Illinois? Eavesdropping Law Under Attack

Posted by dtaitano 10:39 pm Categories: Legal, Legislation, Surveillance. Tags: , , .
Continuous Video Recording in Progress

Continuous Video Recording in Progress Continuous Video Recording in Progress I’ve been following the Chris Drew travesty fairly closely. Why should police be treated differently than other citizens? If Illinois law was on the books in California, for instance, would Scott Olsen be a household name? Or other Occupy incidents, like the various pepper spraying videos? If police are doing their job, they shouldn’t be worried about a spectator videoing their actions, and if they are doing something questionable, citizens should be able to collect evidence of police wrongdoing. Anyway, there are rumblings that the law could be thrown out as vague, or unconstitutional. When a Cook County jury in August acquitted a woman of violating Illinois’ strict eavesdropping law, an unassuming man with wire-rimmed glasses and wispy white hair sat in the gallery, quietly taking notes. Chris Drew had good reason to keep an eye on the case — he’s facing trial on the same felony charge of eavesdropping on a public official, which carries up to 15 years in prison. An artist whose ’60s upbringing instilled a deep respect for questioning authority, Drew, 61, is accused of making an illegal audio recording of Chicago police during a 2009 arrest for selling art on a downtown street without a permit. Drew intended the incident to be a test of the city’s permit laws. But now his case has wound up at the forefront of a much bigger effort to challenge the constitutionality of Illinois’ eavesdropping law, which makes […]

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Fayetteville NC Police Urge Businesses To Use Video Surveillance

Posted by dtaitano 9:33 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , .

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – As a way to catch criminals and deter crime, the Fayetteville Police Department is working to improve surveillance cameras at businesses. Kari Ellis, the department’s specialist in video, is spreading the word about an initiative called "Video Done Right." On Thursday she presented information about the initiative to a group of business owners and managers who were interested in installing or improving surveillance systems. Ellis started the program to give businesses the "dos and don’ts" of setting up surveillance systems. It covers what cameras to use, where to place them and the settings that capture the best pictures. Ellis, or other crime prevention specialists with the same training, will even examine the current setup at a business and provide feedback. Ellis said she was inspired to start the program because she often needed to examine video at a place where a crime had occurred, but many times the video was poor quality because for any number of reasons. She said poor video isn’t very helpful, but good video makes a big difference for police. "When you put that evidence in front of a jury, what can they say? That’s you. A lot of times their mother will identify them. Their friends will rat them out. So yeah, video is really integral in solving crime," Ellis said. Ellis said the Shaniya Davis kidnapping and murder case is a prime example of how good surveillance is helpful. She wishes every business would have a system as good as […]

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The Resolution Revolution

Posted by dtaitano 4:05 pm Categories: IP Cameras. Tags: , .
jan14-feature2

jan14-feature2 Timothy Compston takes a closer look at the impact that HD and megapixel video surveillance cameras are having in the fast expanding IP environment. Fit-for-purpose? Discussing the take-up of megapixel cameras, Joel White, senior product manager at American Dynamics – part of Tyco Security Products – reveals that currently the bulk of installed cameras are in the 2 megapixel range. White stresses that even with the prospect of enhanced resolution coming on stream, in the guise of 8 megapixel cameras, everything still has to lead back to a solution’s ultimate goal: "When you think about it video surveillance solutions are really targeting a specific purpose, every camera in that system is delivering video to meet that goal and resolution is only one part of that equation." Ultimately, White believes, that it comes down to the actual ‘use case’: "What is my deployment situation? What do I need to extract out of the video?" White goes on to say that across the security industry, sadly, there still remains an obsession with ‘big numbers’ and ‘nice specs’: "This provides more business and people kind of get glazed over and think that bigger is better, which is not always the case. For everything there is a trade-off." He warns, for instance, that although there are many high resolution cameras out there offering 3, 5 or even higher megapixels very few, in his experience, come with high quality lenses rated above 3 megapixels. With larger camera resolutions White also flags up the […]

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Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Camera Found In Bathroom

Posted by dtaitano 8:38 pm Categories: Airports / Seaports / Railroads. Tags: , , .

