SAST opens up AI development platform for everyone

Security and Safety Things, a Bosch startup and a partner of The Open Security & Safety Alliance (OSSA), set out its vision of an Android system for surveillance cameras at ISC West. The idea is to create a platform on which cameras from different brands will be able to run the same operating system. The development is based on open standards and it is similar to app stores for smartphones. Having a unified platform makes app developers' lives easier. Without a common OS, app developers need to develop an app for each different device manufacturer. Because of this, testing the app may actually take more time than developing it. In other words, every company develops something different today. OSSA wants to see a consensus on standardization among companies.

Tom Cook, Hanwha Techwin's North America Senior Vice President of Sales, expressed excitement over the SAST platform in an interview.  "This is the first time since the analog that we have a standard in this industry." At ISC West, apps like "People Counting", "Analyze People Walking" and "Area Protection" were deployed on specific cameras. The operating system is already running on the first prototype cameras from member companies of the OSSA.

There are currently around 25 apps in the app store. The computation enabled by the app is mostly done right on the camera. The apps are mostly analytics oriented, like measuring the flow of people, but in the future, there may even be more advanced apps for things like earthquake detection. SAST aims to have 100 or more apps in store by the end of the year. "Applications beyond the security sector are planned, especially for business intelligence," SAST said.

Participation From Different Fields

The platform will "bring new technologies from all different companies, not just in security," Cook said. Tech companies from different backgrounds will be able to participate. So far some of the app creators are small video analytics companies with less than 20 members of staff. SAST provides an opportunity for all companies to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for the camera. "Tech companies will jump on this to sell their apps onto the cameras for all different things," Cook said. At ISC West , Link Analytix , A.I. Tech, FF Group and Facesoft demonstrated apps they have developed for the SAST ecosystem.

Mass App Deployment

Outwith a marketplace with readyto-use apps, SAST also offers a developer portal with tools for testing and a community area for help and inspiration. System integrators (SIs) can use a PC to access the app store, buy the apps and then deploy them on cameras. With the integrator portal, SIs can deploy apps on multiple cameras simultaneously. This capability is especially convenient for large facilities such as airports with camera counts ranging from 15,000 to 20,000. Those in the security industry believe Android-based cameras will be launched by the end of this year or Tom Cook, North America Senior Vice early next year.