INSIGHTS
On Aug. 23, 2010, a tourist bus in Manila, the Philippines was hijacked by a former policeman. Armed with an M-16 rifle, the hijacker began a 12-hour standoff with the police. The incident left eight tourists dead, and an official investigation report by the Philippine officials identified eight critical errors that led to the unfortunate result. One of the blunders was an ineffective rescue mission due to the lack of information inside the bus.
Public transportation is vulnerable to threats and attacks. Governments around the world are investing more in transportation safety, which in turn increases demand for mobile surveillance solutions. According to research, the mobile video surveillance market will be US$1.55 billion by 2015, at a CAGR of 13.7 percent over 2008 to 2015. The potential lies in not only tightened security for drivers and passengers, but also huge gains in operational efficiency for fleet managers.
Mobile Solutions Bringing About Operational Efficiency and Safety
Date: 2011/10/07
Source: a&s International
Meeting Expectations
The biggest gap in customer satisfaction stems from unrealistic expectations of performance over wireless networks, particularly in a mobile environment, Dilber said. "While usability has improved immensely over the past several years, customers' expectations still revolve around ‘YouTube-like' playback or CSI-type interfaces. The mobile video industry, like the physical security industry, has not successfully managed these expectations and explained the technical or cost challenges that limit or prohibit such functionality.”
Moreover, end users often do not understand how video transmission is limited by the available bandwidth, Wang said. “Sometimes, customers ask for real-time transmission of D1 video at 25 fps. The fact is that 3-G transmission cannot meet this demand, and a solution that provides CIF at 20 fps is much more practical.”
As is the case with video surveillance in general, end users can also be unfamiliar with technical limitations. “Some of the unrealistic demands on the viewing software are similar to that in the fixed security market, where people expect to zoom into the video to see small details clearly,” Simmons said. “Another unrealistic expectation is for cameras mounted outside to capture clear images of license plates of passing vehicles, or to see drivers inside cars that are passing.”
Some customers have requests that impact safety but cannot be provided for due to regulation or business ethics, Qin said. “We have had customers request the capability to remotely cut off power and fuel when the vehicle is hijacked. Although this is technically possible and not difficult to implement, there are safety concerns that make this impractical.”
The top priority of developing and deploying mobile solutions should be to increase security and safety. “If any additional functionality cannot adhere to this concept, it should not be implemented even if it is technically possible,” Qin concluded.
Looking Ahead
Looking forward, 4-G networks such as LTE will be much more reliable and provide more affordable bandwidth, enabling further innovation in this space, Qin said. “Depending on the vendor, mobile DVRs fit for 4-G transmission should be deployable and take advantage of the networks within three months of its licensing and commercialization.”