Milestone Systems, a global provider of open platform IP video management software, and Vidient Systems, a technology provider for advanced video analytics, announce the integration of the Vidient SmartCatch solution with the Milestone XProtect Analytics framework. The integration with the new functionality of SmartCatch 4.0, the latest release of Vidient's solution, expands the market for video analytics through its unique new capabilities for both security and video business intelligence applications.
The integration of the new Vidient SmartCatch 4.0 solution with the Milestone XProtect Analytics framework revolutionizes the technology and applicability for video analytics with cutting-edge breakthroughs like the following:
- Automated self-learning false alarm removal capabilities to greatly improve the end user and system integrator experience;
- Rail/metro safety and security applications for track and tunnel intrusion that effectively solve a previously unmanageable problem;
- High-traffic people counting and queue length monitoring solutions that significantly advance the state-of-the-art to increase operational efficiency.
Single User Interface, Less Training, Better Response
The integrated solution provides customers with a single user interface for receiving, verifying and acting on a broad range of security and safety violations or business intelligence information detected by SmartCatch within live video streams. Security personnel only need to be trained on a single application, simplifying training and system usage.
Alerts generated by SmartCatch are sent to the Milestone XProtect client where the associated camera view is displayed on the user's console with the analytics metadata overlaid on the video, indicating the location of the violation. Security personnel have immediate textual and graphical descriptions of the alert through their accustomed Milestone user interface and can take the appropriate response action. Security is thereby improved while costs are reduced through easier training and system support.
Vidient has expanded the market for video analytics well beyond that served by existing products, which provide only slight advancements to motion detection or limited video analytics capabilities for simple environments. This increases the opportunities for the integrated solution with Milestone. By offering capabilities never before available by video analytics or physical security sensors, Vidient has extended the applications for analytics.
Safety in Transportation – Addressing the Motion Factors
For safety and security within mass transit and rail environments, Vidient's Track and Tunnel Intrusion Detection (T2ID) system, which recognizes human intrusions regardless of the movement of trains, has been successfully implemented and passed testing across hundreds of customer cameras in production. It is now available as part of SmartCatch 4.0.
Previous solutions, such as those based on laser, vibration, infrared, microwave or other video analytics providers, are disrupted by passing trains - resulting in missed detections and high false alarm rates. In mass transit systems, with trains passing every few minutes, this deficiency represents a serious safety and security risk. T2ID's unique ability to recognize the presence of a train and self-adjust to ignore the visual effects of the train's motion, lights, glare and presence of humans inside the cars minimizes false alarms without sacrificing accuracy. This maintains the viability of the system in all conditions.
Operational Efficiency Through People Counting & Queue Management
In addition to security and safety applications, the Vidient SmartCatch integration with Milestone can also provide business intelligence through video to improve operational efficiency. In the past, the inability to accurately measure a high traffic flow of people has limited the applicability of analytics for people counting.
Now, however, SmartCatch 4.0 has greatly advanced the state-of-the-art for people counting solutions, whether through video analytics or other types of sensors, by accurately counting a flow rate of over 100 people per minute through a portal. SmartCatch sets a new standard for high volume, highly accurate people counting, deployable across a wide range of portal geometries, which enables use of this application in real-world environments where the flow of customers and portal size can vary greatly.
In addition, SmartCatch 4.0 also includes new queue management functionality, combining the line count with the average customer transaction time so that the anticipated wait time can be determined. With this information, every person in the line can be provided their particular estimated wait time, improving the customer experience. Meanwhile, managers can respond to increased wait times in real time, while also tracking service speed of their personnel teams, as well as peak busy periods, to improve operational efficiency.
Unique System Self-Tuning Reduces False Alarms
For both security and video business intelligence systems, tuning is a critical element for success, whether for video analytics systems or physical sensors. However, it traditionally requires specialized training for the integrator, and increases the cost and duration of an implementation, limiting the adoption rate. On the other hand, without accurate tuning, the system can often become an operational nuisance.
SmartCatch 4.0 includes a revolutionary self-learning engine, which automatically adjusts the analytics tuning parameters based on operator feedback indicating whether an alert is positive or false positive. With this breakthrough artificial intelligence, the system automatically adapts to the specific conditions of each installation, such as lighting, adverse weather and camera positioning.
Specially trained integrators or end-users are therefore no longer required. With only a few simple mouse clicks, the security officer provides all the information necessary for the learning engine to operate. Over time, as the system is exposed to a greater range of environmental conditions, the system continues to reduce false alarms and improve the detection rate.
"Vidient is expanding the analytics market by offering advanced solutions applicable to a wide range of customers and situations, and these work with high accuracy and minimal false alarms in complex, real-world environments,” said Eric Fullerton, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Milestone Systems. “As a valuable long-term Milestone Solution Partner, this collaboration clearly demonstrates the strengths of the Milestone open platform for allowing value-added functionality and innovations for customers worldwide."