An American Airlines 767. (Credit: American Airlines) If you were going to affix a tiny camera in an airplane bathroom, wouldn’t you remember to take it down again? Before, you know, someone found it. It seems, though, that an unknown person — for an unknown reason — taped a camera inside an airplane bathroom on Sunday and left it there. When it was discovered, the American Airlines 767 plane, which was en route from San Francisco to New York, was diverted to Kansas City, as no one at the time could identify the device. It was feared to be a bomb. As NBC News reports , it looked like a flash drive. But government officials now say it was a camera masquerading as a flash drive. That might lead some to speculation fueled by imagination. Some will utter words such as "mile," "high" and "club"; although, "high" might be sufficient. Of course, the camera might have been there before the plane had taken off and no one had noticed it. Cameras disguised as flash drives are freely available, some costing as little as $50. Some models claim to record high-definition video. On the Brickhouse Security Web site , for example, one potential benefit is described as: "Use it as a handheld mini-camera or leave it plugged into your computer while set to motion activation to catch what’s going on while you’re away." Clearly, though, if the stick was attached to a surface in the bathroom, it was likely put […]

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Polaroid Announces Three New Hi-Definition Mountable Sports Action Cameras at CES 2014

Posted by dtaitano 8:31 pm Categories: IP Cameras, New Products. Tags: , , , .
Polaroid is now shipping the XS100i Wi-Fi enabled sports action camera which is on display in booth #13613 at CES 2014 along with two new point of view cameras debuting. (Photo: Business Wire)

LAS VEGAS–( BUSINESS WIRE )– CES Booth: Central Hall #13613 Polaroid expands their existing line of hi-definition sports action cameras at the International Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10 in Las Vegas, NV. With performance-friendly features including high-definition resolution, Wi-Fi, auto rotation, waterproof technology, and ultra wide angle lenses, the new cameras are tailor-made for all athletes and action enthusiasts. The point-of-view cameras also come with mounting equipment, allowing photos and footage to be taken practically anywhere and from any angle. “ Polaroid is all about capturing fun, in the moment images and video from the user’s unique point of view and that is what this fast growing sports action camera category does the best,” says Polaroid President and CEO Scott W. Hardy. “Adding Wi-Fi connectivity to our popular XS100 model will now allow users to share their unique videos and images instantly, which is the heart of what Polaroid is all about. With these cameras, whether it may be biking, skiing, snowboarding or surfing, we want to provide users the ability to capture and share their finest moments and moves with the best possible coverage, at vantage points like no other.” The Polaroid XS100i camerabuilds upon the success of the XS100 model but adds Wi-Fi with iOS and Android apps so consumers can adjust settings remotely, watch video in real-time and share videos instantly with friends, family or social media. The XS100i has a distortion-free ultra wide lens offering 170° of coverage and records video in 1080p, 720p, and […]

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Research and Markets: Airport & Marine Port Security Market 2013 – 2018

Posted by dtaitano 12:14 pm Categories: Market Research. Tags: , , , , , .
market_research

