ProposalmanJ

Hey guys, I was just wondering what other useful purposes a surveillance system could serve, such as providing data for market research? That's really all that I can come up with.

Video Analytics - This weeks Noobie topic So I have been reading about video analytics, they seem to be the only real responsive solution and the best way to fully utilize a surveillance system, but I fail to understand how they are implemented and how much processing power they require. Can you pros please enlighten me? What I understand so far is that there is edge side or central implementation. Edge based usually being hardware based, where the video stream is processed "at the edge" before being sent to the VMS or NVR thus reducing the load at the command centre as opposed to central based which is generally pixel analysing software. I am more interested in central based, but I need to know how much more processing power I would need. Would I estimate on a per camera/activity frequency/ # and type of analytics basis? If it is central based, what determines compatibility? Do they operate independent from the VMS? None of the analytics I have come across even state what codecs they support. As I mentioned in another thread, I am doing research for a 500+ IP camera system. I am looking towards Milestone as they were recommended by some users on here but before I make any recommendations I need a better understanding. Any help is appreciated. I have been searching these forums diligently, and I have found some interesting articles but my questions still go unanswered. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and hopefully respond

Although it will be a much greater load, the installation and maintenance will be easier which is what I was told to design for. I was given the requirement that all the cameras must be PoE and as far as I can tell the analytics performed at the camera need a power supply. Aside from the Mobotix cameras. Please correct me if I'm wrong or point me to any exceptions. So I need to be able to figure just how much more processing power I need to judge feasibility. Bandwidth is not an issue, we have lots of fiber.

Yes as bean said, tracking where people linger. Or to provide statistics to potential advertisers on traffic in an area, such as peak times, demographics, really how ever you want to analyse the data collected by a video camera. perhaps collecting data on when and under what conditions people fool around on lift trucks to identify what the driving temptation is and eliminate it, for example. Or in a shopping mall, track how many people go directly from Greasy Joe's Chili, to the wash room , or any other sequences. Just some ideas to make the most out of the data collected which I suppose is the real purpose of a surveillance system.

Hi, First post, most likely of a string of amateur question. You guys seem extremely helpful and I am glad to have found this forum. I am trying to design a system of 500+ PoE cameras for multiple campus residences. My basic understanding is that NVR will make it much easier to manage such a large number of cameras. The primary requirements I have come up with for the indoor and outdoor camera short list are: PoE Internal storage (is SD or CF a factor?) - as a fail safe in the event of network issues H.264 - mainly to save on bandwidth and storage Motion detection with event triggering (is this dependent on the camera or the software or both?) - to switch from low fps to high fps, improved monitoring/response and searchability Outdoor Cams: Operating temp -30 to +40C (-22 to +104F) Day/night capabilities (not sure if i need IR/ICR/low lux) 1. Are there any flaws in my reasoning or other things that need to be considered? 2. Could you please recommend some NVRs that would accommodate this system and briefly explain what the critical features are and why? 3. Is 1 NVR per building advised? 4. What would the best way to manage my network be? 5. Aside from storage, are there any other components that I will need for this set-up? Functionality comes before budget. Thank you

Thanks for all the responses guys, I am still researching the VMS options, but I am finding it difficult to compare them via data sheets as many options use different names for the various functions and I also don't even know which attributes I absolutely require. It seems as though after device compatibility and basic functions, it really just comes down user preference for interaction. Correct me if I am wrong. Are there any advantages to standalone NVRs compared to the same enterprise software on a PC? Also the milestone VMS says it has Built-In Motion Detection, does that mean that the software is not dependent on the camera having motion detection? that would reduce my camera costs significantly. Thanks for helping me learn, J

Destro, Wireguys, it will be on an independent network. The cameras that I believe meet the requirements are ranging from $1000-1500 with virtual PTZ.

Tom, I am in Canada, the cameras are just to cover entrances and exists but a lot of the buildings are connected on all floors via tunnels or sky-walks. I meant 500k for the non-network or storage related equipment but that was just to give thewireguys an idea. What I stated in my first post about performance or functionality coming first still stands. Meeting the requirements is what matters. Ilkie, The end user needs to be able to quickly identify who has entered/exited a specific area during a given interval. All such events are to be recorded and stored for a given amount of time. Campus police would be the end users. The system should be able to use facial recognition to check ban lists and take appropriate action. The systems maintenance will be the responsibility of the IS department. By environment, what factors need to be considered? temperature? traffic/congestion? Some cameras will be outdoors, Canadian temperatures range from -30C to +50C. outdoor lighting is not the greatest but artificial light is always present. Traffic, it is a busy university campus. The system should be integrated with an automated energy saving system that controls lights, HVAC, building access ect. IS is also taking care of the network security, my only job is to present options for the components that can meet these requirements. May you recommend some open protocol systems for this operation? Thank you. Responding to your questions has given me a better understanding of this project.

Yes, its obvious that I have no experience with IP cameras. My job is to research potential products for this system and offer comparison for the proposal. I wont be handling the implementation. So I am just trying to further my understanding in order to do my part correctly. Thewireguys, Destro is correct, we are going IP because the network is already there for the most part. IS has assured that B/W will not be an issue. He was also in the ball park for the budget. Would it be possible to get some answers for my low level questions? or at least some explanation as to why they are the wrong questions and what i should be concerned about? Thanks for your patience, I'm sure that you can appreciate my need for help.