AI holds promising future in Security Surveillance
Security whether it is cybersecurity or surveillance has become the biggest concern for people in recent days. And the reason for its importance is the ever-increasing number of cybercrimes. With the rise in cybercrimes having created a havoc-like situation in many countries very recently and forced many to scale up their security measures, the growing importance of physical security has been clearly understood. Terrorism and antisocial activities are ever growing which call for deployment of surveillance security in every industry. This has influenced the growth of the surveillance industry. For proactive measures, many industries are adopting surveillance cameras integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
So what is AI and how does it work in the surveillance industry?
Explaining it, Deepak Pargaonkar, Senior Director – Solutions Engineering, Salesforce India, says, “When we talk about AI, it is a part of almost everything now. When we look at our daily life, it has become a part of our daily life. Take, for example, natural language processing like Siri. When we give a voice command, then Siri starts doing that for the user. Another example is: if I upload a picture with my friends, it immediately asks for tagging my friends. Here, the image is being processed and vision analysis is taking place. The third aspect is intense analysis. It is very important for various purposes. In an organization where there is a high volume of emails that you are experiencing then some mechanism to go to the intent of the written body and identify what could possibly it mean then accordingly take some call before the human being starts intervening. If you look at these examples, then possibly these are the building blocks for everything that happen in surveillance. The security industry has the components like capturing the images or there could be some social post or some written communication that also needs to be monitored, just to understand the sentiment of the written body.
AI now is getting more comprehensive and the algorithms are becoming richer through more analysis in big areas. A number of organizations including Saleforce India are doing a fair amount of work in the area of vision or image analysis. Once the images are captured when it comes to do some analysis, human analysis has always been a part of it, but what AI does is it takes away the manual labour and also adds some intelligence. This some intelligence means it starts applying deep learning models on the images. These deep learning models go through images; it compares the existing things that are available and it predicts the outcome. Once the outcomes are predicted, the actionable also needs to be done.”
Further explaining, Aditya Khemka, Managing Director, CP PLUS, adds, “Surveillance has been a passive form of protection so far. However, this is changing quickly. Artificial Intelligence is imparting brains to surveillance cameras, thereby letting them analyze live video without human interference. While still at its nascent stage, AI will drastically boost the capabilities of surveillance cameras helping police forces find offenders easily and improve overall public safety. Cameras will no longer require constant monitoring as video clips will become searchable and quick to find.”
Artificial Intelligence in Video Surveillance
Artificial Intelligence, a new technological innovation, has emerged in the field of security surveillance that is taking this industry towards the next level of growth. It is the most trending technology these days and is being adopted by many.
“Over the past few years, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) market has grown rapidly. With the advancements in processing power and the plethora of information now available as a result of IoT proliferation, more and more industries are putting AI to work. Today, Artificial Intelligence is the most trending technology in the security industry. HikVision has gained over a decade of experience in this field. HikVision has taken this technology and innovated a family of products to maximize its use. The DeepinView IP camera range and the DeepinMind NVR range work together to provide all the power and benefits of Deep Learning. While the cameras provide the smart ‘eyes’ of the system, the NVR represents the analysis and storage capabilities of the brain. The products help to tackle security on two fronts – recognition, monitoring and counting of people and recognition and detection of vehicles. They use Deep Learning technology at its most effective – for its ability to classify and recognize thousands of ‘features’,” describes Ashish Dhakan, MD & CE, PramaHikVision India.
The adoption of AI technology in surveillance is revolutionizing the security industry as it is making surveillance smart and it is also helping to overcome human flaws coupled with analysis which is aiding in crime reduction.
“AI infused with surveillance is going to be the next big evolution in the surveillance technology. This will change the world’s idea of surveillance. This will make the surveillance smart by providing artificial mind to its digital eyes. It will help in compensating for human shortcomings, proactive analysis will help in reducing the crime, will bring in much more robust detection and recognition tools,” says Mandar Joshi, Head – Channel Business, DIGISOL Systems.
AI is primarily used in surveillance to identify abusive incidences as it provides higher accuracy and refinement. Moreover, AI with machine learning capabilities in cameras has propelled video analytics feature when it comes to response and accuracy.
