The University of Guelph has chosen Genetec’s IP Video Surveillance Solution Omnicast to secure its students and faculty.
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IndigoVision’s IP Video technology is providing site-wide CCTV surveillance for an oil sands mining complex in Alberta.
Accurate time essential for video surveillance applications
Written by Tim Klimasewski July 24, 2007
As video surveillance hardware becomes IP-based, systems are able to take advantage of the network to improve efficiency and performance. Time synchronization, in which all the clocks in cameras, recording equipment, and computers have the same time, is simple to implement on the network. It utilizes a standard protocol and a network appliance known as a time server. What’s more, the time server can be legally traceable to a time authority. The result is low-cost investment protection for the video system deployment.
Security professionals thrive in a “What if?” world, always a step ahead of the threat, constantly pushing to leverage the latest technology for today’s security issues. Understanding threats not yet contemplated. What if a security system deployment is not synchronized? An employee in a major corporation clearly compromises corporate security, but the legal department declines to prosecute. Why? Because the physical security system shows him entering the area several minutes after a particular event was logged on the computer network. Time synchronization could have preempted this problem.
The risk of manually setting time at infrequent intervals, in separate systems, with different times based on normal clock drift is unnecessary and is a legal liability. A municipality came under public scrutiny and threat of lawsuit for inadequate response to a medical emergency.
The time stamp on video shows a man collapsing at one time, but the 9-1-1 call was made much later. It was determined subsequently that the video recorder was set incorrectly. A few years ago, 9-1-1 call centers were facing these types of lawsuits for allegedly not responding to emergencies in reasonable amounts of time. Timestamped records, especially those logged on voice recorders, are often subpoenaed in court cases. It is imperative that these time records be legally traceable to a national standard authority.
Synchronized, traceable time has proven to be a successful defense of time stamped evidence. Best practices for the use of video surveillance have been published by The Scientific Working Group for Imaging Technology (SWGIT) as recommendations and guidelines for the use of CCTV in security systems for commercial Institutions. For security system data to hold up in a court of law, one must demonstrate the ability to accurately re-create the events surrounding a particular action. Accurate time stamping is essential for event reconstruction. The SWGIT recommendations specify the use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) for IP-based systems and GPS-based timing equipment as an industry-standard time synchronization method.
Legal issues aside, synchronizing clocks greatly improves the efficiency of operations for both the end-user and the system integrator. Applications work as expected, interoperability is ensured, and costs of troubleshooting and manually re-setting clocks are eliminated. Unsynchronized clocks lead to finger-pointing. A better way is to implement time synchronization for every IP video deployment.
Synchronization to Legally Traceable Time
Time, as measured by the second, is one of the seven legally-defined units of measure. Since the Treaty of the Meter in 1875, time has been coordinated worldwide.
Today, official time, known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is measured by vibrations of the cesium atom, an extremely accurate time constant. (UTC replaced Greenwich Mean Time [GMT] in 1972.) UTC is kept by national metrology institutes like the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. In order to synchronize clocks to accurate time, traceability to UTC is required.
Implementing a UTC-traceable time synchronization system is a simple process for IP-based security systems. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an “open source” time synchronization distribution standard sponsored by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is defined by RFC1305. Client software for NTP is widely available for virtually any operating system and is typically preinstalled in IP-cameras,
DVRs, computers, etc. Configuring an NTP client is straightforward once the network has a governing source of time — a master clock, also known as a time server.
Time servers are available for general use on the Internet and can be found through the NTP Public Services Project. Their primary liability is that their use requires continuous Internet connectivity and an open port in the firewall so they cannot be used for closed security systems. What’s more problematic, however, is that the accuracy of these free sources cannot be verified.
GPS Time: Within the Firewall
The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a cost-effective way to provide a traceable time synchronization source from inside a facility. The GPS system includes 24 satellites carrying onboard atomic clocks. The U.S. Naval Observatory monitors the satellites’ clocks and locks them to UTC for accuracy and traceability to NRC and NIST time. We are all familiar with the use of GPS to provide driving directions. These systems use accurate time and the principle of triangulation to calculate the three-dimensional position anywhere on Earth. The same GPS signal can also be used to time-synchronize devices and networks.
