Where ON THE NETWORK?

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Ashley Roe and Stephanie Silk

Video analytics technology is central to the latest security systems, but many suggest the technology is best applied at the edge of the network.

The last few years have seen a shift in how video analytics technology is viewed in the security marketplace. Simply stated, the shift has been from “does it work?” to “where do I put it?”

In general, today's users are faced with the issue of whether to employ video analytics at the center of the network (the server) or at the so-called “edge” of the network, which often means in the camera itself. “People [have] started asking ‘where should I put my analytics, and how do I make the pieces work together?’” says Dvir Doron, vice president of marketing for ioimage, Israel.

“From a volume standpoint, the majority of video analytics system installations today are at the center,” says Carolyn Ramsey, director of program management for Honeywell Systems Group, Louisville, Ky. “From a buzz standpoint, seven out of 10 customers ask me ‘can you install at the edge?’” (In February 2007, Honeywell acquired ActivEye Inc., Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., a provider of video analytics software systems.)

The correct strategic positioning of video analytics in a system is mostly application-driven, and this article will look at various scenarios, arguments and rationale of each approach.

Bandwidth challenges

Bandwidth is a central issue to video analytics, as to most discussions of digital video. “Streaming video is a quick way to bring your network to a screeching halt,” says Alan Lipton, chief technology officer of ObjectVideo, Reston, Va., an OEM provider of intelligent video software.

Arun Hampapur, chief technology officer of physical security for IBM Global Technology Services, New York, notes that network bandwidth - the data bit rate of network throughput - is a critical consideration in the choice of configuration for a system using video analytics. “Most customers use their network for business operations and don't want to risk bringing it down because of video load,” Hampapur says. “Some customers want to filter video storage based on analytics events. The customers who take this approach will benefit from edge analytics because they can stream video [only] on events and minimize the storage requirements.”

Here is another example to illustrate how the level of network resources can dictate the analytics route a user chooses: A bank that wants to deploy analytics at various ATM locations to prevent fraud may choose to install analytics at the edge because network bandwidth to the ATM is limited. “However, if the customer is a metropolitan city with a very good networking infrastructure, the street corner cameras can stream digital video to a central site where analytics can be performed on a central server,” Hampapur suggests.

Bob Banerjee, IP video product marketing manager for Bosch Security Systems, Fairport, N.Y., theorizes that a PC- or software-based video analytics approach would work best in an application that requires dedicated processing power. “You may have only limited processing power in your embedded video analytics system [at the edge],” he says.

Hampapur warns that IT departments should play a central role in networked video surveillance, regardless of the presence of video analytics. “While security is the application, the infrastructure is completely IT, and installing and managing such systems falls squarely onto the IT department,” he explains.

The case for server-based analytics

Server-based video analytics systems typically consist of software acting in the role of a video management system. Under the configuration, video input from a number of cameras is streamed back to a centrally located server where processing and analysis - video analytics - is performed.

“There are different value propositions to having analytics inside the network,” says Ed Troha, director of marketing for ObjectVideo. Adds Lipton: “We have found that most customers have very specific and different needs that drive their decisions on a video analytics strategy.” In other words, user strategy can depend highly on considerations such as the user's individual application and size of installation.

Honeywell's Ramsey says there is a risk-assessment element that would ultimately push end-users to choose a server-based system for their application. “There are customers who cannot predict all the risks they face, and for those customers, centrally managed is the way to go,” she says. This speaks directly to users tasked with protecting critical infrastructure facilities.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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