Security System Project Is One Worth Watching

The next generation of electronic surveillance systems - capable of handling images and analysing information more quickly than anything currently commercially available - is being developed by University of Derby experts and a top technologies firm.

XAD Communications Ltd of Bristol - which develops audio, video and data networks for Government, public and large commercial organisations - is working with the University's Distributed and Intelligent Systems (DISYS) Research Group, based in its School of Computing and Mathematics, on the two-year project.

It will aim to develop a data centre which uses both 'solid state' (physically present computer systems) and 'cloud computing' (computing services accessed via the internet), capable of managing thousands of individual data streams (photographs, video output, records and other text) with far greater speed and flexibility than anything currently available commercially.

Dr Ashiq Anjum, University Lecturer in Computer Science and a DISYS member, said: "Currently, a typical control centre involved in security might need high numbers of people looking at screens, trying to interpret images and data.

"Our proposed system would do most of that interpretation for a human operator, sorting through many images so quickly it could present them with the journey of a person or vehicle in real time. By matching size and shape it should be able to do this, even if a person were to try and conceal their identity by changing their clothing midway along a route.

"One of the great advantages in using cloud computing for this type of system is the greater flexibility it gives you to respond to peaks and troughs in demand. This makes it more responsive and cheaper for companies to run."

Professor Nik Bessis, Head of the DISYS research group, added: "The new system being developed by the University and XAD Communications would be chiefly for the security and surveillance systems sector."

The project is being done under the University of Derby's knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) system, whereby academics enter into a commercial agreement with a company to solve a real business problem or develop a product.

After the two-year project is completed it is intended that the eventual prototype will initially be tested on road camera networks, before being adapted for other surveillance uses.

Dr Muhammad Fahim Tariq, Director of XAD Communications Ltd, said: "The system will offer quick search and analysis of recorded video contents in the control rooms, and improve staff efficiency."

XAD Communications will retain commercial rights to develop the eventual data centre whilst the University would hold research rights.

Provided by University of Derby