A GPS time server provides an integrated solution that enables accurate time stamps for video surveillance systems as well as access systems, time and attendance systems, alarms, and other elements of the network infrastructure (routers, firewalls, etc). Legally traceable timestamps provide necessary evidence and validation of events for legal proceedings. For reliability and security, the time server synchronizes to the precision time code from GPS satellites. They operate behind the firewall to synchronize all elements of network hardware and software (including system logs) down to the millisecond over LANs or
WANs, anywhere on the planet.
Tim Klimasewski is marketing manager for Spectracom in Rochester, N.Y.
Security professionals thrive in a “What if?” world, always a step ahead of the threat, constantly pushing to leverage the latest technology for today’s security issues. Understanding threats not yet contemplated. What if a security system deployment is not synchronized? An employee in a major corporation clearly compromises corporate security, but the legal department declines to prosecute. Why? Because the physical security system shows him entering the area several minutes after a particular event was logged on the computer network. Time synchronization could have preempted this problem.
The risk of manually setting time at infrequent intervals, in separate systems, with different times based on normal clock drift is unnecessary and is a legal liability. A municipality came under public scrutiny and threat of lawsuit for inadequate response to a medical emergency.
The time stamp on video shows a man collapsing at one time, but the 9-1-1 call was made much later. It was determined subsequently that the video recorder was set incorrectly. A few years ago, 9-1-1 call centers were facing these types of lawsuits for allegedly not responding to emergencies in reasonable amounts of time. Timestamped records, especially those logged on voice recorders, are often subpoenaed in court cases. It is imperative that these time records be legally traceable to a national standard authority.
Synchronized, traceable time has proven to be a successful defense of time stamped evidence. Best practices for the use of video surveillance have been published by The Scientific Working Group for Imaging Technology (SWGIT) as recommendations and guidelines for the use of CCTV in security systems for commercial Institutions. For security system data to hold up in a court of law, one must demonstrate the ability to accurately re-create the events surrounding a particular action. Accurate time stamping is essential for event reconstruction. The SWGIT recommendations specify the use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) for IP-based systems and GPS-based timing equipment as an industry-standard time synchronization method.
Legal issues aside, synchronizing clocks greatly improves the efficiency of operations for both the end-user and the system integrator. Applications work as expected, interoperability is ensured, and costs of troubleshooting and manually re-setting clocks are eliminated. Unsynchronized clocks lead to finger-pointing. A better way is to implement time synchronization for every IP video deployment.
Synchronization to Legally Traceable Time
Time, as measured by the second, is one of the seven legally-defined units of measure. Since the Treaty of the Meter in 1875, time has been coordinated worldwide.
Today, official time, known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is measured by vibrations of the cesium atom, an extremely accurate time constant. (UTC replaced Greenwich Mean Time [GMT] in 1972.) UTC is kept by national metrology institutes like the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. In order to synchronize clocks to accurate time, traceability to UTC is required.
Implementing a UTC-traceable time synchronization system is a simple process for IP-based security systems. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an “open source” time synchronization distribution standard sponsored by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is defined by RFC1305. Client software for NTP is widely available for virtually any operating system and is typically preinstalled in IP-cameras,
DVRs, computers, etc. Configuring an NTP client is straightforward once the network has a governing source of time — a master clock, also known as a time server.
Time servers are available for general use on the Internet and can be found through the NTP Public Services Project. Their primary liability is that their use requires continuous Internet connectivity and an open port in the firewall so they cannot be used for closed security systems. What’s more problematic, however, is that the accuracy of these free sources cannot be verified.
