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Home > The new face of surveillance -- incorporating biometric face recognition into a surveillance video camera system
January 06, 2007
By: Lynn Bryant
Governmental and law enforcement officials are always
looking for ways to improve the overall security of our
nation. Given the events of recent years, our state and
national leaders cannot afford to take this responsibility
lightly. A relatively new security measure has begun to
emerge. That is the incorporation of biometric face
recognition technology into standard video surveillance
systems. Essentially, what this technology does is transform
the standard surveillance video camera system into a
proactive crime prevention tool. Let us explore a little
more in depth how this technology works, and how it can help
prevent criminal activity before it happens.
Face recognition software actually captures an image of a
person's face and then uses that image to compare to a
database of facial images. This software makes it possible
for law enforcement officials to proactively identify and
monitor persons of interest. The idea is that if we can
recognize dangerous criminals or terrorists before the have
the ability to act, we can prevent them from being able to
act out their potential plan.
Many people look at biometric face recognition as a
severe invasion of our personal privacy. They argue that
there is no end to the information that can be gathered on
us without our ever knowing. The fact is, once an individual
is identified by face recognition software, their profile
can actually be compared with banking data as well criminal
background information. Given the fact that the Department
of Motor Vehicles maintains a photo database of all of the
drivers in the United States, our lives literally becomes an
open book to law enforcement officials.
While it is easy to see how this technology could be open
to potential misuse, it is hard to argue against its use if
it is successful in preventing even just one large-scale
terrorist attack. Given the interest that governmental
agencies have shown in this technology, it is not likely it
will go away any time soon.
A new company on the market called
3VR Security
is creating innovative solutions in the facial recognition
software market. They offer an application that can plug
directly into an IP-based video surveillance system. The
software scans images of individuals faces directly from the
video feeds captured from video surveillance cameras. The
software can then rapidly sift through millions of hours of
video and cross-references those images against a database
of suspects.
3VR Security sees banks as one of their potential
customers. Their software can actually compare the biometric
data captured from the banks surveillance cameras to banking
data and transactions to identify suspicious patterns and
alert the bank personnel to the potential problem.
In some ways, it is hard to come to terms with the fact
that we need technology such as this to help ensure our
safety. It would seem that as the crimes of today get more
and more sophisticated, the solutions for prevention become
more and more personal.
About the Author
Lynn Bryant 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.
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