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Research and Markets ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lhbsdw/airport_and ) has announced the addition of the "Airport & Marine Port Security Market (Access Control, Video Surveillance, Screening & Scanning, Asset and Visitor Management, Perimeter Intrusion Detection, Network Security) – Worldwide Market Forecasts and Analysis 2013 – 2018" report to their offering. Despite the fact that transportation systems are usually inviolable, dependable, and more dynamic than ever before, compelling objections remain to assure the security of the port services that enable a flourishing network of international trade. The global port security market is estimated to grow from $22.28 billion in 2013 to $36.99 billion by 2018, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.7% from 2013 to 2018. Transportation hubs engage millions of employees, visitors, crew members, contractors, lorry drivers, and rescue staff with access to protected areas at these locations. Identifying and inspecting these individuals while concurrently facilitating and supervising their access within these demanding air and seaport facilities is crucial to empower secure, proficient, and dependable worldwide trade. There has been immense research for building comprehensive, efficient, and effective port security solutions. The port administration authorities are keen to inspect from people to particle that move across the ports. Governments have formed various regulatory associations and introduced security norms to benefit the coordination between port/facility security and state security/emergency agencies/services. Surging threats on ports and necessity for sustaining the nations’ business continuity are the key drivers for the port security business. The regional economies are experiencing high growth rates […]

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IBM Patent Application Titled “Multi-Mode Video Event Indexing” Published Online

Posted by dtaitano 12:06 pm Categories: Video Analytics. Tags: , , .
patent application

01/02/2014 | 01:45pm US/Eastern Recommend: By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Computer Weekly News — According to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C. , by VerticalNews journalists, a patent application by the inventors Bobbitt, Russell P . ( New York, NY ); Brown, Lisa M. ( Pleasantville, NY ); Feris, Rogerio S. ( Hartford, CT ); Hampapur, Arun ( Norwalk, CT ); Zhai, Yun ( Bedford Hills, NY ), filed on August 21, 2013 , was made available online on December 26, 2013 . The assignee for this patent application is International Business Machines Corporation . Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "The present invention relates to the analysis of activities in videos, and more particularly to accurately determining and distinguishing object movements and activities represented thereby. "Video surveillance enables object monitoring through video displays of one or more areas remote from a human monitor. Exemplary applications include security surveillance of public and private areas, for example parking lots for human and vehicle movements, assembly areas such as train stations and entertainment halls for abandoned baggage or objects, borders and doorways for unauthorized entry, secured areas for unauthorized vehicle or object movements and removals, etc. However, human review and analysis of video feeds is time consuming and perhaps inefficient with respect to human resources allocations, and accordingly it is desirable to implement automated systems for video analysis. "Automated analysis of videos for determining object movements, activities and behaviors presents a number […]

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Maritime Security Market Set For $19.48 Billion By 2018

Posted by dtaitano 11:55 am Categories: Market Research. Tags: , , .
research

The report "Maritime Security Market [Access Control & Biometrics (Finger, Face, Voice, Iris); Surveillance and Tracking (Underwater, Video, AIS, LRIT, Imaging); Detectors; SCADA; GIS; Communications (Satellite, Radio)] – Worldwide Market Forecasts (2013 – 2018).", defines and segments the global maritime security market into various sub segments with in-depth analysis and forecast of revenues. It also identifies drivers and restraints for this market with insights into trends, opportunities, and challenges. Browse 96 market data tables and 11 figures spread through 196 pages and in-depth TOC on “Maritime Security Market – Worldwide Market Forecasts (2013 – 2018).” http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/maritime-security-market-1033.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Request Sample of this Report @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=1033 The major forces driving this market are awareness of maritime security, maritime threats, regulations and standards, and international trade by sea. The significance of the maritime security has increased, due to globalization. The increase in maritime threat in some regions of the world has been noted as one of the major factors affecting international trade. Solution providers such as Kongsberg, Raytheon, Term, Thales Group, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and many others are expected to provide integrated solutions and offer better competitive services. The companies in this industry must take advantage of the growing awareness of maritime security in the new markets such as Middle East and Africa (MEA) as well as Asia Pacific (APAC). The surveillance and tracking systems and solutions, smart container systems as well as scanning and screening systems have a high growth rate in the […]

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UK Schools Fast To Adopt Biometrics: 1M+ Pupils Registered

Posted by dtaitano 11:49 am Categories: Biometric RFID, Biometrics. Tags: , , , , .