GPS Time: Within the Firewall
The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a cost-effective way to provide a traceable time synchronization source from inside a facility. The GPS system includes 24 satellites carrying onboard atomic clocks. The U.S. Naval Observatory monitors the satellites’ clocks and locks them to UTC for accuracy and traceability to NRC and NIST time. We are all familiar with the use of GPS to provide driving directions. These systems use accurate time and the principle of triangulation to calculate the three-dimensional position anywhere on Earth. The same GPS signal can also be used to time-synchronize devices and networks.
A GPS time server provides an integrated solution that enables accurate time stamps for video surveillance systems as well as access systems, time and attendance systems, alarms, and other elements of the network infrastructure (routers, firewalls, etc). Legally traceable timestamps provide necessary evidence and validation of events for legal proceedings. For reliability and security, the time server synchronizes to the precision time code from GPS satellites. They operate behind the firewall to synchronize all elements of network hardware and software (including system logs) down to the millisecond over LANs or
WANs, anywhere on the planet.
Tim Klimasewski is marketing manager for Spectracom in Rochester, N.Y.
Accurate time essential for video surveillance applications
Written by Tim Klimasewski July 24, 2007
As video surveillance hardware becomes IP-based, systems are able to take advantage of the network to improve efficiency and performance. Time synchronization, in which all the clocks in cameras, recording equipment, and computers have the same time, is simple to implement on the network. It utilizes a standard protocol and a network appliance known as a time server. What’s more, the time server can be legally traceable to a time authority. The result is low-cost investment protection for the video system deployment.
Security professionals thrive in a “What if?” world, always a step ahead of the threat, constantly pushing to leverage the latest technology for today’s security issues. Understanding threats not yet contemplated. What if a security system deployment is not synchronized? An employee in a major corporation clearly compromises corporate security, but the legal department declines to prosecute. Why? Because the physical security system shows him entering the area several minutes after a particular event was logged on the computer network. Time synchronization could have preempted this problem.
The risk of manually setting time at infrequent intervals, in separate systems, with different times based on normal clock drift is unnecessary and is a legal liability. A municipality came under public scrutiny and threat of lawsuit for inadequate response to a medical emergency.
The time stamp on video shows a man collapsing at one time, but the 9-1-1 call was made much later. It was determined subsequently that the video recorder was set incorrectly. A few years ago, 9-1-1 call centers were facing these types of lawsuits for allegedly not responding to emergencies in reasonable amounts of time. Timestamped records, especially those logged on voice recorders, are often subpoenaed in court cases. It is imperative that these time records be legally traceable to a national standard authority.
Synchronized, traceable time has proven to be a successful defense of time stamped evidence. Best practices for the use of video surveillance have been published by The Scientific Working Group for Imaging Technology (SWGIT) as recommendations and guidelines for the use of CCTV in security systems for commercial Institutions. For security system data to hold up in a court of law, one must demonstrate the ability to accurately re-create the events surrounding a particular action. Accurate time stamping is essential for event reconstruction. The SWGIT recommendations specify the use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) for IP-based systems and GPS-based timing equipment as an industry-standard time synchronization method.
Legal issues aside, synchronizing clocks greatly improves the efficiency of operations for both the end-user and the system integrator. Applications work as expected, interoperability is ensured, and costs of troubleshooting and manually re-setting clocks are eliminated. Unsynchronized clocks lead to finger-pointing. A better way is to implement time synchronization for every IP video deployment.
Synchronization to Legally Traceable Time
Time, as measured by the second, is one of the seven legally-defined units of measure. Since the Treaty of the Meter in 1875, time has been coordinated worldwide.
Today, official time, known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is measured by vibrations of the cesium atom, an extremely accurate time constant. (UTC replaced Greenwich Mean Time [GMT] in 1972.) UTC is kept by national metrology institutes like the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. In order to synchronize clocks to accurate time, traceability to UTC is required.
Implementing a UTC-traceable time synchronization system is a simple process for IP-based security systems. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an “open source” time synchronization distribution standard sponsored by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is defined by RFC1305. Client software for NTP is widely available for virtually any operating system and is typically preinstalled in IP-cameras,
DVRs, computers, etc. Configuring an NTP client is straightforward once the network has a governing source of time — a master clock, also known as a time server.
