The introduction of cloud-based video surveillance solutions can save costs and improve efficiencies, reports Cloudview.
Like all sectors, the CCTV industry was drastically affected by COVID-19, with the global pandemic jumpstarting considerable innovation and change in the sector. As infection rates continued to rise on a daily basis and related concerns grew, both countries and companies across the world heeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) advice to step up their efforts in detecting and containing the virus.
This response drove demand for CCTV technology in the global market, with installations in residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Measures like social distancing, occupancy level monitoring and restrictions on both indoor and outdoor spaces became default society positions. Video surveillance emerged as one of the key tools in the public and private fight against the issue by providing real-time monitoring of both people and places as well as collecting data for identifying security indicators and planning security measures.
The UK was not exempt, as domestic use of surveillance and CCTV also rose to the forefront of social distancing measures and virus monitoring; all in an effort to follow the government’s mantra and “save lives”. From mobile data tracking apps to recording personal contact with others, 2020 also saw the growth of CCTV networks equipped with facial recognition, video analysis to determine outdoor activity and more.
Now, as the UK slowly releases itself from lockdown, meeting the lingering challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate much of the industry’s attention. Some of these challenges stem from the uncertain economic factors as the country recovers. Others involve continuing with the status quo until things return to “normal,” such as face-to-face meetings and public business operations. However, there are several industry trends emerging, some of which are outlined here.
The shift to cloud-based systems
The UK was one of the early original adopters of traditional CCTV systems, first used in 1960 as a temporary measure to manage crowds at Trafalgar Square during a visit by the Thai royal family. Following this, analogue cameras dominated the market for decades, even with the advent of IP CCTV. This is one of the key reasons why installations are only now upgrading to cloud CCTV systems or Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS); the early adoption meant that the UK was relatively late to IP video installations
However, a more topical reason is, again, COVID-19. Cloud-based services are now seeing a surge in adoption by CCTV users. The pandemic has stimulated an acceleration in the migration of all IT applications into the cloud, making everything remote. With so many away from their normal workplaces, it is unsurprising that there has been a rise in the remote accessing of essential systems – which is where the cloud comes in. In addition, as the recovery continues, private and public organisations will be looking for ways to reduce operational costs and many have realised that they can operate remotely with fewer people in the office; again, assisted by use of the cloud.
The move has also been accelerated by improvements in the UK’s digital infrastructure. With a Government commitment to superfast broadband for 95% of the population, 4G availability to 98% and the ongoing 5G rollout, the costs of shifting high resolution content to the cloud, such as bandwidth, latency and accessibility, are now less of a major concern. This has also meant various optimisation options such as video data compression, analysis, smart data capture and AI-assisted, event-based rules for VSaaS solutions are now possible.
These are just some of the external reasons why we will continue to see increased migration to the cloud and adoption of VSaaS. From a functionality standpoint, the move also offers several advantages. Traditionally, video management systems worked by using an on-site computer to manage the recording and processing that created a surveillance workflow. With VSaaS, that management is now performed in the cloud, rather than on-site; with the captured data relayed directly to a server that handles the secondary processing and archiving. The result is that both video and audio are now accessible from any online device, with no need for special software, wired connections etc. The only thing needed now is internet access and a browser.
Other benefits of the shift to the cloud include a reduction in losses due to theft and damage of equipment and enhanced coverage that can help in monitoring and tracking commercial conversion rates and preventing incidents in the first place.
The security industry has been slow to move away from on-premises equipment, but it’s clear that significant cloud migration will continue to take place across all areas of deployment.
Growth of city surveillance and smart cities
Prior to the pandemic, all indicators showed countries across the world either increasing or planning to increase their usage of surveillance cameras; explained primarily by a focus on reducing crime rates, thefts, anti-social activities and more.
There are three traditional functions of public video surveillance; protection and prevention, detection and evidence collection. The first function involves deterring potential wrongdoers, based on them calculating the risks involved in their actions and the presence of a camera serving as a suitable deterrent against illegal activity. The detection function, via the recording of events and behaviour, enables the detection of specific activities and immediate response from the authorities; confirming that it actually occurred. The final part is based around gathering evidence or proof and focuses on the attempt to identify groups, individuals or objects based on a recorded image at a specific location.
What we have seen and will continue to see in 2021 is the recognition that current video surveillance systems can perform many different functions, due to the complex nature of the image captured by cameras and AI. With the growing desire to increase the safety and security of public spaces, local and national governments will continue to push for efficient monitoring systems that can also optimise what they see by narrowing down the huge amount of footage to only the most important ongoing scenes. For example, traffic monitoring via cameras allows local governments to hand out fines and penalties for driving offences, but with the help of video analytic software, this can be increased to more than 100 cameras, allowing a single operator to monitor a far larger area than they could alone.