New research has been published that shows more than one million children in England have had their fingerprints taken by their school, demonstrating a high demand for the technology despite possible privacy concerns. The figures come from a Big Brother Watch report " Biometrics in Schools " which calculated that over 1.28 million students had been fingerprinted in secondary schools and academies (based on data from the 2012-13 academic year). The research, gathered from Freedom of Information Requests to more than 3,000 schools, shows that at the start of the academic year 2012-13 an estimated 40% of schools in England are using biometric technology. Laws governing the enrolling of biometrics in schools were enshrined in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Before that Act came into force, Big Brother Watch estimates that 31% of schools did not consult parents before enrolling children. Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, the rules for schools and colleges that use biometric recognition systems, such as fingerprint identification and facial scanning, now state: For all pupils in schools and colleges under 18, they must obtain the written consent of a parent before they take and process their child’s biometric data. They must treat the data with appropriate care and must comply with data protection principles as set out in the Data Protection Act 1998. They must provide alternative means for accessing services where a parent or pupil has refused consent. A spokesman at the Association of School and College Leaders – which represents secondary […]

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U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Grants MOBOTIX?s Requests For Patent Review

Posted by dtaitano 8:15 pm Categories: Legal. Tags: , , .
mobotix

By MOBOTIX NewsDesk on January 3, 2014 mobotix MOBOTIX Corp. succeeded again in a patent dispute with San Antonio, Texas-based e-Watch Inc. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted MOBOTIX Corp.’s requests for review of four patents owned by e-Watch Inc. According to the USPTO, information presented by MOBOTIX Corp. established that there is a reasonable likelihood that MOBOTIX Corp. would prevail in showing unpatentability of the challenged patent claims. Third-party publications found through extensive search as well as documentation and presentations published by MOBOTIX at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany, in February 2000 show that the contents of the patent claims had been disclosed prior to the application for patent. The four patents are cause of action in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Texas-based e-Watch Inc. at the U.S federal court in San Antonio (Texas). In June, the court granted MOBOTIX Corp.’s motion for stay of the litigation pending review of the validity of the patents at the USPTO and confirmed the view of MOBOTIX Corp. that the patent lawsuit will be rendered irrelevant if the claims of the patents are cancelled in the review proceedings at the USPTO. MOBOTIX Corp. holds that the claims of the four patents are unpatentable and consequently requested cancellation of the patents at the USPTO. The requests not only comprise the claims asserted in the lawsuit but above that challenge almost all claims of the four patents. “We are pleased that the USPTO granted our requests for patent […]

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Jersey City Police “Eye In The Sky” Monitoring Journal Square Travelers

Posted by dtaitano 3:12 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , .

Holiday shoppers and travelers passing through Journal Square will be under the watchful gaze of a Jersey City Police Department ?eye in the sky? which is an elevated booth that can accommodate police officers and is fitted with closed circuit video cameras, officials said today. The ?eye in the sky? is located on Journal Square Plaza near the fountain at Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenue. It stands about 25-feet-tall, has flood lights, cameras pointed in several directions, the capacity to transmit video live for officers to monitor at a remote location and it records all video captured by its cameras. ?It is there for the high volume of people during the holiday season,? Jersey City Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said this afternoon. ?The police department is constantly redeploying its assets throughout the city.? A 36-year-old Jersey City man making his commute home at 5:20 p.m. tonight said he imagines the tower is a useful deterrent to thieves and other criminals but noted, ?I didn’t even notice it was there? after having walking past the imposing structure. A cab driver waiting to pick up passengers nearby said he didn’t feel the location of the surveillance tower was well chosen. He pointed at three security cameras nearby on the side of Duane Reade and Santander Bank which are apparently monitored by the Port Authority, saying ?I don?t know why they put it there, there are cameras everywhere here.? The cabbie added, ?If someone wants to do something, then they are […]

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Social Media Helps Solve Burglary Of Skateboards At Woodland CA Business

Posted by dtaitano 3:07 pm Categories: Retail. Tags: , , .

