December 2011
Features
There are apps for that
By Brandon Arcment
The mobility and convenience offered by handheld devices has caught the attention of manufacturers and integrators, who are now marketing numerous security solutions.
Museum upgrades system to protect rare, valuable art
By Mary Wilbur
Dallas, Texas, considers itself a world-class city. Whatever the qualifications, the arts district in the city is certainly world class, and, therefore, the security must also meet high-caliber specifications.
Company seeks means to take advantage of IP-based system
By Peter Jankowski
Navarre Corp., a distribution and retail support operation in Minneapolis, previously relied on an analog-based surveillance system as a way to increase security and aid in investigations, but the company found the system unreliable for capturing high-quality video when incidents occurred.
Video surveillance gets an upgrade
By Del V. Salvi
The Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) at the Cape Canaveral, Fla., Air Force Station supports and tests sea-based weapons in a safe environment.
Automated perimeter detection system
By Rolland Trayte
This year’s EAA AirVenture 2011 in July drew close to 550,000 visitors during the seven-day event—members, fans and spectators who came to see daily aviation shows, aerobatics and pyrotechnics, as well as the opening day Fly-In Theater.
Two senior analysts from IMS Research’s Video Surveillance and Security Services group share their thoughts on trends impacting the video surveillance industry
By Gary Wong, Jon Cropley
The transition from analog CCTV equipment to network video surveillance equipment continues to be the major overarching trend within the video surveillance industry.
Departments
By Ralph C. Jensen
Clark Kent was mildmannered and unassuming, yet, when needed, he became a hero, saving those at risk, the poor and downtrodden. Better known as Superman, he was, at least in the comic books, one person among us who simply did his job, often without fanfare or glamour.
Multiple-offender crimes are less flashy than felonious
By Ronnie Rittenberry
’Tis the season to be jolly, especially if you’re a retailer. For most stores, the cash registers are ca-chinging more this month than they have all year.
Video system watches over WorldExpo Culture Center
By Mark S. Wilson
Shanghai WorldExpo Culture Center, shaped like a flying saucer—and often referred to as the “Spaceship”—is one of Shanghai’s iconic buildings.
Supplement
Historically, there were two things you could do with surveillance video—watch it or record it to watch later. Video analytics changed all that. Video content can now be analyzed using various computer algorithms to identify specific user-defined content and to trigger an alarm or response automatically. The range of video analytics functionality can include identification, behavioral analysis and situational awareness.
By Bill Taylor
With smart functions incorporated into today’s network video cameras, images can be analyzed before they leave the camera, which can then trigger an alarm or relay other data to enable a system-wide response.
A look at the top IP surveillance features to use during the holiday shopping season
By Hedgie Bartol
From Black Friday all the way through the returns season, the sheer uptick in shoppers during the holiday season is daunting for retailers of any size.
When there is a crisis on campus, no matter where the student is at that time, it is imperative that he or she be notified of impending danger. Without a well-planned mass notification system, coupled with proper procedures, the campus opens itself up to legal liability and financial exposure as well as potentially bad PR.
By Ralph C. Jensen
To better understand what is needed and the current state of mass notifications, Siemens undertook a detailed analysis of U.S. colleges and universities, taking a hard look at information provided to the government as part of the Clery Act. The company released the results in October in a white paper.
One of the key reasons for moving to a cloud-based infrastructure is to lower overall infrastructure costs. This is true whether you are building an in-house—private—cloud or are a public cloud provider looking to price your offerings competitively. Because storage comprises such a large part of the outlay of any cloud-based infrastructure, it is an obvious place to look for optimizations that can lower overall costs.
By Eric Burgener
A lower-cost virtual infrastructure gives cloud providers pricing leeway that can be used either to beat a competitor’s price or to increase margins.