Time servers are available for general use on the Internet and can be found through the NTP Public Services Project. Their primary liability is that their use requires continuous Internet connectivity and an open port in the firewall so they cannot be used for closed security systems. What’s more problematic, however, is that the accuracy of these free sources cannot be verified.
GPS Time: Within the Firewall
The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a cost-effective way to provide a traceable time synchronization source from inside a facility. The GPS system includes 24 satellites carrying onboard atomic clocks. The U.S. Naval Observatory monitors the satellites’ clocks and locks them to UTC for accuracy and traceability to NRC and NIST time. We are all familiar with the use of GPS to provide driving directions. These systems use accurate time and the principle of triangulation to calculate the three-dimensional position anywhere on Earth. The same GPS signal can also be used to time-synchronize devices and networks.
A GPS time server provides an integrated solution that enables accurate time stamps for video surveillance systems as well as access systems, time and attendance systems, alarms, and other elements of the network infrastructure (routers, firewalls, etc). Legally traceable timestamps provide necessary evidence and validation of events for legal proceedings. For reliability and security, the time server synchronizes to the precision time code from GPS satellites. They operate behind the firewall to synchronize all elements of network hardware and software (including system logs) down to the millisecond over LANs or
WANs, anywhere on the planet.
Tim Klimasewski is marketing manager for Spectracom in Rochester, N.Y.
Security professionals thrive in a “What if?” world, always a step ahead of the threat, constantly pushing to leverage the latest technology for today’s security issues. Understanding threats not yet contemplated. What if a security system deployment is not synchronized? An employee in a major corporation clearly compromises corporate security, but the legal department declines to prosecute. Why? Because the physical security system shows him entering the area several minutes after a particular event was logged on the computer network. Time synchronization could have preempted this problem.
The risk of manually setting time at infrequent intervals, in separate systems, with different times based on normal clock drift is unnecessary and is a legal liability. A municipality came under public scrutiny and threat of lawsuit for inadequate response to a medical emergency.
The time stamp on video shows a man collapsing at one time, but the 9-1-1 call was made much later. It was determined subsequently that the video recorder was set incorrectly. A few years ago, 9-1-1 call centers were facing these types of lawsuits for allegedly not responding to emergencies in reasonable amounts of time. Timestamped records, especially those logged on voice recorders, are often subpoenaed in court cases. It is imperative that these time records be legally traceable to a national standard authority.
Synchronized, traceable time has proven to be a successful defense of time stamped evidence. Best practices for the use of video surveillance have been published by The Scientific Working Group for Imaging Technology (SWGIT) as recommendations and guidelines for the use of CCTV in security systems for commercial Institutions. For security system data to hold up in a court of law, one must demonstrate the ability to accurately re-create the events surrounding a particular action. Accurate time stamping is essential for event reconstruction. The SWGIT recommendations specify the use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) for IP-based systems and GPS-based timing equipment as an industry-standard time synchronization method.
Legal issues aside, synchronizing clocks greatly improves the efficiency of operations for both the end-user and the system integrator. Applications work as expected, interoperability is ensured, and costs of troubleshooting and manually re-setting clocks are eliminated. Unsynchronized clocks lead to finger-pointing. A better way is to implement time synchronization for every IP video deployment.
Synchronization to Legally Traceable Time
Time, as measured by the second, is one of the seven legally-defined units of measure. Since the Treaty of the Meter in 1875, time has been coordinated worldwide.
Today, official time, known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is measured by vibrations of the cesium atom, an extremely accurate time constant. (UTC replaced Greenwich Mean Time [GMT] in 1972.) UTC is kept by national metrology institutes like the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. In order to synchronize clocks to accurate time, traceability to UTC is required.
