There is a camera installed for every 29 people on the planet. In developed nations, the number rises to a camera for every 8 people
Video analytics is no longer a niche technology available only to large companies with big budgets. It's a valuable tool that makes any business versatile and effective.
Perhaps your business is also in line to reap the benefits of video analytics.
Video Analytics Market is expected to grow from $1,537.9 Million in 2015 to $3,971.2 Million by 2020 -MarketsandMarkets
Video Analytics Architecture
Video analytics software analyzes videos in order to detect events the system is programmed to look for - when something is moving in front of the camera.
It digitally analyzes video inputs; transforming them into intelligent data which help in taking decisions.
Video Analytics can be real-time - configured to track and provide alerts to specific incidents as they happen - or post event, incidents that have already occurred.
Motion Detection
A data set is formed by examining each pixel in the frame, involving the slightest movements and is updated in the video analytics software. E.g new objects entering a frame, movement of an object are captured as events.
Pattern Recognition
From the data set, the software can be programmed for recognition of specific objects and patterns, correlating qualified changes over multiple frames and interpreting these changes.
New change is immediately recognized by the software and an alert is sent out. E.g. If someone leaps over a counter into a bank,an event can be triggered with time and physical description of the person.
Use Cases
Video Analytics in Tracking Customer Needs & Behavior - Retail
Closely observe customers and understand what their needs are
Ability to understand:
What exactly the shoppers look for in a supermarket
Emotion of a customer when they check out a product
How long they look at the products and what their expression indicates at that specific moment
Can be used to derive business strategies in positioning products in the supermarket.
The data of customer behaviour can shape a new marketing strategy.
Systems can analyze dwell-time data alongside the images of customers actually picking up products and putting them in their baskets.
Business owners can cross refer dwell time data with actual purchase.
Facial recognition software helps retailers to analyze visitor demographics, collecting age, gender and also:
Counting shoppers at entrances
Duration of shopping visits
Measuring how shoppers engage with store signage and product displays
Video Analytics In Reducing Retail Shrinkage
Retail and logistics companies can minimize inventory loss significantly.
Get insights about normal operating hours
Average time spent in the inventory
Employees handling the inventory
The model is then trained to detect unusual activities like:
Unexpected time of operation
Unauthorized access
Suspicious movement of inventory
The system can also track passers-by or even authorized persons who spend an unusual amount of time in the inventory area. In this way the companies can get alerts in the real-time and avoid theft before it occurs.
Anomaly Detection - Video Analytics
E.g. detection of fire in a factory or detection of movement in a restricted office space. When a deviation happens from the usual activities, the system is able to alert the concerned official, take automated actions like alerting firefighters in case of a fire detection. It includes:
- Monitoring mechanical processes executions in factory premises
- Identifying unusual activities that need to be alerted to officials
- Automated experiments
- Rules violation detection
Video analytics helps organisations to see the 'unseen' and make informed decisions to improve the status quo.
Public Transportation/Traffic Control
Smart cameras see, and they can also hear.
Security incidents, especially with transportation, are preceded by some kind of noise, such as glass breaking.
Video surveillance that "hears" with sound detection capabilities can add great value to an enterprise's security strategy.
License plate recognition Undercarriage inspectionImprove time management and reduce delays - as soon as the ignition is turned on, a camera starts recording the entire journey.
This kind of data collected over a period of time for the entire fleet of vehicles can give valuable information regarding:
Traffic congestion, routes.
This information can be used to understand the various reasons that cause delays.
The technology can help transit agencies with better route optimization to avoid traffic and reduce delays.
Well informed about any accidents, vehicle breakdown or other track obstructions.
Planning the route without disrupting the service, thereby offering a greater passenger experience.
Startups
Vidooly, Intelligence Node, Corseco Technologies
Conclusion
Video processing can take surveillance and other monitoring tasks to a whole new level, reducing time, money, and human effort; in turn, this makes industries more secure, reliable, and consistent.
Video analytics will drive a wide range of applications with great potential to impact society.
