Intelligent Video Solutions for Campuses

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The promise of AI enabled video in academic settings centers around finding solutions to the social issue of school gun violence. 2018 was in fact the worst year for gun violence by number of incidents in our nation’s history, and this reality is driving demand for innovative campus security solutions. Intelligent video technology facilitates school safety through integrating already existing systems such as security cameras, fire alarms and sprinklers, and automatic door locks. By integrating data from multiple sources and sensors, cloud security platforms can discover new insights and make predictions. Basically, intelligent video has the potential to bring campus security from reactive to proactive.

These intelligent video platforms combine cloud and AI to bring data in closer relationship with each other. Video and sensor data are aggregated to perform analytics functions, allowing a type of machine learning to occur which has the effect of improving efficiency and overall security. While conventional school security measures were designed to function as forensic evidence after the fact of an incident (video to be used by the police and the court systems), these newer “smart” systems aim to go after problems before they make themselves manifest. Using video and IoT sensor data in the cloud, data is analyzed in real time and in aggregate, something human operators simply can not do fast enough to be effective. This allows the campus to identify patterns to help the platform better point out salient insights as it learns over time.

Using a cloud based solution for campus security also makes sense with regard to maintenance and upkeep. On-premise security architecture requires manual updating of software on each server, whereas a cloud system takes its updates automatically from the cloud. The updates are simply scheduled during closed hours as automatic, which reduces the amount of IT manpower needed and allows IT staff to remotely work on the system.

Another benefit of cloud based security is how scalable these systems are. As a campus expands and adds more doors, entry points and etc., the cloud is more than capable of expanding along with any new hardware that is added.

These systems also reduce the need for staffing in large campus security operations. Due to the integration of data from multiple types of sensors, less humans are needed in the response chain to initiate lockdown procedures, active shooter response, and other incident protocols. When integrated with an automated door locking system for instance, the platform can communicate a proactive response in an active shooter situation faster than any human team and lockdown to prevent entry as it alerts the human security element or the police.

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Security Technology of South Texas has the direct experience and skilled team to integrate a cloud based security solution into your school or campus. We meet with relevant staff to design custom, turn-key solutions from the ground up and offer the reliable and reachable service you need for these critical systems.

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Contact us at admin@gostst.com on our website or via phone at 210-446-4863 24/7

Using Deep Learning Algorithms to Recognize Individual Faces

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Finding a particular face in a crowd is something human minds have difficulty doing in settings much larger than a café. We are able to use context clues in such a setting, like a friend waving their arm or a table with just one person sitting at it. But in something more akin to a major league sports event with 40 thousand people such a task is impossible. Technology which can “fast-track” through massive amounts of data (hours of surveillance video with changing lighting and moving crowds) is now increasingly in demand. Facial recognition allows alerts to be sent out when a specific individual(s) enters a location and helps in post-event investigations as it can identify and track the movements of an individual.

As we have investigated previously, Deep Learning algorithms are the go to solution for these types of tasks. These are the same algorithms used in everything from predictive advertising, crime prediction, and chess/game playing software. Yet facial recognition is uniquely complex and comes with its own host of challenges. Pouring through vast amounts of data or trying to connect old images to the current appearance of an individual is just the beginning, but can still paralyze standard surveillance systems unable to make sense of the information. System hardware is simply too slowed down with the sheer volume of data necessary to perform the tasks needed. Furthermore, traditional “intelligent video” needs a consistent and stable background. It is for these reasons and more that this new, smarter breed of facial recognition is the future of video surveillance.

Something we have not looked at before in our “Security News” section are the two key steps of facial recognition algorithms; “Feature Extraction” and “Classification Learning”, defined briefly below.

 

Classification Learning makes use of so-called “shallow” learning and analysis; the kind used in old intelligent video solutions.

Feature Extraction sets the new technology apart from the old. This is where human design of features allow the system to perform adequately in specific environments even with subtle changes in background and lighting. However, this brings about some degree of sacrifice in accuracy.

 Employing Deep Learning in these tasks improves the accuracy of facial recognition to a significant degree. This is due to a greatly more sophisticated and modern algorithmic structure that more closely resembles human learning. The layers of such a program can reach above 100, permitting data processing in huge amounts and of increased complexity. Like the human learning around which it was designed, Deep Learning uses “layer by layer” feature-extraction processes. With each layer comes a different “weight”, which directly impacts what the program will learn about the components of visual data.

 

Because Deep Learning works alone and without human intervention, it can extract as many of these features  as possible, even if they are abstract or even impossible to describe. Features like this are why the programmers of these systems often cannot explains how their software was able to learn something new. The code is simply too abstract. With more features comes greater accuracy. Through these means, facial recognition above human levels can be achieved, and in a tiny fraction of the time.

 High level facial recognition of this caliber improves both security and investigation and has applications extending into many different industries. Banks, shops, hotels, and even bars and nightclubs all stand to benefit. Finding a face in a crowd of people almost instantly will only increase in demand in the near future.

 

Security Technology of South is proud to offer integration of this service and custom solutions for any and all security needs. Please contact us through email at admin@gostst.com on our website or via phone at  210-446-4863   24/7

 

Stakeholders Expectations When Securing a Medical Facility

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Medical facilities can be a unique challenge for security integrators. They tend to have a more diverse set of security needs all under the same roof. So-called “Behavioral Health” (psychiatric) units will need a tighter grip than the front door, with the entrance to the emergency department falling somewhere in between the extremes. These differences do in fact require very different approaches within the same overall design solution both in terms of doors and access control as well as security cameras and monitoring. Some areas may even be legally prohibited from operating surveillance devices. On top of this, a solid base of network security and competency from the installer is a must in an environment where a hack would lead to the compromising of medical records and billing information.

Owners or shareholders of private medical ventures will share some common concerns. Diversion of drugs from the clinical setting is one of the most frequently cited reasons for smaller clinics wanting to upgrade security, but is also well within the concerns of any larger operation. These environments have lockdown capability needs similar to what is being implemented in campuses, and stand to benefit from similar mass-notification systems. Moreover, any medical facility will have to at minimum meet legal requirements concerning HIPAA laws and fire code.

In large settings with many departments, it will be necessary to identify more than one decision maker. Because security and access control structure in one area tends to ripple throughout, it is typical that officers from compliance departments, HR, and security will be involved at a minimum. There are titles found only in healthcare settings such as the “CXO” (Chief Experience Officer) who deal with the patient experience rating. Because this will impact virtually every aspect of the hospital, and more directly, funding, this will be an important area of consideration in designing a system. Variations in system architecture allow for a mixing and matching of locks on interior and exterior doors to meet the needs of the customer. The demand for a “one-card solution” is already here, and increasingly users want and expect to be able to manage the functions of these systems through their mobile devices.

When groups enter the building, RFID can be logged from a card carried by each person. It is possible to give varying levels of access to interior doors to different individuals, and of course to track movement and time spent in different areas. Interior access control gives advantages to both management and the general employee.

Having the diverse array of technologies of todays security industry available could seem daunting, but does more to make it easy to tailor access control capabilities of each area and entrance to the complex than it does to confuse the process. The market for security in the medical field goes deep, which is why those who hold the shares and call the shots trust a dedicated outside enterprise to handle those needs.

As a Security Integrator, Security Technology of South Texas is prepared to build a tailor fit system for your site or project. Please contact us through email at admin@gostst.com on our website or via phone at  210-446-4863   24/7