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Video Content Analysis: What is it and How is it Changing the Face of CCTV?

February 28, 2022

Video content analysis, or VCA for short, refers to a camera’s ability to automatically analyze video footage to determine temporal and spatial events. Essentially, the technology does the work of a human operator and can detect when things are amiss in any way.

Video camera operators are required to monitor several screens at once. Though most are trained in what to look for, after staring at a screen for even 20 minutes, it can be easy to lose concentration and miss certain activity. In fact, many operators miss as much as 90% of activity in a scene after so many hours of surveillance have passed.

VCA allows system owners to set alerts for certain activities and assists the operator by lending an extra pair of “eyes.” If a camera identifies an alert condition, it will notify both the operator and the building owner so that they can take swift and immediate action.

CCTV has experienced rapid and extensive growth since it first came about, and it appears that it will continue to grow and evolve to better help us protect our properties. VCA is just one more way that the technology is advancing to serve our communities.

Changing the Face of CCTV Technology Once Again

Mammoth Security’s VCA technology will prove to be an invaluable asset to any surveillance system, as it is designed to support already comprehensive and efficient systems. With intelligent digital image processing and the ability to keep a constant and unblinking eye on every area monitored, your security is bound to increase by as much as 90%–making up for the 90% of footage missed when it’s just a human operator manning the cameras.

VCA works independently of a control server and operates independently on each camera. This allows you to choose from a wide variety of advanced detection functions, including the ability to track moving objects and hone in on idle ones. Images are analyzed instantly, allowing you, the operator or both to respond to alerts in a timely fashion.

Commercial Applications for VCA Technology

VCA technology can be used for a variety of reasons, something commercial businesses have come to take advantage of. Many manufacturers have combined motion detection cameras with people counters so that cameras, instead of human beings, can keep track of how many people enter and exit a building, park or some other venue on any given day.

From a security perspective, many manufactures have begun to develop devices and software that can track a suspect’s movements: where they came from, where they’re going and when and how they moved.  This suspect tracking feature proves to be particularly helpful when robberies or break-ins occur. Many devices take this ability one step further and can actually index peoples’ facial features and locate suspect’s by having the cameras recall people with similar features who were nearby when an event took place. The camera will take “snapshots” of several different people and present them to the operator, who can then click on certain images and have people with matching features “followed,” so to speak.

Some game currently use VCA technology as well, including Xbox 360’s Kinect. Retail locations use the advancements to track shoppers, which can be beneficial both from a security and a marketing standpoint.

Additional Applications for VCA Technology

Law enforcement has dabbled in VCA technology as well, with police officers and forensic experts utilizing it to analyze CCTV footage when investigating a crime. Police use it in much the same way that commercial businesses use it—to take snapshots of individuals, pinpoint suspects with similar features and track their behavior and activity. In fact, studies show that as many as 75% of open cases utilize CCTV to monitor suspects and events.

Many academic institutions are studying ways in which VCA technology can be used to promote the safety and wellbeing of U.S. citizens. One such study is being performed on body-cams and dashboard cameras in the hopes of figuring out a better way to obtain footage for public disclosure and to better identify people and events in videos. With police brutality making headlines every other week, it seems like, such an advancement would significantly help to ease the public and reinstate trust in police forces everywhere.

Mammoth Security Offers Top-of-the-Line Technology

If you’re looking for newer and better ways to protect your property, you’re in the right place. At Mammoth Security, it’s our goal to ensure that our clients—both current and prospective—are able to build the comprehensive security systems that they desire. For us, that means always having the right installation teams at the ready and always having the most up-to-date equipment on hand. If you’re ready to take your surveillance system to the next level with Video Content Analysis technology, give our team a call today. Visit our CCTV security cameras installation in Manchester CT webpage.

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