Video Metadata: Describing the Details that Matter

  • By Joe Danielson
  • Dec 01, 2022

Modern surveillance systems generate an overwhelming (and mostly unused) amount of data. This is especially true when recording video in 24/7 operations, which is essential to capturing evidence, incidents and events. It is not only hard to pick out what really matters in a scene, but also extremely time consuming. Making data more identifiable and actionable is a key problem to solve. Applying metadata to describe key details in a scene allows data to be more identifiable and actionable.

This is why metadata is the foundation for gathering intelligence from surveillance video and/or audio streams. Metadata provides a fast way to find, evaluate, and act on the singular details that matter the most through one, hundreds or thousands of video and audio footage streams. Metadata is now an essential part of effective security and business operations.

What is Metadata?
Typically, Metadata is referred to as ‘data about other data.’ In the context of video surveillance, that translates to ‘data about video data’. Video metadata accurately describes the details that matter in a scene. For instance, attributes for metadata can describe all sort of details about moving objects of interest, e.g. location, time, colors, sizes, shapes, coordinates, volume decibels, speed, direction, etc.
Additionally, foundational details can be added, such as video stream description, codec, time stamps and device identity.

The aforementioned are ‘meta’ descriptions of details in, or related to, a scene. Based on AI machine and deep learning, Meta descriptions can be more (or less) granular. This allows for classifying a group of pixels as a person, animal, vehicle or other pre-defined object classes. Being more precise with more refined descriptions of people or objects e.g. vehicle type, make model, color, speed, direction, etc.

The Value of Metadata
Metadata not only provides details about people, objects and events in a scene. It also allows large amounts of video and recorded footage to quickly group, sort, search, recover and use. As a result, the overall use cases for metadata fit into three areas.

1. Real-time alarm triggering and notifications
2. Post event forensic searching
3. Statistical analysis and reporting

Adding Intelligence to Scenes
Metadata essentially assigns digital meaning to each video frame about the objects and events within it. In other words, it adds interpretation or intelligence about the scene rather than just the raw video footage, which needs to be processed manually by an operator.

Once software can interpret scenes in this way, it can understand the scene details and enable the scene to be acted upon in real-time via events, after events (post-event), via manual search or simply analyzed for statistical analysis. This enables the use of metadata to design baselines that define what is ‘normal’ for any scene feed from any individual camera. In turn, this allows software to recognize any degree of deviation, anomaly or specific behavior or activities, etc. as well as predict what will happen in that scene to a specific probability.

Harnessing the Full Potential of Metadata
Video metadata adds immense value to a video management system. In fact, its true potential is realized when applied to multiple inputs spanning visual, audio, activity, and process-related inputs. In the management of any site, things like RFID tracking, GPS coordinates, tampering alerts, noise detection, and point of sale transactional data, are all high value data sources. Unifying this metadata generated from many different sources means gaining much more insights than one can ever get from each system alone. Interoperability is key, and open-protocols and industry standards are essential to this effort. Ultimately seamless metadata integration will allow us to harness massive amounts of data from all kids of systems and gain a greater understanding of everything around us.

This article originally appeared in the November / December 2022 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Joe Danielson, Global Enterprise Solutions, Axis Communications, AB.

Featured

  • Paving the Way to Smart Buildings

    In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, the convergence of on-prem, edge and cloud technologies are critical. The physical security landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid digitalization of buildings and the evolving needs of modern organizations. As the buildings sector pivots towards smart, AI and data-driven operations, the integration of both edge and cloud technology has become crucial. Read Now

  • The Cybersecurity Time Bomb

    If you work in physical security, you have probably seen it: a camera, access control system, or intrusion detection device installed years ago, humming along without a single update. It is a common scenario that security professionals have come to accept as "normal." But here is the reality: this mindset is actively putting organizations at risk. Read Now

  • Deploying in a Hybrid, Cloud Environment

    The way organizations manage access control is evolving. Traditional on-premises systems come with high IT and server requirements. At the same time, fully cloud-based solutions may not meet the needs of every facility. Read Now

  • Facing Facts for Facilities

    Despite the proliferation of constantly evolving security solutions, there remains a troubling trend among many facility operators who often neglect the most important security assets within their organization. Keys and shared devices like radios, laptops and tablets are crucial to successful operations, yet many operators are managing them haphazardly through outdated storage systems like pegboards and notebooks. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Security Training Reduces Global Phishing Click Rates by 86%

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, today launched its “Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report 2025” which measures an organization’s Phish-prone Percentage (PPP) — the percentage of employees likely to fall for social engineering or phishing attacks, indicating the organization’s overall susceptibility to phishing threats. This year’s report found a global average baseline PPP of 33.1%, meaning a third of employees interact with phishing simulations before taking part in best-practice security awareness training (SAT).COVER 2025-PIB-NA-Report_EN-US Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.