed its system at Edinburgh Airport to assess the flow of passenger traffic through its security screening area to help address the bottleneck queues, though it was initially used as a performance measurement tool that anonymously measures how long people spend in queues and dwell areas of the airport.

“The same solutions when designed sympathetically can offer benefits for both security and passenger differentiation — the ability to identify and tailor journeys on an individual traveler basis,” Slevin added. Facial biometrics are used in airports to facilitate the passenger's check-in to departure experience. After recognizing passengers who are enrolled in the service, texts will be sent to the passenger and guide them through the process of self check-in and baggage drop-off, all the way until the passenger arrives at the correct departure terminal and goes through the gates. Enrolled passengers are often frequent flyers who are offered this opportunity as a part of the perks, in a sense, treated like VIPs by being able to avoid long wait time.

Other e-gates allow for integrated or a combination of facial, fingerprint and iris recognition, and can be used at any country entry/exit point, Spiegel added.

Retail, Banking and Gaming
Operators will be able to analyze their customers based on their facial expression. Retailers will be able to register and create a watch list for shoplifters or VIPs. Shoplifters will be immediately escorted out of the stores when they are identified, while VIPs will be treated with the greatest shopping experience that can be provided. “As soon as you walk into Macy's and get to a certain area, they already know what you like and your buying preferences. I think there will be a lot of great technologies introduced in the next five years!” said Mizan Rahman, founder and CEO of M2SYS.

Banks will be able to use facial recognition for identifying criminals in order to prevent robberies. Customers can also be identified for better services and accessing ATMs and safety deposit boxes. As for online transactions, Facebanx has developed a new online facial recognition solution that will enable banks, payment processors, and insurance and ID verification companies to dramatically reduce fraud and ID theft. Users simply need to add their face to their account via the camera from their electronic device, such as a mobile phone or laptop webcam. Each individual's face is recorded by a video stream (rather than stills), and the technology compares the multiple images taken throughout the recording to confirm the person is real and not a spoof by a photo.

In the gaming sector, a few years back, certain Canadian and Singaporean casinos started to use facial recognition to track down and identify gamblers who have put themselves on a self-exclusion list. The facial recognition software instantly scans photographs taken by a dedicated camera as visitors pass by a security desk, looking for matches with pictures of gamblers who have put themselves on the self-exclusion list. If a match is found, a silent alarm goes off, the matching photos pop up on a computer screen, and security guards compare them. Once the guard verifies the match between the visitor and the image on the screen, they will ask for the identification of the individual before escorting him or her from the facility. For those who have not been placed on the list, their photographs are instantly discarded. The cameras with facial recognition are also used for identifying VIPs, cheaters, as well as authorized personnel in the cashiers and vaults.

Automobiles
Facial recognition for automobiles has been heavily researched and tested so it can be incorporated into onboard cameras in order to track the driver's pupils and facial orientation to detect head movement, eye direction and blinking patterns. If the system senses the driver is about to fall asleep, it will issue an alert for drivers to pull over to the side of the road. For driver convenience, BMWs use facial recognition to adjust to each driver's customized settings, such as steering wheel height, seat position, mirrors, and even turn on his or her favorite radio station. However, there are some problems to tackle, such as where to best position the camera to capture the face again immediately after being obstructed by the driver's hands and steering wheel. Adapting to changing lighting conditions is no small feat either, since cameras have to be able to continuously capture the driver's face even as she drives through a tunnel, into the sunset or after dark.

Biometrics face off

Editor / Provider: Christine Chien, a&s International | Updated: 6/11/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

According to MarketsandMarkets research, global biometrics market revenues are anticipated to reach US$20 billion by 2018. Increasing security requirements for public security such as border control management, national identity cards, e-passports, Internet and network access, and financial transactions are acting as growth drivers. As of now, fingerprint is the most commonly adopted form of biometrics, but face recognition will most likely become its successor in the years to come.

The global biometrics market is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 22.9 percent, as compared to the facial recognition market growth of 27.7 percent during the period of 2013 to 2018. Over the next six years, facial recognition is predicted to become highly pervasive, ubiquitous across its ecosystem, and penetrating the market to a huge extent, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Facial recognition, one of the oldest forms of biometrics, had been slow to gain widespread adoption due to the problems in accuracy and reliability often found in its algorithms. However, the dynamics revolving around the use of facial recognition is changing, as government officials and commercial sectors are starting to realize the convenience in using facial biometrics for various purposes. Its appeal stems from the contactless, noninvasive nature when capturing and recognizing an individual, but also from its similarity to how humans recognize each other — through the face.