Implementing a UTC-traceable time synchronization system is a simple process for IP-based security systems. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an “open source” time synchronization distribution standard sponsored by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is defined by RFC1305. Client software for NTP is widely available for virtually any operating system and is typically preinstalled in IP-cameras,
DVRs, computers, etc. Configuring an NTP client is straightforward once the network has a governing source of time — a master clock, also known as a time server.
Time servers are available for general use on the Internet and can be found through the NTP Public Services Project. Their primary liability is that their use requires continuous Internet connectivity and an open port in the firewall so they cannot be used for closed security systems. What’s more problematic, however, is that the accuracy of these free sources cannot be verified.
GPS Time: Within the Firewall
The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a cost-effective way to provide a traceable time synchronization source from inside a facility. The GPS system includes 24 satellites carrying onboard atomic clocks. The U.S. Naval Observatory monitors the satellites’ clocks and locks them to UTC for accuracy and traceability to NRC and NIST time. We are all familiar with the use of GPS to provide driving directions. These systems use accurate time and the principle of triangulation to calculate the three-dimensional position anywhere on Earth. The same GPS signal can also be used to time-synchronize devices and networks.
A GPS time server provides an integrated solution that enables accurate time stamps for video surveillance systems as well as access systems, time and attendance systems, alarms, and other elements of the network infrastructure (routers, firewalls, etc). Legally traceable timestamps provide necessary evidence and validation of events for legal proceedings. For reliability and security, the time server synchronizes to the precision time code from GPS satellites. They operate behind the firewall to synchronize all elements of network hardware and software (including system logs) down to the millisecond over LANs or
WANs, anywhere on the planet.
Tim Klimasewski is marketing manager for Spectracom in Rochester, N.Y.
The advantages of digital technology in analyzing and providing real time feedback will likely fuel the IP video surveillance storage systems market, according to a recent report from market analysts Frost & Sullivan.
In addition to growing security concerns, the possibility of integration with the IT infrastructure provides the necessary business case for security managers to shift from analogue to IP surveillance according to the report entitled North American IP Video Surveillance Storage Markets. The report reveals that the market earned revenues of $1.26 billion in 2006 and estimates this to reach $2.95 billion in 2013.
“The falling prices of hard disk drives (HDDs) as well as increasing demand from government and gaming sectors as they replace analogue systems with IP surveillance drives this market,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst George C Paul.
“Further, the advent of Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) used for transferring data between hard disk and computer makes IP video surveillance storage systems relatively less complex.”
However, the cost of replacing an existing analogue system with an IP surveillance system includes the replacement of cameras, network, servers, recorders and monitoring stations, which represents a major cost for end users. Additionally, applications such as casino gaming tables, can only operate with continuous video monitoring. Therefore, to prevent revenue loss, casinos require “hot swapping” wherein the analogue surveillance system is replaced in stages by the IP system. Both systems run in parallel until the IP surveillance is ready to take over.
“The challenge for the IP video surveillance storage market is to develop solutions targeting particular applications, with the right balance of flexibility, security and cost,” notes Paul. “For instance, intermediate technologies such as encoders can be used to convert analogue to digital before setting up IP storage systems so that when the transition from analog to digital takes place, the cost does not seem prohibitive.”
Nonetheless, active public and private security concerns in recent times propel heavy investments in the IP video surveillance storage market.
Continuing demand from casinos, airports, banks, and hospitals also bodes well for the IP video surveillance storage market.
In addition to growing security concerns, the possibility of integration with the IT infrastructure provides the necessary business case for security managers to shift from analogue to IP surveillance according to the report entitled North American IP Video Surveillance Storage Markets. The report reveals that the market earned revenues of $1.26 billion in 2006 and estimates this to reach $2.95 billion in 2013.
“The falling prices of hard disk drives (HDDs) as well as increasing demand from government and gaming sectors as they replace analogue systems with IP surveillance drives this market,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst George C Paul.
“Further, the advent of Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) used for transferring data between hard disk and computer makes IP video surveillance storage systems relatively less complex.”