“Traditionally, AI based on algorithmic rules is being used to detect abusive incidences in the surveillance system. Thanks to machine learning and intelligence, image processing is being implemented at edge (camera), resulting in greater scale of accuracy and refinement in surveillance security. The latest silicon with high processing power and AI with Machine Learning capabilities in cameras have catapulted the video analytics features in terms of response and accuracy. D-Link cameras have abilities to fulfil the proactive surveillance intelligence like face recognition, object finding and recognition, scene change, abnormal speed, illegal parking, multiple loitering, cross wire, etc. Further, in my opinion, onboard intelligent video analytics would drastically reduce the cost of surveillance security system,” explains Raj Jadhav, Vice-President – Solution Consulting, Tech Support & IT, D-Link (India).
Apart from identifying critical situations, providing high accuracy and refinement, AI has also the capability of monitoring and analyzing a humongous amount of data streams. It is more efficient than humans and it costs less.
“AI is particularly valuable in the surveillance security industry. It is well established that humans have very little capability for accurately monitoring surveillance feeds as attention wanes after just a few minutes. Most of all, the number of data streams (i.e. cameras) is growing rapidly such that a large infrastructure like an airport could have thousands of camera streams. AI is capable of monitoring every stream and can do so better than any human and at a much lower cost,” views Jim Simon, Sr Director of Marketing, APJ, Quantum Corp.
Video Surveillance Market in India
As per a report, Indian enterprises are fast adopting AI. The technology helps the surveillance cameras to understand and analyze situation through algorithms. IT will act as a catalyst to take surveillance security market ahead.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology enables connected surveillance cameras to ‘see’ and ‘understand’ their environment instantly by using AI and Deep Learning algorithms. In the coming years, AI technology will not just be a catalyst but a key driving force like IoT to evolve the video surveillance and security market to the next level.
According to a report commissioned by Intel, undertaken by the International Data Corporation (IDC) that surveyed 194 Indian organizations across sectors, 71% are looking at increased process automation as a key benefit which could drive spike spends on this technology by 2020. The report further states that the Indian market is very fast in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Indian enterprises have been quick to adopt AI in the recent past, with nearly one in five organizations (22.2 per cent) across the four verticals surveyed implementing the technology in some way. This number is anticipated to soar considerably by mid-2019 with nearly seven in 10 firms (68.6 per cent) anticipated to deploy,” says Ashish Dhakan.
The video surveillance market in India is poised to grow, supported by socioeconomic conditions of the country. As per 6W Research, it will reach $2.4 billion by 2020. Also, Video Surveillance-as-a-Service (VSaaS) will further drive the growth trajectory.
“Well, according to 6W Research, the market for video surveillance in India is projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2020. I see a bright future for the video surveillance market in India as the dynamics are in favour of its impressive growth. The socioeconomic conditions of India will drive the video surveillance market as all sectors are poised for expansion. The emergence of Video Surveillance-as-a-Service will also drive its market growth,” opines Robbin Shen, Managing Director, Dahua Technlogy India.
Presently, the surveillance market is witnessing growth riding on the back of digitization. Moreover, both big and small enterprises are realizing the importance of surveillance system as it generates value for the business.
We believe that the market will grow at a CAGR of around 27.15 per cent till 2021. The reason behind this optimistic outlook is that, in India, the adoption of surveillance devices has not kept pace with the business growth. This disparity further increases if you bring advanced IP-driven surveillance devices into the picture.
Enterprises, both big and small, are beginning to realize the importance of surveillance systems, especially the ones that generate more value for the business. The surveillance market is, at present, experiencing accelerated growth because of the ongoing digitization, both for private businesses and public projects, as well as the replacement of legacy surveillance systems. As far as AI is concerned, considering the value that the technology adds to the surveillance industry, AI will not merely serve as a catalyst, but as a dominating force driving the market adoption,” predicts Abhishek Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia, Oncam.