Because of its enhanced accuracy, flexibility of being used in all environments, and the public's higher tolerance for it, the speed of adoption shall only accelerate.

Main Purposes
For one-to-one identification, face images are used in combination with video surveillance in a controlled situation. Ideal sources of controlled environment for image capture include motor vehicle agencies, visa and passport agencies, mug shots, background checks, and surveillance cameras placed at “choke points.”

For one-to-many identification, facial recognition algorithms have experienced noticeable improvements through continuous attempts to address commonly associated problems in uncontrolled environments.

“Facial biometrics is one of the most promising technologies to be widely adopted and more generally affordable in the short future, given that capturing of samples can be done at relatively long distances and without any participation on the subject's part,” said Gary Lee, International Business Development Manager at Herta Security. With the ability to operate from afar, facial recognition is used to conduct passive recognition where no real cooperation is needed from subjects to detect and collect their faces in a real-time surveillance video — and start the match against databases of unwanted personnel or the “blacklist.” Areas with large crowds, heavy traffic and high throughput will be more effective if a separate mode of recognition can be incorporated into the surveillance solutions to further ensure maximum accuracy.

When it comes down to identifying an individual against an entire or multiple databases, facial recognition drastically enhances the chances of locating a match. Database will continue to expand, not only because of the likes of the FBI's billion-dollar next-generation identity program, but with the help of social media and retail sites where users upload images for a virtual makeover. This allows operators to access dozens of photos of individuals from varying angles and settings. The growing computational powers ameliorate the process of scanning these massive databases.

Challenges and Limitations
As with all technology, using biometric devices and solutions has challenges and limitations, whether it is due to the algorithm itself or operational errors. Carles Fernández Tena, R&D Project Manager of Herta Security, mentioned some improvements on the way. “One will be the ability to process very high-resolution imagery in real time. This will result in higher image quality for identification, more opportunities for matching the short apparition of a subject against the database, increased bandwidth capacity for processing either a greater number of channels or larger frames with the same resources, and the development of more sophisticated algorithms that are not currently possible due to the existing computational limitations.”

Some other problems include the cost of employing facial recognition devices or software. The technology in search applications usually faces more challenging conditions such as lower resolutions, variability in pose and expression, changing illumination and larger occlusions, which result in higher costs. “Depending on the reliability and functionalities of access control systems, their price range is typically between hundreds and a few thousands of dollars,” Lee stated. According to Alf Chang, Senior Consultant at a&s, current cameras can detect faces up to six or seven meters. Identifying individuals from a long distance can be problematic if the cameras do not have high enough resolution. If users wish to detect or identify individuals from farther away, they must invest in cameras with higher resolutions.

2-D vs. 3-D
3-D recognition is the newest form of facial recognition to have emerged over recent years; however, the debate on its use continues to exist. By employing 3-D recognition, it is able to address some of the common problems faced by regular 2-D recognition, such as lighting and facial angle, and provides additional information to facial analysis. In turn, this could lead to more accurate recognition.

"The basic idea with 3-D facial recognition is that a biometric template based on unique geometry of a person's face can be readily stored on a database, for access control, and compared with a ‘live' analysis to identify the person in question,” said Anna Stebleva, VP of Business Development at Artec Group. “3-D facial recognition is fast, contactless and accurate, and this combination of features caters fully to the needs of the access control market today.”

As of now, 3-D facial recognition is still in the research stage for the most part. “Very few applications are actually incorporating the use of 3-D facial recognition. Capturing and storage of 3-D templates are more complicated than with 2-D technology. It is also an expensive approach for access control or any other applications, so it still remains a technology in search of a true application event,” according to Jim Slevin, Aviation Business Unit Manager at Human Recognition Systems, who thinks 3-D can be extraneous for regular access control and one-to-one verification, but remains attractive for forensics and postevent analysis of surveillance footage.

“The main limitation of 3-D technology is the very high cost and limited working range of the sensors required to make it accurate enough,” Fernández said. “This breaks with some of the traditionally attractive characteristics of 2-D facial biometrics: long-distance operability, multiple identifications in crowds, and relatively cheap deployments in distributed architectures, given that cameras have become a commodity.”

Some also believe that 2-D and 3-D can coexist. “In uncontrolled environments, 3-D can address some of the problems. 2-D, with some of the advancements we've had, like something as simple as IR-based images, has already advanced a lot and are already doing well,” said Mizan Rahman, founder and CEO of M2SYS. “We may not need to replace all of the 2-D systems, and they will continue to exist in some capacity. 3-D is more effective because it is not constrained by end-user training; 3-D systems are able to handle unexpected environmental conditions.”

