It is critical to understand the building blocks of how we can use video, audio and other elements of data that can accompany these processes. Video is normally used to allow either a human or machine to identify a person, object, action or combination of all of the above. The quality of the video, frame rate, audio capability or whether the scene requires colour images depends on the underlying requirement. High definition video might be ideal for capturing a football match but such definition is not needed just to be able to see if a person has walked into a warehouse or if a car has driven down a section of road.
The characteristics of mobile video
It is critical to understand the building blocks of how we can use video, audio and other elements of data that can accompany these processes. Video is normally used to allow either a human or machine to identify a person, object, action or combination of all of the above. The quality of the video, frame rate, audio capability or whether the scene requires colour images depends on the underlying requirement. High definition video might be ideal for capturing a football match but such definition is not needed just to be able to see if a person has walked into a warehouse or if a car has driven down a section of road. Similarly, 24 frames a second of video may be required to watch a game of tennis but is overkill if the goal is to identify a number plate of a car as it waits by an automated barrier for admittance into a car park. Both high definition and high frame rate are necessary for certain functions, but they are also expensive in bandwidth and data – so why pay for something you don't need?
Alongside quality, the distribution of the video is important. Sending data across any network, whether that's an email or real-time video feeds, has an associated cost. With modern analytics and sensors, video may only need to be transmitted when there is motion or a scene change. Does video need to go to just one person or machine interpreter, or should it be broadcast to many? For example, a team of security guards on patrol around a large industrial site may need access to cameras in the event of an alarm sounding. The video in this context should be available on a portable device like a smartphone or tablet on demand.
Should the video and audio be retained for later analysis or as evidence? If so, how should the video be stored and does it need an additional data element such as a time code to validate its source. All these variables are then made more interesting when we add in the aspect of camera mobility. Our modern society is highly dispersed and mobile. The UK alone has over 30 million motor vehicles and the freedom of movement and expression allow people to congregate, and express themselves almost anywhere. Whether that is at a rural rock concert or demonstration moving through the streets of Westminster, mobility makes the decision making process for people charged with security and public safety much more complex. Visualization of a scene is critical in the area of security but it was the Armed Forces that first truly understood and quantified some of the essential elements which are often described as an OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, and act). Although attributed to military planners, the notion also forms part of other decision making processes such as PDCA (plan–do–check–act) often found in management courses.
Video can help meet the fundamental challenges of OODA loops or a PDCA cycle as it delivers a lot of information with context to both decision makers and action takers. For example, a report of a “crowd gathering outside a pub” to a police control room could mean a coach party from the local Women's Institute, or two rival gangs of inebriated youths about to fight. A video image sent to the police control centre would quickly allow for an appropriate tactical decision.
Video analysis
But video is more powerful when it can be examined for data which is then cross checked to help in a rapid decision making process. For example, a guard at a gatehouse might need to identify if a vehicle is allowed access to a car park based on a license plate number. Having to check the number plate against a lengthy list is a time consuming process, especially if the volume of traffic peaks. Video can be used to quickly generate data that can be automatically correlated.
Again, mobility can both aid and make the decision making process more complex. So let's take the example of the crowd outside the pub again. It's great if there is only one pub in the town, but setting up a monitoring station at every venue in a mid-sized town is probably not cost effective and unnecessary. The ideal solution would be a mobile vehicle with video capability that could either tour an area or be dispatched to hotspots as needed. With images fed back to a control room, the requirement can be assessed and resources deployed accordingly and much more efficiently.
Low bandwidth yet powerful
However, it is not just mobile applications that can benefit from mobile video. In some areas, video can be of great assistance when the underlying fixed infrastructure for traditional CCTV capture and transmission is just not available or not physically possible. For example a remote mining camp, a rural weather station, on a maritime platform or new construction project within a greenbelt location. In these instances, forms of wireless transportation for video become critical.
As a company, Vemotion understands the capture, delivery and distribution of video across low bandwidth transport layers across a wide range of mobile and fixed location cases. The software and hardware elements are designed to be as flexible as possible to allow organizations to solve operational challenges and mitigate limitations.
The underlying premise is to be able to capture video from an appropriate source, encode it in a format suited to the readily available transport layer and then distribute it to the people or systems that can use the video to make critical decisions. Like the OODA loop example, these workflows need to be flexible enough to meet different challenges and Vemotion has already delivered its technology to meet a wide variety of different scenarios.
Mobile monitoring
A great example of how mobile video can address public order concerns and allow the Police to react quickly is Vemotion's support to Leeds City Council in police operations at football matches. Vemotion‘s video compression and transmission equipment has been installed in mobile CCTV vans that can be deployed to critical areas or known "hot spots". The system uses the 3G network to provide real-time images to Police Control Rooms (ACRs) as well as to the control room within the local football stadium.
The benefit is more tactical awareness for the teams overseeing large events, such as football matches, with the ability to remain mobile. In addition, the vans can reposition to other venues or be dispatched to mobile incidents such as protest marches or impromptu gatherings such as rural pop and rock concerts. The same technology from Vemotion has also been used in other mobile situations such as escorting the Olympic flame across the UK and even ‘clearing the route‘ in front of the riders on the Tour de France.
Remote location surveillance
Much of the planet is still not connected to the fibre optic networks that transport super-fast internet traffic and traditional video feeds. Although satellite has allowed us to connect distant outposts across the world, the costs are still high. However, the demands for communication have, in many parts of the world, been met through 3G and now 4G voice and data networks.
However, these relatively low bandwidth transport mediums are not well designed for video. The challenge is to create video formats that use the available bandwidth in the most efficient fashion. Vemotion has helped the UK Environment Agency to implement video feeds across 3G networks to monitor water levels in remote locations across Britain. The system takes snap shots at regular intervals but can deliver a live feed “on command” to a control room to help with flood management and reduce the risk of flooding.
Although a different requirement, Vemotion's technology has also helped councils and local authorities create temporary monitoring zones to detect illegal activities such as refuse dumping (fly-tipping) on quiet country lanes to poaching. The same requirements for video delivered over low bandwidth 3G networks with some element of mobility has solved many challenging although seemingly disparate problems.
Covert surveillance
CCTV in general has a great deterrent effect. Many studies have shown that well implemented and clearly visible CCTV helps to reduce crime within an area. However, catching the perpetrators of crime and building a case to secure prosecution is often most effective when the criminals are unaware that surveillance is taking place. The ability to quickly deploy video surveillance without having to provide anything other than just basic power or in some cases just a large battery is a requirement for many covert video operations. One Vemotion customer has the added challenge of protecting goods in transit as they move across countries and through international borders. The hijacking of goods vehicles is still rampant and Vemotion's technology has been deployed both to help catch organised hijackers and to detect when drivers try to fake an incident and collude with criminals. The ability to transmit video using 3G from highly concealable video cameras complete with GPS location data makes these types of covert video platforms vital in loss prevention and criminal investigations.
Although just three examples, each shows how Vemotion is helping real world organisations use mobile video to solve problems. The possibilities are almost limitless. Vemotion's technology has been used in projects on every continent and, in some instances, combines widely different technologies such as 2G & 3G mobile networks, Wi-Fi, solar power, satellite technology and even traditional dial up modems to take advantage of PSTN. Certain projects have required encryption and ultra-secure two factor authentication systems to help restrict access to content.