Ryan Smith of SorD skate shop in Woodland posted this photograph on Facebook to help catch suspects who allegedly stole from the store on Sunday. As social media continues to grow, the applications of such media are expanding as well. Ryan Smith, a Woodland small business owner, is now a believer in this. Smith utilized Facebook to identify the criminals that stole four skateboards from SorD skate shop on Sunday. Smith, co-owner of the shop on Main Street, was in the back of the store conducting inventory around 6 p.m. when he heard the sound of the door opening. By the time he could get to the front of the store, it was too late. Four skateboards were missing from the collection. Smith ran outside trying to catch a glimpse of who took the boards, but there was no one there. After filing a report with the Woodland Police Department that night, Smith did some investigating of his own. Ryan Smith, Co-owner of SorD skate shop on Main Street, used Facebook to help the four people that stole from the store on Sunday. There are 15 security cameras set up throughout the store, but three were all he needed. He posted the footage on Facebook at 8:30 p.m., as well as a screen shot of the individuals involved, and asked the community for help in identifying them. By 9 p.m., tips were already flooding the company’s Facebook page. Due to the large community response to the video, which had […]

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Store Mannequins With RFID Tracking Now Recording Everything You Do

Posted by dtaitano 2:57 pm Categories: Video Analytics. Tags: , , , .
Video Store Mannequins With RFID Tracking Now Recording Everything You Do

A well-dressed, picture-perfect  mannequin  stands still in a middle of a department store. She looks like any other life-size figure you’ve seen,  except she can see and hear you . It has cameras for eyes, audio recording capabilities, an embedded computer to analyze shoppers’ faces, and a modem to upload the data to a server. Called the EyeSee Mannequin , it’s meant to provide more data to retailers and department stores about shoppers, says its creator. “The EyeSee can tell if a shopper is male or female, his or her age range, how much time you spent looking at it and its outfit,” Max Catanese, the CEO of Almax, told ABC News. The EyeSee can also tell the ethnicity of shoppers. The goal, as you might assume, is for stores to know more about who is shopping and looking at the displays. How long you looked at one mannequin versus others, how many types of shoppers come into the store, etc. Video Store Mannequins With RFID Tracking Now Recording Everything You Do “The potential is huge. A store can really know who their client is. Let’s say you have eight floors and six floors are for women and two are for men, but you find out 80 percent of the shoppers are male. You want to change the ratio and switch it,” Catanese said. The computer inside the mannequin captures data about each of the shoppers it sees and then uploads that to a portal, so that the store can […]

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Biometrics: A Field That?s More Than Meets The Eye

Posted by dtaitano 2:53 pm Categories: Biometrics. Tags: , , .
biometrics

biometrics By Maryalene LaPonsie, OnlineDegrees.com Cellphone passwords are so passé. With the launch of the iPhone 5s, the new way to unlock your cellphone is with a fingerprint. It is one of the latest — and most visible — ways biometrics is going from the realm of sci-fi fantasy to mainstream reality. Biometrics holds the potential to do everything from enhance national security to improve marketing displays in stores. It’s a hot field that isn’t going to be replaced anytime soon, meaning there should be plenty of jobs in the biometric field for years to come. Biometric basics According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation , biometrics are biological or behavioral characteristics that can be measured. In other words, biometrics is what allows Facebook to suggest you tag your roommate in that photo on your newsfeed. It also includes voice recognition, optical scans and even the keystroke dynamics of how someone types on the computer. Despite the recent hype around biometrics with the iPhone launch, it is nothing new. The granddaddy of biometrics is fingerprinting, and the FBI has been amassing a collection of fingerprints since 1924. Even the more high tech biometric applications aren’t all that new. Consider that more than 20 years ago, Robert Redford was fumbling to convince a security system “My voice is my passport” as he worked to bypass a biometric system in 1992′s minor cult classic “Sneakers.” What is new is the price. While biometric systems were previously so expensive that their applications […]