However, the cost of replacing an existing analogue system with an IP surveillance system includes the replacement of cameras, network, servers, recorders and monitoring stations, which represents a major cost for end users. Additionally, applications such as casino gaming tables, can only operate with continuous video monitoring. Therefore, to prevent revenue loss, casinos require “hot swapping” wherein the analogue surveillance system is replaced in stages by the IP system. Both systems run in parallel until the IP surveillance is ready to take over.
“The challenge for the IP video surveillance storage market is to develop solutions targeting particular applications, with the right balance of flexibility, security and cost,” notes Paul. “For instance, intermediate technologies such as encoders can be used to convert analogue to digital before setting up IP storage systems so that when the transition from analog to digital takes place, the cost does not seem prohibitive.”
Nonetheless, active public and private security concerns in recent times propel heavy investments in the IP video surveillance storage market.
Continuing demand from casinos, airports, banks, and hospitals also bodes well for the IP video surveillance storage market.
Bombardier Signs Transit Security deal with March Networks
Written by Jennifer Brown September 29, 2006
{mosimage}Bombardier Transportation announced Sept. 15 that it has signed a joint design and development agreement with Ottawa-based March Networks for the launch of an on-board mobile security system for the passenger rail market. The system will use March Networks' video applications used for surveillance and monitoring.
The CCTV pilot project conducted during the Christmas holidays by the Toronto Police Service (TPS) will be extended by the the Yonge Business Improvement Area (BIA) to the tune of $150,000.
Licence plate recognition tool used for auto theft recovery and border security
Written by Sarah Lysecki June 27, 2007
From electronic toll collection and traffic activity monitoring to border security, licence plate recognition technology is used widely all over the globe, but here at home the Canadian market is slower to adopt the technology compared to other places like the United Kingdom, where the technology was invented about 30 years ago.
Both the UK and Italy have national automatic number plate recognition (ALPR) programs. ALPR is another name for LPR, which is also known as automatic vehicle identification (AVI), car plate recognition (CPR) and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).
LPR is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition software on images to read the licence plates on vehicles. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software translates images of text, such as a licence plate, into editable text or into a standard encoding scheme representing them such as American Standard Code Information Interchange (ASCII) or Unicode.
It was a trip to Europe for a conference that inspired a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to test it out to help with auto theft in lower mainland B.C. The RCMP in B.C. is the first and only detachment in the country to pilot the technology, says Const. Dave Babineau, strategic communication officer, "E" Division Traffic Services, RCMP in Langley B.C.
The "E" Division Traffic Services in Langley has been working with Blue Max Canada, a Surrey, B.C.-based vendor of ALPR equipment, since late 2006 on a three-part pilot project. The first two parts of the pilot were two, two-week periods to collect data with the help of the International Centre for Urban Research Studies (ICURS) at Simon Fraser University and University College of the Fraser Valley. The third phase of the pilot, which is six months long and is expected to wrap up in a few months, involves the actual testing of the product.
For the pilot, which has cost $650,000 to date, the ALPR units are only being deployed in the Lower Mainland for auto crime such as car theft and traffic enforcement with the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) and the Integrated Road Safety Units (IRSU). The division has six APLR-equipped cruisers, two marked and four unmarked, that are being used as part of the pilot.
The cruisers each contain an onboard computer in the trunk where licence plates of interest or a "hotlist" is stored and updated every morning. Hotlists are comprised of stolen licence plates, plates associated to stolen vehicles, prohibited drivers, unlicenced drivers and uninsured vehicles, for example. The vehicles have been deployed in specific corridors, bridges and highways that have been identified by ICURS as locations that are used by prohibited drivers, unlicenced drivers, and people driving stolen and uninsured vehicles.
At present, the ALPR system in use by police in B.C. has access to selected motor vehicle branch data from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and stolen vehicle data from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC). The ALPR database is capable of being expanded to include vehicles associated to charged persons, crime vehicles, sex offenders and wanted persons but is not being used for that purpose in this instance.
