Challenges
to Securing Critical Infrastructure
Safeguarding a
nation’s power plants, water supply,
petrochemical facilities, bridges, dams and
other critical infrastructure against
terrorist or criminal activities is a vital
yet extremely difficult endeavor. These
high-risk structures pose serious challenges
to security due to sprawling facilities,
large perimeters, water borders and other
unique features.
When it comes to protecting a nation’s
citizens and economy, there is no room for
error. Yet, CCTV, access control and motion
detection systems alone provide an
incomplete picture that can lead to security
breaches, false alarms, tactical errors and
misused resources.
Expansive sites and lights-out facilities
make human monitoring of CCTV systems
impractical, which means their passive
recording capabilities are used for
forensics, not prevention. Similarly, access
control systems can only indicate when a
door has been opened with an access card,
which leaves secure areas vulnerable to
tailgating violations.
Motion detection systems provide even less
protection, as they simply detect motion
without distinguishing true threats from
insignificant motion such as trees being
blown by the wind. These systems often
generate false alarms, keeping security
personnel from addressing real threats. And,
in a world of heightened security, false
alarms are worse than no alarms because they
train security personnel to ignore all
potential threats.
Improve Security by Integrating Existing
Systems with Intelligent Video
By integrating
with existing security systems, intelligent
video offers the situational awareness
necessary to protect critical infrastructure
in the most comprehensive, yet
cost-effective manner possible.
Easy integration with CCTV, access control,
radar, sonar, GIS and other systems provides
security personnel with a centralized
solution for managing long- and short-range
surveillance and incident response.
Intelligent video software can automatically
alert security personnel to perimeter
intrusions, access violations or suspicious
behavior, which can then be evaluated based
on data from various integrated systems.
Alerts can also be sent wirelessly to
roaming patrols for an immediate response.
Higher accuracy of threat detection enables
security staff to respond to real threats
more effectively, avoiding false alarms and
wasted resources. The end result is an
integrated, cost-effective solution that
offers actionable 24/7 surveillance without
requiring wholesale changes to existing
infrastructure.
THE CASE FOR THE SMARTCATCH INTEGRATED
INTELLIGENT VIDEO SYSTEM
SmartCatch
provides the most comprehensive, accurate
and advanced site-wide intelligent video
surveillance solution available. With true
behavior recognition capabilities,
SmartCatch can detect suspicious behaviors
that threaten safety and security in real
time, alerting the appropriate security
staff for an effective and efficient
response.
Unlike other intelligent video solutions
that merely integrate with existing CCTV
cameras, SmartCatch maximizes investment in
other security systems, including access
control, RFID and biometrics. By integrating
video behavior analysis with authentication
devices, situational awareness is heightened
dramatically. Moreover, SmartCatch’s varied
behavior modules can be used in any indoor
or outdoor setting, regardless of water
borders or weather conditions.
Finally, SmartCatch uses state-of-the-art
machine learning, multiple object trajectory
tracking and human reasoning technology,
which consistently achieves the industry’s
highest accuracy by detecting violations and
eliminating the false alarms caused by
motion detection systems or simple object
tracking solutions.
smartCatch in aCtion at a Fuel Depot
SmartCatch is
currently protecting critical infrastructure
across the globe. One implementation at a
fuel depot provides an excellent example of
how intelligent video can guard against
terrorist attacks, criminal activities or
employee misconduct.
Not surprisingly, the facility’s top
security priorities involve preventing
perimeter intrusions and controlling access.
By integrating with existing CCTV, access
control, radar and sonar systems, SmartCatch
actively monitors a large perimeter
compromised by a significant water border.
SmartCatch’s behavior modules automatically
detect suspicious behavior in all weather
conditions. For a perimeter intrusion, the
system ties into CCTV and geographic
information systems to track the intruder
and relay the location to security
operations. Prior to SmartCatch, the
facility relied on motion detection systems
to identify potential perimeter intrusions.
However, this approach led to frequent false
alarms, which were resource intensive and
costly.
SmartCatch was able to strengthen the
facility’s existing access control system by
automatically identifying human and vehicle
tailgating violations.As vehicles approach
an entry control point, SmartCatch analyzes
CCTV video to make sure only one vehicle
enters per access card. A similar process
ensures that only one employee per access
card is able to enter a secure area.
Security is further enhanced by the ability
to trigger alerts if people or vehicles are
loitering outside restricted areas, or if
these areas are accessed outside of
designated hours.
Since implementing SmartCatch, the facility
has significantly reduced security costs by
virtually eliminating false alarms and
reducing human surveillance expenses.
SMARTCATCH TECHNOLOGY
The SmartCatch
Intelligent Video Surveillance Platform
offers a unique distributed architecture
that is easily deployed on a few cameras or
on thousands across a large organization.
Multiple behaviors are available and can run
in any combination to provide comprehensive
coverage.
SmartCatch includes a complete set of
application programming interfaces (APIs)
for integration, customization of the user
interface and tailoring applications. It
works with existing CCTV and security
infrastructures such as access control
systems, biometrics and RFID. Alerts are
delivered in real time to a wide variety of
devices including pagers, PDAs and email.
SmartCatch runs on industry standard
hardware and operating systems.
MINIMIZE SECURITY COSTS AND MAXIMIZE
EXISTING INVESTMENT
SmartCatch
Intelligent Video provides a measurable
return on investment by significantly
reducing fines, delays, theft, damage and
labor costs.
The ability to automatically monitor
thousands of security cameras enables
airports to improve security with fewer
personnel. The improved security leads to
fewer TSA fines and reduced loss from theft
or damage to critical airport infrastructure
or high-value assets. Finally, SmartCatch
provides further value by helping to avoid
costly security-related delays and by
leveraging investments in existing security
systems.
|