Security · Quebec and Ontario
Video analytics for commercial camera systems
Cameras record everything and nobody watches. Analytics make the system point out what matters: a person in the yard at night, a vehicle at the gate. On the cameras you have, or on new ones.
What video analytics can do on a commercial site
Most recorded video is never looked at. Analytics change what the cameras are for: instead of an archive that is searched after an incident, the system detects defined events as they happen and tells the people on duty.
Analytics run in the camera, on the recorder or on a server. We start from the events you want to be told about, check what your cameras and recorder can already do, and add only what is missing. The cameras, their recording and their network are described under Video surveillance; this page covers what is done with the images.
Analytics are not magic, and we say so before the quote. A camera placed too high, too far away or facing the light gives the software little to work with, and plates need a camera chosen and placed for plates. Every site produces false alarms at first, and a period of tuning is part of the work.
- People and vehicle detectionAlerts on a person or a vehicle rather than on any movement, which removes most of the alarms caused by rain, shadows and animals.
- Lines, zones and loiteringA line that must not be crossed, an area that must stay empty after hours, a person who lingers near a door, an object left behind or removed.
- Licence plate recognitionPlates read at gates and parking entrances, to open a barrier for listed vehicles and to keep a searchable record of entries and exits.
- Counting and occupancyPeople counted at an entrance and the number present in an area: figures for operations, not surveillance of individuals.
- Search of recordingsFootage found by attributes such as the colour of clothing or the type of vehicle, across several cameras.
- Alerts to the people on dutyNotifications with an image to a guard station, a phone or a monitoring provider, on a schedule you set.
Where video analytics earn their place
- Vehicle gates and parking entrances
- Yards, perimeters and loading docks after hours
- Lobbies, entrances and retail floors
- Sites with many cameras and few people to watch them
Typical requests
- Staff receive so many motion alerts that they no longer open them
- A yard must be watched at night without someone looking at screens
- A parking entrance should open for registered vehicles
- Finding one event means watching hours of video
- A store or a building wants to know how many people come in, and when
- Nobody knows which functions the present cameras already include
Often installed together with
Industries we install it for
Analytics can be ordered for an existing camera system, whoever installed it. On a new project they are designed with the cameras.
How a video analytics project runs
Quick to install, longer to get right: the result is made in the tuning.
- Events and review of the cameras
We write down with you the events worth an alert, then review each camera concerned: its model, its view, its height, the light by day and by night. You learn which cameras are suitable, which should be moved, and where a new one is needed.
- Design and quote
The quote states where each function runs (camera, recorder or server), the software and equipment required, and who receives the alerts. Where a function is unlikely to work well at a given position, we say so rather than sell it.
- Configuration
Zones, lines, schedules and sensitivity are set camera by camera; plate lists and alert recipients are entered.
- Tuning and handover
The system is observed over several days of real activity, by day and after dark. False alarms are reviewed, rules are adjusted, and the people who will receive the alerts are shown how to handle them, search and export footage.
What you receive when the analytics go live
Analytics drift when a camera is moved, a tree grows or a schedule changes. The record lets your staff put them right.
- Rules as configuredEach camera with its zones, lines, schedules and sensitivity, and the reason for each rule.
- Alert routingWho receives which alert, at what hours and by what means, in a form you can change.
- Tuning recordWhat was observed and adjusted during tuning, and the limits that remain at each camera.
- InstructionTraining on alerts, search, export and the upkeep of a plate list.
Questions about video analytics
Can analytics be added to the cameras we already have?
Often. Recent IP cameras frequently include detection functions that were never switched on, and older cameras can be analysed by the recorder or by a server. We check each camera and tell you which ones can be used as they are.
Should the analytics run in the camera or on a server?
It depends on the number of cameras and on what is asked of them. Analytics in the camera need no extra equipment, but are limited to what that model can do. A server or a recorder handles older cameras, heavier functions and searches across many cameras, with equipment to buy and maintain. Many sites combine the two.
How accurate are video analytics?
It depends on the scene far more than on the software: the height and distance of the camera, and the light. We give no accuracy figure for your site before seeing it, and we tell you plainly what each camera can and cannot do.
What about privacy?
The use of analytics, like the use of cameras, must respect the privacy law that applies in Quebec and in Canada, and your own policies. Deciding what is analysed, informing the people concerned and setting how long data is kept are the owner's responsibility; we configure the system to match your decisions, and nothing here is legal advice. Facial recognition is strictly regulated and is outside what this page offers.
Can licence plate recognition open our parking gate?
Yes. A plate on your list can open a barrier or a garage door through the access control system, with a card or an intercom call as the fallback when a plate is dirty, covered with snow or misread.
Do analytics need a subscription or an Internet connection?
Not necessarily. Functions built into a camera or a recorder usually work on site with no recurring fee; server software and cloud services are often licensed per camera and per year. The quote sets out both costs.
Cameras that should tell you something? Describe the site.
Describe the site and what you need. We reply in English or French.