During the test phase, the RCMP is not notifying the public to ensure accurate results in its analysis of the technology. As a result, the RCMP has not made any arrests for breaches of the law during the pilot project. The RCMP plans on notifying the public before fully rolling out the technology with the hope of deterring people from breaking the law. Notifying the public is one of the issues that surrounds the privacy implications of this technology.
The RCMP maintains that it is well aware of the importance of complying with the federal privacy act and that it has taken all measures to ensure data such as the vehicle's image is purged from the system when required by law. Under Canada's federal privacy legislation, this is required every three months.
At the municipal law enforcement level, Calgary Police Services and Toronto Police Services are using the technology to locate parked stolen vehicles.
Brian Shockley, director of marketing for PIPS Technology, says law enforcement is getting the most publicity out of the markets his company serves. PIPS customers include retailers, such as gas bars, parking enforcement and access control. While Shockley said law enforcement is usually the shortest sales cycle, it's not the biggest market that PIPS Technology sells to.
"The biggest market would be things like border security," he said, adding that PIPS Technology is working on a large proposal in the U.S. with border security as well on one with tolling.
Canada Border Security Agency, for example, uses a stationary application of the ALPR for border security.
IBM, which in April launched the Smart Surveillance System (S3), is working with law enforcement agencies around the globe. S3 is a piece of middleware for use in surveillance systems that provides video-based behavioral analysis capabilities.
Michael Martin, senior managing consultant, IBM Global Business Services, IBM Canada, said the use of LPR to gather people's information might be tripped up by the Personal Information and Electronic Documents Ac (PIPEDA). But, he added, "If you follow the rules of PIPEDA and you do things the way you’re supposed to do then you’ll be okay."
Likewise, David Drell, vice-president of solutions engineering at CoVi, which is based in Austin, Texas, said CoVi is currently working with a gas station in the U.K. and has not come across any privacy regulation issues. "There's no expectation of privacy on licence plates," he said. "If I'm out on the road I can see your license plate number any time that I want. Once I have that number written down, what can I do with it."
In his experience, Drell said LPR is, "making a big improvement in the productivity of the police force."
The RCMP is optimistic about the outcome of the pilot project. The B.C. detachment expects to meet or exceed the success the U.K. has achieved with ALPR. According to the RCMP, U.K. studies show arrest rates for ALPR officers are 10 times the arrest rates of non-ALPR officers. Eighty per cent of the vehicles that ALPR identifies are associated to criminals.
Both the UK and Italy have national automatic number plate recognition (ALPR) programs. ALPR is another name for LPR, which is also known as automatic vehicle identification (AVI), car plate recognition (CPR) and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).
LPR is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition software on images to read the licence plates on vehicles. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software translates images of text, such as a licence plate, into editable text or into a standard encoding scheme representing them such as American Standard Code Information Interchange (ASCII) or Unicode.
It was a trip to Europe for a conference that inspired a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to test it out to help with auto theft in lower mainland B.C. The RCMP in B.C. is the first and only detachment in the country to pilot the technology, says Const. Dave Babineau, strategic communication officer, "E" Division Traffic Services, RCMP in Langley B.C.
The "E" Division Traffic Services in Langley has been working with Blue Max Canada, a Surrey, B.C.-based vendor of ALPR equipment, since late 2006 on a three-part pilot project. The first two parts of the pilot were two, two-week periods to collect data with the help of the International Centre for Urban Research Studies (ICURS) at Simon Fraser University and University College of the Fraser Valley. The third phase of the pilot, which is six months long and is expected to wrap up in a few months, involves the actual testing of the product.
For the pilot, which has cost $650,000 to date, the ALPR units are only being deployed in the Lower Mainland for auto crime such as car theft and traffic enforcement with the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) and the Integrated Road Safety Units (IRSU). The division has six APLR-equipped cruisers, two marked and four unmarked, that are being used as part of the pilot.