Milestone tops EMEA market share

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 6/7/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone Systems has been ranked as the number one vendor in the EMEA regions and shared the number one position globally for the VMS market in the latest surveillance industry report conducted by IMS Research, now part of IHS.

IHS has published the tenth edition of the IMS Research report called World Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance Equipment, with results based on financial data from 2012. It contains information on suppliers who provide analog and digital video surveillance components such as cameras, recording solutions and video encoders.

Milestone Systems is estimated to have had the highest revenues for VMS software in EMEA in 2012 and equal highest revenues in the world, according to IHS. "This is the first time that two companies have shared the leading position in the global VMS market," said Jon Cropley, Principal Analyst at IHS.

Today in its 15th year of business, Milestone Systems has continually demonstrated solid growth in many regions, evolving in the international arena. IMS Research (now owned by IHS) in earlier reports on surveillance software revenues has consistently ranked Milestone globally as either number one or number two, in a group of about half a dozen top competitors. The world market for surveillance software has been notably fragmented, especially by local presence where languages and currencies play a determining role. Some percentage changes in standings can also be attributed to variances in exchange rates.

The 2013 edition of this highly acclaimed report from IHS analyzes the current state of the video surveillance market and forecasts its future direction. It highlights the varied nature of regional markets around the world. It also discusses both political and financial influences and analyzes the impact of technology trends such as the transition from analog CCTV to network video surveillance, the transition to HD network security cameras, and open interoperability standards. According to the new report, the world market for video surveillance equipment is forecast to almost double in size between 2012 and 2017.

"Competition is healthy, spurring continued commitments to improvements that benefit the customers and the providers themselves. Look at what this means for the industry: the top players have all grown their revenue, which shows that user demand for IP solutions is very strong," says Lars Thinggaard, President and CEO at Milestone Systems. "Leadership is about being a consistently strong organization that continues to deliver top products and support relationships - how a company carries out its business is very important for long-term success. Milestone is a company built on the core concept of openness, to encourage more contributions and more choices."

Besides over 100,000 customer installations of Milestone XProtect software offerings for both complex and simple surveillance needs, Milestone Systems has achieved an impressive ecosphere of partners: 7,000 channel partners and 750 solution partners are mobilized around the open platform, which creates more value and innovation for everyone. Working with more than 100 camera manufacturers, Milestone currently supports over 2,000 models of network video hardware. The XProtect Software Development Kit (SDK) and Application Program Interfaces (APIs) have currently enabled hundreds of innovative integrations with third-party solution providers, and many more are on the way.

Lars Thinggaard states: "Milestone's vision is to drive the convergence of video surveillance and IP-based business systems. To achieve this, our open platform embraces the expertise of our many partners and empowers more innovation. This adds value for the entire industry and customers alike. That is the leadership we aim to demonstrate."

Geovision releases PoE switch for IP-based surveillance

Editor / Provider: Geovision | Updated: 6/6/2013 | Article type: Security 50

GeoVision has released Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch to fulfill demand of powering PoE IP cameras. The GV-PoE Switch is designed specifically for IP video streaming. It delivers sufficient PoE power and network connection required by 4 to 24 PoE IP cameras (70W for 4ch, 130W for 8ch, 250W for 16ch and 400W for 24ch).

When integrated with GV- NVR, company's surveillance video management platform, PoE power can be controlled remotely, as well as IP camera's on/off. SPF (optical fiber) interface is included in most of the models, which is useful for long distance installation projects.

Safran/MorphoTrust releases inmate identification system

Editor / Provider: MorphoTrust | Updated: 6/6/2013 | Article type: Security 50

MorphoTrust USA (Safran), a  U.S. provider of identity solutions and services, recently released the newest version of its inmate identification, enrollment and tracking solution, Offender ID. Offender ID 3.1 offers new security features, including fingerprint and face biometric capture as well as searchable aliases. In addition, new integration and support features allow law enforcement to maximize current technology resources.

MorphoTrust Offender ID is an advanced inmate identity management and tracking system incorporating iris, fingerprint and facial recognition technology for fast and accurate identification. Critical processes, including booking and release, are quickly and securely executed preventing inmates from falsifying their identities, with no increase in staff. The solution integrates into an existing jail management or mug shot system, such as those provided by Morpho, or can operate as a standalone biometric and biographic repository. A complete offender identification process is available for operators to book and release subjects, create audit trails of subject enrollments and identifications, query records with text-based biographic searches and generate fully customizable reports.

