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Home > Advantages of using digital video surveillance systems for your security needs
February 7, 2006
By: Alice Osborn
The wave of the future in video surveillance is in
digital video surveillance systems. Besides fighting
terrorism, digital security systems installed in public
places, buses, or retail centers can deter crime, provide
the police with leads, help citizens feel safer, and improve
the economy of a crime-stricken area. These IP-based systems
not only capture precise images, they do so in a way that is
scalable within a company's current IP network with
pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras that are fast and sophisticated.
These digital surveillance systems can cost upwards of a
million dollars since they include the digital surveillance
cameras and the requisite connection to the IP-based
network. Although the cost of these systems is much greater
than traditional CCTV surveillance systems, the advantages
of using Internet surveillance systems far outweigh their
initial start-up costs and most company's CCTV analog
systems have now gone digital for improved performance,
surveillance camera maneuverability, and quick user
feedback.
How digital surveillance systems work
A digital security system consists of hardware and
software components that collect and transmit the
surveillance camera information via wireless technologies,
fiber optic cable or over any IP-based network. Both power
and data can be carried on the same cable by using PoE
(power over Ethernet). Some cameras in a digital system may
also have their own IP address for full access to the
Internet. These surveillance images are then transferred to
a PC or laptop in a centralized control room to be viewed by
an observer using a compact, flat-screen monitor that offers
multi-screen displays. An IP-based digital system is unlike
the traditional closed CCTV system, whose images must be
monitored using multiple monitors, sites and personnel.
The digital system can store surveillance data onto DVRs
(digital video recorders), some of which can store data up
to 10 weeks -- far more than CCTV analog systems. After the
DVR has backed up the images, they can be exported to discs
using the CD-RW drive, and then they can be sent to remote
PCs, laptops, or handheld devices within moments via the
network. Digital recording is done 24/7, without the need
for cumbersome CCTV videotapes that have limited storage
capacities.
Key returns when you replace your CCTV system with a
digital surveillance system
When a company or government chooses to invest in digital
surveillance systems, they need to invest the time in
finding out how large an area needs to be watched, as well
as the area's situational parameters. A digital system
requires a large capital investment up front, but it is
guaranteed to produce a positive ROI if the cameras are
properly placed and if the images are consistently
monitored.
One of the reasons for the increased cost of the digital
systems over CCTV lies in the hi-tech cameras, which greatly
surpass the analog CCTV cameras. The cameras have features
ranging from fixed models to direction-controlled or dome
models with automatic pan, tilt and zoom functions that can
create sharp images in the 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution
range. With the extra zooming and panning capabilities, one
security camera can do the work of five, which is more
efficient in the long run.
And on the highest end, there are
cameras with infrared capabilities to pick up motion and
changes in light regardless of poor lighting conditions.
Some these high-end cameras even have 3-D imaging to better
identify suspects. Companies investing in the digital system
should also consider purchasing camera accessories such as
weather-proofing and added material that's resistant to
tampering and hazardous substances.
A successful use of an IP-based surveillance system
The Newnan Police Department in Georgia wanted a security
system that could accurately capture images in public
places, transmit and later archive those images, so they
chose a digital security system. The police department
mounted its 22 cameras on utility poles owned by Newnan
Utilities and purchased the surveillance software from a
local vendor, A-Plus Technologies. The officers browsed
through the images over the Internet, where they could be
retrieved by time, date, location and camera number. In a
few months, the digital system helped officers in a drug
bust and has also helped the police identify suspect
vehicles.
A promising future for IP-based surveillance systems
IP-based surveillance systems will show a lot of growth
in the IT and security industries because they offer a
scalable, company-owned solution that offers the advantages
of flexibility and low cost of ownership. A digital system
can be built within an already existing IP network, and this
fact will make a company's budget department breathe easier.
Police departments like the one in Georgia and other law
enforcement agencies will also be interested in VCA (video
content analysis) technology, which compares real-time and
recorded images with a database, much like in biometric
technology. Suspects will be apprehended sooner and further
crimes may be stopped when a digital camera image of their
faces are matched in a criminal database. VCA will also
greatly increase the efficiency of CCTV operators in their
efforts to monitor and analyze an overwhelming amount of
video content.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Video-Surveillance-Guide.com. Your
definitive guide to video surveillance equipment, CCTV
cameras and wireless security systems for home and business.
Also See:
[ CCTV -- what are the
advantages? How do I decide, what I need? ]
[ Nannycams -- miniature, micro
& pinhole video cameras for child safety ]
[ The coming
video surveillance revolution -- trends for 2006 and beyond ]
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