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Video Surveillance Of Downtown Houston To Expand

Posted by dtaitano 2:48 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , , .
city surveillance

HOUSTON (AP) — Police surveillance of downtown Houston is expanding with 180 new cameras that will bring the number of video feeds available to law enforcement authorities by early 2014 to nearly 1,000. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/1c7oMnF ) most cameras are pointed on public areas around downtown, including its theater district and stadiums. "With all the homeland security requirements that we have — we have more critical infrastructure to protect than New York City — we can’t do it without video," Police Chief Charles McClelland told the newspaper. The city has spent more than $18 million in federal money to build its camera system and has another $5 million in reserve. Houston also has expanded its video network through private sharing agreements, such as by accessing networks along rail lines. The expansion comes despite shrinking national security grants for video surveillance and studies showing mixed results on whether the presence of cameras improves public safety. Nancy La Vigne, a justice policy researcher with the nonprofit Urban Institute, said cameras help but can’t replace beat officers. "You need that human interaction," said La Vigne, whose 2011 study of surveillance networks showed variances in their effectiveness. In Baltimore, for example, where officers were trained to monitor video feeds, crime was reduced. In Chicago, while cameras at one park cut the crime rate in half, they had little impact at another, according to the study. But C.O. Bradford, a Houston city councilman and former Houston police chief, said the technology […]

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Hawaii: Traffic Camera Blackouts Again

Posted by dtaitano 2:44 pm Categories: Transportation. Tags: , .

Are copper thieves to blame again?   Hitting the same location from less than two months ago. The city believes the culprits are vandals looking for copper. It’s a problem that just won’t go away, and this time 35 cameras on Oahu have gone dark. The barbed wire fence, warning signs and a combination lock didn’t stop vandals from getting to fiber optic cables under the Middle Street viaduct for a second time. The city’s transportation chief, Mike Formby, says he knows what the vandals are looking for. "Clearly there’s no copper, and after they cut the wire they determine there’s no copper and they leave everything," said Formby.   Vandals this time left the cut cable neatly wound. "It’s a very odd finding. Normally when you come across a scene like this you wouldn’t expect to find the fiber optic cable coiled and taped," said Formby. At about 2 a.m. Christmas Day, vandals cut into a conduit, then cut a fiber optic cable. The cut cable, cut the connection to 35 cameras affecting views from Middle Street to Ewa and from Kaneohe. That means workers in the city’s traffic management center can’t see what’s going on, and won’t know what changes to make to traffic signals to ease the flow of cars.   "We can’t remotely control the cameras and regulate traffic," said Formby. Back in November when the cables were vandalized in the same area it took a week to get the traffic cameras up and running […]

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CaughtOnCamera: SUV Plows Into House

Posted by dtaitano 3:37 pm Categories: CaughtOnCamera. Tags: , .
suv crashes home

suv crashes home An SUV is seen crashing into a Texas home on Dec. 30, captured by security cameras. (Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas) Tarrant County, TEXAS — First, you see the lights approaching. Then, the impact makes you cringe. Again. And again. And again. Four cameras aimed in four directions clearly capture a hit-and-run, with Rick and Mary Whitbeck’s house falling victim to a speeding SUV. The Whitbecks were out of town Monday morning when a white SUV plowed into their home at 3:32 a.m., according to the camera’s clock. Seconds later, cameras show the SUV in reverse and backing out of the big mess. The Whitbecks have eight security cameras at their home, installed because they’d been burglarized. Four cameras are in the front yard. They covered up the hole and shored up the roof, but they face thousands of dollars in repair to a home they totally renovated themselves. They hope the video leads to the driver being caught, they said.

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Police ‘Smart Cars’ To Be Equipped With Fingerprint Scanners And Facial Recognition Sensors

Posted by dtaitano 7:54 pm Categories: Technologies. Tags: , , .