IP-based Surveillance System
IP-based video surveillance technology is constantly on the rise, as many sectors are seeing an update in IP-based solutions than analog cameras. In the retail segment, a major chunk of the businesses have noticed a positive impact on security and operations after adopting IP-based video surveillance.
“The number of businesses adopting IP-based video surveillance technology has been constantly on the rise since 2010. Various sectors are now seeing an increased update in the IP-based solutions compared to analog cameras. There are many opportunities ranging from IP migration strategies (video encoder solutions, hosted video, edge storage, etc) to looping in POS and video analytics data that are taking IP video mainstream which has a quantifiable impact on sales and operations. In the retail sector, approximately 93 per cent of retailers who use IP-based video systems have noted a positive impact on security, LP and operations. 40 per cent also noted a positive impact on merchandising,” says Sudhindra Holla, Country Manager, Axis Communications India & SAARC.
Another vertical that has received benefits from video analytics is traffic management. Explaining the same, Rajender Singh Bhandari, Director – Systems Engineering, Marketing & Services, NetApp India, says, “We have seen deployment of several closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) and video analytics deployed for security and safety, law enforcement and intelligent traffic management. The CCTVs collect data and analyze it before dynamically adjusting the green period for each traffic light. Since the video data of the traffic situation is captured on a real-time basis for every day, week and month, the traffic light pattern is controlled, resulting in an optimized traffic flow. While the above examples are focussed on the public sector, other data-driven industries such as manufacturing, healthcare and retail will also benefit from this smarter data.”
The IP-based surveillance systems will boom as the benefits offered by it are of better quality than analog cameras. The systems provide enhanced image quality, video analytics, etc.
“The surveillance industry is going to thrive on IP based systems sooner or later without doubt. The image quality and other perks offered by IP-based systems are hard to compete for analog cameras. Hence, the shift will prove to be beneficial and will improve the security offered so far.
In terms of advantages, IP-based systems supersede analog cameras in every respect.
Especially the quality of images has enhanced a lot with IP-based systems. Further, Intelligent Video Analytics can be applied on network cameras and they give exceptional results. Also, network cameras give the flexibility under multi-location applications by providing centralized monitoring and management,” explains Kaushal Kadakia, Marketing Manager, IPVS, Matrix Comsec.
Apart from high-resolution picture, other benefits include a variety of cameras, which are scalable, are easy to install, have analytical capabilities, etc.
“IP surveillance is being adopted as users are discovering its benefits, especially in the long term. Advantages with IP cameras are the wide range of resolutions available in cameras; scalability owing to the use of IP addresses instead of the finite ports in video recorders; easy installation with the use of Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables which carry both power and network cables together; and analytical capabilities that reduce the manning of surveillance drastically by using algorithms to define breach nature and limits,” mentions Aditya Khemka.
While shifting towards IP-based surveillance system, buyers are expecting refined arrangements rather than ease security techniques.
“Market for video surveillance equipment in India is witnessing strong tailwinds and growth is predicted to accelerate throughout the period to 2020. India has the potential to be among the top three countries in the next few years. Moving from simple based security frameworks to IP- based observation, buyers are expecting exceedingly refined arrangements rather than ease security techniques. Warm imaging, low-light receptors, propelled sensors and facial recognizable proof are a portion of alternate areas coming into focus over the most recent couple of years, especially in India,” says Vijay Wadhwan, Head, System & Solutions Division, Panasonic India.
Though pricing created a barrier in the adoption of IP-based surveillance systems, but the enhancing computational and technological capabilities of internal components and lowering of price helped its growth.
The surveillance industry is fairly resilient to change, and coupled with pricing requirements in the market, it has created obstacles in the adoption of IP-based surveillance systems. However, the growing computational and technological capabilities of the internal components, as well as the decline of pricing and increasing functionalities have been ramping up adoption of IP surveillance systems. The more the industry evolves, requirements shift for devices to act independently, provide analytics capabilities and smart functionalities and being easily deployed, flexible and highly scalable, while at the same time keeping it easy and ready to co-work with several other IP devices through a centralized system.
For all these characteristics, IP-based surveillance systems will keep its increasing momentum going forward within the industry and greatly expanding on advantages and functionalities for years to come,” highlights Sanjeev Gulati, Country Manager – India & SAARC, VIVOTEK.
