ABSTRACT
Behind the familiar camera housings and lenses, and hidden from their surveilled subjects, video surveillance systems are becoming much ‘smarter’. Though many people still associate video surveillance with analogue CCTV (closed-circuit television), these new digital systems differ significantly. Behind the scenes, video analytics – computer-assisted video monitoring, analysis and indexing – is changing what can be ‘seen’ using surveillance camera networks. Video analytics (VA) is software that uses signal processing and pattern recognition techniques to automatically generate meaningful or semantic data from video images. Video analytics marks a paradigmatic shift in visual surveillance practices – in how information is purposed and repurposed – and in the potential consequences for surveillance subjects.