The cruisers each contain an onboard computer in the trunk where licence plates of interest or a "hotlist" is stored and updated every morning. Hotlists are comprised of stolen licence plates, plates associated to stolen vehicles, prohibited drivers, unlicenced drivers and uninsured vehicles, for example. The vehicles have been deployed in specific corridors, bridges and highways that have been identified by ICURS as locations that are used by prohibited drivers, unlicenced drivers, and people driving stolen and uninsured vehicles.
At present, the ALPR system in use by police in B.C. has access to selected motor vehicle branch data from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and stolen vehicle data from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC). The ALPR database is capable of being expanded to include vehicles associated to charged persons, crime vehicles, sex offenders and wanted persons but is not being used for that purpose in this instance.
During the test phase, the RCMP is not notifying the public to ensure accurate results in its analysis of the technology. As a result, the RCMP has not made any arrests for breaches of the law during the pilot project. The RCMP plans on notifying the public before fully rolling out the technology with the hope of deterring people from breaking the law. Notifying the public is one of the issues that surrounds the privacy implications of this technology.
The RCMP maintains that it is well aware of the importance of complying with the federal privacy act and that it has taken all measures to ensure data such as the vehicle's image is purged from the system when required by law. Under Canada's federal privacy legislation, this is required every three months.
At the municipal law enforcement level, Calgary Police Services and Toronto Police Services are using the technology to locate parked stolen vehicles.
Brian Shockley, director of marketing for PIPS Technology, says law enforcement is getting the most publicity out of the markets his company serves. PIPS customers include retailers, such as gas bars, parking enforcement and access control. While Shockley said law enforcement is usually the shortest sales cycle, it's not the biggest market that PIPS Technology sells to.
"The biggest market would be things like border security," he said, adding that PIPS Technology is working on a large proposal in the U.S. with border security as well on one with tolling.
Canada Border Security Agency, for example, uses a stationary application of the ALPR for border security.
IBM, which in April launched the Smart Surveillance System (S3), is working with law enforcement agencies around the globe. S3 is a piece of middleware for use in surveillance systems that provides video-based behavioral analysis capabilities.
Michael Martin, senior managing consultant, IBM Global Business Services, IBM Canada, said the use of LPR to gather people's information might be tripped up by the Personal Information and Electronic Documents Ac (PIPEDA). But, he added, "If you follow the rules of PIPEDA and you do things the way you’re supposed to do then you’ll be okay."
Likewise, David Drell, vice-president of solutions engineering at CoVi, which is based in Austin, Texas, said CoVi is currently working with a gas station in the U.K. and has not come across any privacy regulation issues. "There's no expectation of privacy on licence plates," he said. "If I'm out on the road I can see your license plate number any time that I want. Once I have that number written down, what can I do with it."
In his experience, Drell said LPR is, "making a big improvement in the productivity of the police force."
The RCMP is optimistic about the outcome of the pilot project. The B.C. detachment expects to meet or exceed the success the U.K. has achieved with ALPR. According to the RCMP, U.K. studies show arrest rates for ALPR officers are 10 times the arrest rates of non-ALPR officers. Eighty per cent of the vehicles that ALPR identifies are associated to criminals.
Wireless networks transport signals through thin air, but that doesn’t mean camera security has to be lightweight.
In theory, a wired camera install should be more secure than wireless, since the signal travels within given physical parameters. Wireless information is necessarily more exposed, but this needn’t make it any less secure, according to experts in the field.
In theory, a wired camera install should be more secure than wireless, since the signal travels within given physical parameters. Wireless information is necessarily more exposed, but this needn’t make it any less secure, according to experts in the field.
Visual Defence based in Richmond Hill, Ont., uses its mobile video
surveillance solution over Motorola’s MOTOMESH wireless network. The
company has sold wireless product to several transit authorities as a
means to provide surveillance for public trains and buses. The solution
has been tested in several cities and has already been in use in
Stockholm, Sweden, for about a year.
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