One such technology that seems often introduced is video analytics. It started as a buzz word in the security industry around 2007 and today, it sometimes seems that video analytics is on every end user’s wish list. The underlying problem is that end users don’t often have specific security goals in mind for this new technology, nor do they realize the true cost of materials, software and most importantly, labour required setup time.

I have witnessed several video analytics projects take a turn for the worst by costing the integrator unforeseen time and money. The mishaps were made right at the beginning as the expectations of the end user were not properly set and the technology involved took more time for initial commissioning than expected with several visits back to the site to optimize the system.

The term video analytics is loosely used, but it is basically software algorithms to analyse the content of an image for a specific change to a specific scene. The software can either be located on a computer server, or as the recent trend, embedded in the IP camera. Some of the most common analytics features in the security industry are advanced motion detection (e.g., filter out rain and snow, etc.), trip-wire detection (e.g., determine if someone has entered a restricted zone) and object added or removed from a scene.

So if an end user states that he would like analytics, the first question back should be to clarify their security goal. This can help integrators to see if their customer’s expectations are unrealistic and can also help integrators guide them to something attainable. How do you know what is a realistic goal is? I would recommend involving an analytics manufacturer to help determine this right from the start.

More so, if the analytic goal is realistic, make sure to schedule the required amount of hours per camera (depending on complexity of the analytics or variations of analytics per camera), above and beyond normal installation and commissioning.

Also, if not mandatory by the analytics manufacturer themselves, it might be worthwhile to have an engineer from the manufacturer onsite for the first install. A manufacturer’s expertise should help ensure a proper install and avoid repeat trips back to ‘tweak’ the analytic configurations.

Finally, another important consideration is the management of the analytic events. So if using a stand-alone analytic software or embedded hardware, make sure it is fully compatible with the CCTV management system in place. This way, the end user will be able leverage the combined strength of the video platform and integrated analytics through automatic alarms and archive queries.

Analytics can help end users gain security efficiency as well as help integrators gain new skill sets, ultimately offering their customers more cutting-edge solutions. As long as expectations are set, both parties can win.