NY – The department’s prototype “smart car,” outfitted with the latest gadgets in public safety. It has two infrared monitors mounted on the trunk that record any numbers it sees—such as license plates and addresses. It has surveillance cameras and air sensors capable of sending real-time information to police headquarters. The NYPD says it is the cruiser of the very near future. The smart car is one of dozens of projects included in a long-term strategic plan known as NYPD2020 , prepared in November for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. The 13-page report describes initiatives ranging from the high-tech (500 officers have received Samsung Rugby smartphones equipped to deliver real-time crime data) to the bureaucratic (new guidelines for recruiting and keeping qualified candidates). More than a dozen are already under way. The initiative began in 2011, under the guidance of McKinsey & Co. The consulting firm worked with NYPD officials over 11 months to create a road map for the department over the next decade. McKinsey & Co. declined to comment. The report said using a consultant would help force change in such a large organization. Experts agreed. “Even the NYPD is limited in the things they can and can’t do,” said Jon Shane, a professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mr. Kelly then charged the NYPD’s project-management office to decide which of the nearly 260 projects could be started immediately. The office’s seven employees, who have […]

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Genetec Improves Vehicles Tracking At Avis Budget

Posted by dtaitano 9:46 am Categories: Video Analytics. Tags: , , .

01-01-2014 Having already deployed the Genetec Autovu system, Avis Budget Group required an upgraded system to give them not just an LPR solution, but additionally, an advanced access control solution with integrated video surveillance which could provide them with the ability to track their entire stock of vehicles with evidence to support the in-out activity. The plan was also to extend this solution beyond the gates of their headquarters into other locations such the airport branches. As the previous City Manager for Avis Bugdet Group’s Toronto Operations, Mrs. Suzanne Myrand was tasked with finding a new security solution that would help prevent future vulnerability at the headquarters. She was familiar with the Autovu system and realized the potential that the technology offered, but had a more aggressive plan in mind: "We needed an automated system that would give us the traceability we required on both the vehicles and their drivers," said Myrand. More than an integrated and scalable system, Mrs. Myrand was also looking for a dependable and responsive solution, one that would be able to accommodate a large volume of vehicles coming and going. "We needed quick response from the complete solution as someone approached the entrance or exit, so that we would not hold up the gate," explains Myrand. "With 1000 moves within a working day, we just don’t have the extra time to wait 10 seconds at each swipe of a card." Last on their list of criteria was the need for a reliable supplier. "We […]

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Differentiating CCD And CMOS Image Sensors

Posted by dtaitano 6:57 pm Categories: IP Cameras, Technologies. Tags: , , , .
CCD versus CMOS Imagers

Source: Alf Chang | Date: 12/25/2013 Related tags: Cmos , CCD , CompoSec A core component of security cameras, CCD and CMOS image sensors have in the last few years parted ways in terms of applications and characteristics, sensitivity, noise reduction and energy consumption. At the same number of pixels, CCD sensors have outperformed CMOS sensors in sensitivity; CCD sensors also take in more light than CMOS sensors of the same size. In real-world applications, however, CMOS sensors deliver the same level of performance as their CCD counterparts in low-light cameras. This makes CMOS sensors the preferred image sensor for HD cameras. What to Look for in a CMOS Sensor In theory, CCD sensors allow a higher resolution than CMOS sensors of the same size. In practice, image sensor suppliers overcome this simply by making larger image sensors since security cameras do not have space constraints. Major image sensor suppliers for the security market like Aptina, Omnivision, Sony and Sharp, use this advantage to continue to enhance the performance of CMOS image sensors. Currently, most HD cameras on the market use 1/1.8”, 1/2.5”, 1/2.7” or 1/2.8” image sensors. By testing IP megapixel cameras on the market, it is possible to find a CMOS sensor that is practical in both price and performance.

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