The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is reportedly considering new video analytic software that would enable identification of suspects in videos and still imagery based on both facial and behavioral recognition. This type of technology has been under development for quite a while, with a patent awarded for behavioral recognition software last year.

Indeed, it has been said that the future of CCTV is in the field of behavioral recognition and so-called “remote biometrics.”

However, the system that the FBI is working on could also scan footage against records of objects and places in addition to people, in order to detect possible suspects and their location.

“The FBI is currently undertaking a major issue study of video and digital image processing and video/digital image analytic capabilities to identify current capabilities, assess gaps, and develop a roadmap for the FBI’s future video analytics architecture,” the bureau stated in a contracting notice published on Oct. 30.

Contractors are to submit written proposals by Nov. 13 and up to 30 vendors will be invited to present their technology at FBI headquarters on Dec. 11.

Unlike the facial recognition systems that are increasingly being rolled out across the United States with the FBI’s help, this technology would analyze backgrounds.

The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, is funding research on more accurate long-distance facial recognition technology. The new technology would compute “the degree of similarity among pedestrians, graffiti designs, buildings in the background of photos, and other recurring images in videos and stills,” NextGov reports.[…]