14 July 2014

Commercial Facility Security: Part One - Networked Intrusion Detection Systems with Video Verification

Providing security in commercial facilities involves more than the best choice of products and features.  Learn how security systems such as access control, intrusion detection, and IP HD video surveillance can be integrated into a building automation system to protect people, property, and data.  In Part One of our discussion we will address networked intrusion detection systems.  

Simple intrusion detection is probably the most familiar concept of security to most people. Intrusion detection involves the use of door or window contacts, glass contacts, or motion sensors, in combination with some type of audible alarm that sounds when a person has forced entry into a building or room. An alert is sent to the central security monitoring station to notify authorities of the time and location of the incident. Security or Police Officers respond in person to evaluate the situation.  This method of incident response can be adequate for detecting an event and quickly getting to the scene. But the effectiveness of the response at the scene and subsequent prosecution is dependent on several things; the proximity of first responders to the incident; whether witnesses were present; the number of people involved; the seriousness of the incident, and other factors.  Furthermore, with simple intrusion detection, there is little in place that would deter people from committing a crime the first place.  More information would be helpful, such as captured details of the situation that could lead to proper response and identification of perpetrators, thereby reducing the likelihood that a similar incident would occur again. Door and window contacts, motion sensors, and other devices already in use for alarming can be put to better use to help gather this information by triggering other parts of the security system.
The alarm system grew out of the need for automated detection of intrusion and life safety dangers.  These intelligent sensors have grown rapidly to serve this market need.  Telephone dialers made sensor information available to central stations, which were then able to notify authorities for the proper response.  However if you can’t see what is happening at the premises, how do you know if the alarm is real?  Somewhere between 90% and 95% of all calls from traditional intrusion systems are false alarms and with the number of systems growing every year, a huge burden has been created for first responders. Today we have the ability to use the networked communication capabilities, both wired and wireless to quickly gain access to alarm signals, networked video and video/alarm solutions.

This quicker response is the better response, especially when it comes to intruders. Priority Response is a process adopted by law enforcement and dispatch teams. It means that video-verified alarms are seen by the central station as crimes in progress, and police are immediately sent to the scene.  Not only does it reinforce the value of video alarm systems, but it also benefits the entire community with: Better protection for customers; better information for law officers responding to potentially dangerous situations; fewer losses and reduced payouts for insurers and… more arrests, more consistently.

Two of the best systems we offer every day are stand alone video alarm solutions such as Videofied ( http://www.videofied.com ) and proven video analytics such as: VideoIQ ( http://www.videoiq.com ) from Avigilon ( http://avigilon.com ) that operate on both traditional digital video and IP HD surveillance systems.  These analytic additions promise not only to send timely verification clips of critical incidents for easy viewing by remote monitoring centers, but can also separate false events from real alarms.  Video systems today can automatically recognize smoke and fire; determine if a real person tripped a sensor and who that person is. 

Using VideoIQ Analytic's and Flir Cameras



    Videofied Motion Viewer Image


    This is just the beginning.  There is hardly an alarm sensor used today that cannot be verified automatically through video analytic's.  As the cost of cameras and systems continue to drop, it is only a matter of time before video analytic's become part of every intrusion alarm system.  For More information email James McDonald at jmcdonald@americanalarm.com




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