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

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    Perimeter Security Standards for Multi-Site Businesses

    When you run or own a business that has multiple locations, it is important to set clear perimeter security standards. By doing this, it allows you to assess and mitigate any potential threats or risks at each site or location efficiently and effectively. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

  • OpenAI's GPT-4 Is Capable of Autonomously Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

    According to a new study from four computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, OpenAI’s paid chatbot, GPT-4, is capable of autonomously exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities without any human assistance. Read Now

  • Getting in Someone’s Face

    There was a time, not so long ago, when the tradeshow industry must have thought COVID-19 might wipe out face-to-face meetings. It sure seemed that way about three years ago. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • ComNet CNGE6FX2TX4PoE

    The ComNet cost-efficient CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is a six-port switch that offers four Gbps TX ports that support the IEEE802.3at standard and provide up to 30 watts of PoE to PDs. It also has a dedicated FX/TX combination port as well as a single FX SFP to act as an additional port or an uplink port, giving the user additional options in managing network traffic. The CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is designed for use in unconditioned environments and typically used in perimeter surveillance. 3

  • 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. 3

  • 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. 3