Opportunities in Indian Market
Companies are witnessing opportunities in the security market and 6W Research has projected that the market will grow at a CAGR of 13 per cent during 2017-23. A large number of verticals such as BFSI, government, transportation, educational institutes, etc are widely implementing video surveillance.
“There is immense potential in the surveillance security market. As per 6W Research, India’s video surveillance market is projected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 13 per cent during 2017-23, especially with the switch from analog to IP-based surveillance system. Verticals that are embracing video surveillance are Banking & Financial, government, transportation, retail & logistics, commercial offices, industrial & manufacturing, residential, hospitality & healthcare, and educational institutions,” mentions Mandar Joshi.
Reiterating similar views, Sanjeev Gulati says, “In the surveillance market, there are a consistently growing number of opportunities and industries embracing different solutions and functionalities. Some worth noting are the Banking and Financial, retail, transportation, government and higher security and entertainment. Each of these sectors have their own set of requirements and expectations. Hence, there is no a one-fits-all solution that could be applicable to all sectors. Hence, the opportunities are as wide as the requirements of the market expectations.”
With advancing technology like AI being adopted in the security market, it opens a wide opportunity for the companies. Systems will become more automated.
“The future holds an ample amount of opportunities for the surveillance security market, especially in India. With AI, the systems can be made more reliable. Human intervention will reduce gradually as the systems become more and more automated. For example, IP-based systems are nowadays capable of sending instant notifications in case of any mishap, informing the concerned person in real time through SMS and Email.”
Though video surveillance is being widely accepted now, the major verticals embracing it are manufacturing, hospitality, retail and BFSI industries. However, the education industry is also growing gradually. In the bigger picture, consumers are now well aware of the need of surveillance in and around their property,” says Kaushal Kadakia.
The Indian economy is growing at a rapid pace which is being driven by the businesses of the country. This will, in return, help surveillance security market to grow. The companies are witnessing major traction from small and medium enterprises as well as hospitality businesses.
“India is now the fastest-growing large economy in the world. The nation’s businesses are the prime drivers of the economy, and their growth will give a fillip to the surveillance security market. The biggest demand is coming from small and medium enterprises as well as hospitality businesses. Moreover, Smart Cities in India will require the most advanced surveillance systems for end-to-end processes, from cleanliness management to round-the-clock traffic monitoring. Big enterprises are also focussing on business process enhancement and faultless surveillance through advanced monitoring systems,” highlights Abhishek Kumar.
Raj Jadhav is also of same opinion and says, “It is, indeed, very exciting time here in India with technology proliferation at its peak. Government initiatives such as smart city, modernization of railway, increased awareness around security amongst the masses have opened enormous surveillance business avenues. People have realized the significance of surveillance system which results in the implementation of community and private surveillance system.”
Though the size of the market is very small, still Panasonic views a potential in the wearable camera market. Explaining about the market, Vijay Wadhwan says, “We also see a huge growth opportunity within the wearable camera market. Although the industry may seem very small right now, but as we go forward this will certainly become very large because of the massive police we have in the country. Whatever may conspire between the police and public can be recorded in the camera, and will act as a proof or evidence in the future. This can even work on a real-time basis as it works on IP protocol.”
Finally…
It is evident that AI holds the future in video surveillance industry and has further scope to provide better features for enhanced security. It is also expected that demands of video surveillance will further accelerate in the days to come with advancements like better throughput and increased storage capacity, etc.
“In the coming years, demands on video surveillance systems are expected to only increase. Going forward, video surveillance systems must respond with key improvements, including higher quality and better throughput and increased primary storage capacity. The number of deployed cameras should grow, as organizations realize the importance of covering more perspectives. Quality must also be improved for valuable analytics applications such as facial recognition and licence plate readers. With more cameras and higher resolutions, the sheer amount of video content will grow dramatically, challenging existing primary storage solutions,” concludes Khalid Wani, Director – Channel Sales, India, Western Digital Corporation.
Aparna Mullick
aparna@varindia.com
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