Surveillance and cameras will also be a key element in the ongoing development of “smart cities”. Aimed at improving the quality of life for their inhabitants, they are driven mainly by data, since the “smart” aspect is based on the analysis of huge amounts of combined data pulled from different sources. Surveillance information is one of the key sources of this information; for example, network cameras that capture video and audio paired with sensors that measure environmental conditions such as air quality, temperature and humidity, water quality and noise levels.
They can also be used to improve traffic management and urban mobility, making streets safer and more efficient. Video surveillance, coupled with video analytics, will continue to be a key tool in monitoring road networks, intersections and how people move around urban environments. They can provide a real-time view of traffic flow and incidents – including accidents, queues and crowd management – that might disrupt free-flowing movement in the city. By training cameras to recognise these events, authorities can act quickly and appropriately to solve problems and issues; dispatching emergency services, setting up alternative routes and more. The analysis of real-time and legacy traffic data can also allow city planners to predict traffic trends accordingly.
Another developing space will be around service efficiencies. One example is through public lighting systems. To save energy, street lighting can be adjusted depending on the level of traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian. When no one passes, lights can be lowered – without compromising the quality of the surveillance thanks to low-lighting sensitive cameras. The logic behind a “smart city” is a proactive management model and we will continue to see cities become live maps, which generates information from several sources that can help develop strategies that reduce costs in the long term and optimise public resources. Video surveillance will be key to this.
GDPR compliance
Within the video surveillance industry, the issue of protecting personal identification information based on video data will continue to be a significant issue. GDPR has drawn attention to the need for companies which capture personal data to have adequate privacy procedures in place. There is a need to have a balanced approach which ensures compliance with privacy regulations, while making best use of the latest advances in technology and the data it helps to capture.
Video images are considered data and normally, GDPR provisions protect individuals against organisations that process their personal information, such as the use of commercial CCTV systems. Previously, anyone and everyone would install a system without really thinking about the consequences. However, once recognisable images are being captured, it becomes ‘managing personal data’. So, the reality is that organisations are now acting as a data controller and with this comes responsibility; a data controller must be able to justify the obtaining and use of personal data by means of a CCTV system.
The issue will also continue to be exacerbated by the rise of facial recognition technology. Facial recognition is built upon CCTV solutions that analyse images of human faces by comparing patterns based on the person’s facial details. The problem is that are no laws, policies or guidelines to govern the use of facial recognition technology and, in the general absence of specific regulation so far, private companies and public bodies have been adopting the technology for a variety of uses. There is no consensus in society about the ethics of facial recognition and doubts will continue to grow regarding its compliance with the law as well as its long-term ethical sustainability.
Potentially, the processing of facial recognition data is where GDPR principles can be applied. Regulations class information about a person’s facial features as biometric data, which is categorised as “sensitive personal data.” The use of this is highly restricted and typically requires consent from the subject — unless that processing meets a range of exceptional circumstances. These exemptions include it being necessary for public security. When combined with CCTV, it can be used in passive general surveillance that does not require a subject’s knowledge, consent, or participation. But for facial recognition algorithms to work accurately, they must be trained and tested on large data sets of images, ideally captured many times under different lighting conditions and at different angles; further muddying the waters as to whether organisations can collect photos of individuals’ faces without their consent.
The situation will continue to be complicated by the ongoing migration to the cloud. There will be a growing focus on selecting the right cloud service provider, not only to give a significant commercial advantage, but to ensure the appropriate steps to achieve GDPR compliance with regulators; including ensuring all cloud recordings are stored and processed correctly. Data is seldom stored where the cloud provider is headquartered – the data can be moved around between a supplier’s data centres, meaning it can reside anywhere in the world unknowingly. Individuals or businesses using cloud-based recording services will also increasingly need to prioritise security measures to protect the recorded data from loss, alteration, or unauthorised processing. They should only collect and retain “necessary” video data and limit the processing of “special” data, as well as confirm what data processing is being conducted.
In summary, as the world continues its COVID-19 recovery, video surveillance will continue to evolve and play a large part in the process. Intelligent video surveillance technology with analytics and cloud storage will continue to garner interest as a solution can save costs and improve efficiencies, whilst also continuing to court controversy and debate.
To find out more information, visit: https://cloudview.co.uk/
This article was originally published in the May edition of Security Journal UK. To read a free digital copy of the magazine, click here.