“Accurate, efficient tracking of inmates helps prison officials protect the safety of their facilities and personnel, and prevents dangerous mistakes as inmates are moved and released,” said Bob Eckel, CEO of MorphoTrust. “The newest version of MorphoTrust Offender ID complements the live scan devices and other solutions available through Morpho, making these processes even safer and easier for agencies to implement.”

The Missouri Sheriffs' Association (MSA) and the Missouri Police Chiefs Association are currently using MorphoTrust Offender ID in their statewide offender identification system. Booking, tracking and release of inmates now takes place in a context of statewide connectivity, so that agencies in each local jurisdiction have accurate and up-to-date information at all times about the true identity of offenders, their criminal history, their current status and their physical whereabouts as they make their way through the criminal justice system.

“Giving law enforcement the ability to access information in a timely manner is key to protecting officers on the street as well as the public they serve. If we cannot verify a criminal's whereabouts, we cannot act,” said Mick Covington, executive director of the MSA. “As Missouri moves forward in coordinating affordable solutions for information sharing, we have identified MorphoTrust as the foundation upon which we can build and expand our ability to reach the ultimate goal of providing real-time information at the fingertips of officers on the street.”

Hikvision releases real-time HD-SDI DVR series

Editor / Provider: Hikvision Digital Technology | Updated: 6/5/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Hikvision Digital Technology announced the release of their brand new HD-SDI DVR series. The series is comprised of the DS-7204/08HFHI-ST 720p DVR and the DS-7204/08HFHI-SE 1080p DVR series; both series offer zero-latency transmission and real-time HD recording through the utilization of HD-SDI technology.

The series includes four and eight channel DVRs that deliver simultaneous real-time recording and playback in 4CIF resolution on all four or eight channels. There is also the option for 720P or 1080P resolution. Available with a range of storage capacities, the recorders offer H.264 compression.

The series is easy to set up and use with features such as email-on-event and overwrite protection. Also included is Smart Search, which automatically looks for changes within a selected portion of a scene. This series offers flexible alarm handling, camera control, and remote management capabilities. Remote monitoring enables customers to manage the DVR series from any location via a LAN, WAN, or the Internet. Customers can also view live video using their smart phones for even greater flexibility. Audio can be recorded on all four/eight channels and the SATA HDDs (up to 4TB apiece) allow USB devices for archiving purposes. HDD quota management is additionally supported to optimize the capacity assignment to different channels and minimize video storage requirements.

Offered in a competitive price range, these DVRs are specifically aimed towards catering to the needs of smaller-scale applications that value HD video, multi-channel real-time recording and playback, and a friendly user interface. The retail sector, convenience stores, and offices are but a few examples of these environments.

Axis deepens ADP program with more localization

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 6/5/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Axis Communications evolves its Application Development Partner (ADP) program with local competence, increasing the range of localized end customer solutions.

“We see the opportunity to work more closely with ADP Partners of strategic importance in local markets as an important step in maintaining our continued global market leadership. By making an investment in dedicated Axis resources in all regions, we will continue to upgrade the ADP Program, further strengthen our market-leading position and create true win-win partnerships”, said Bodil Sonesson, VP of Sales at  Axis Communications.

Axis is leading through partnership with a network of system integrators, consultants, software developers, network infrastructure vendors and more. The ADP Program is a cornerstone of the partner network and of key importance to Axis. The program helps software vendors fully integrate Axis network video products into end-customer solutions. By providing open programming interfaces, technical documentation and specifications, and dedicated support, application developers can easily integrate with Axis' broad product portfolio and unique capabilities.

Axis Communications will now strengthen the ADP Program by recruiting more dedicated personnel for closer collaboration with local and regional ADP partners. Exchanging local competence, market knowledge and cultural/legal awareness will result in earlier integration of Axis products and capabilities in video solutions adapted for a specific region or industry segment.

Axis will introduce three levels of partnership to open engagement, grow business, and reward loyalty with clear benefits and requirements. The program offers focused tools, services and training to meet specific customer needs.

Application Development Partner
All qualified software vendors that are ready to integrate their commercial software with Axis network video products are eligible to join the program as an Application Development Partner. Axis offers a number of technical development tools, support and marketing benefits to help the ADP Partner get a successful start.

Silver ADP
Partners at the Silver level are growing their business together with Axis, focusing on joint business and marketing initiatives. Silver ADPs are successfully meeting the demands of Axis end customers often with specific solutions for prioritized industry segments.

Gold ADP
Gold ADPs are market leading companies, working very closely together with Axis, focusing on early integration and joint business development. Gold level Partners provide robust, flexible and scalable network video applications. They offer first-line support, and have demonstrated that Axis is their preferred surveillance camera vendor.