Person of Interest - the workings of Video Analytics

Up to now, we have discussed quite a few interesting applications and points on visual analytics. But we have received some feedback asking to explain how it works. So here goes!

The basis of visual analytics, a practice of using computers to identify things or people of interest without an operator or a person having to view the video, are mathematical algorithms that monitor, analyze and manage big volumes of video. This means that video inputs are digitally analyzed and transformed into data that help people take decisions. It can be real time to help alert to specific incidents that could happen, such as an illegal suspect fleeing the country, and so on, or they can be post-event, looking incidents that have already occurred, for example a bombing or a fire in a store.

VA can happen in the centre, for example a central monitoring station, at the "edge", built into cameras which is ideal to locate live happenings, or as a combination of both. The optimal place to locate post-event analytics is on a central server as it is possible to search a large amount of recorded video for events, however this requires network capacity and processing power. But the main point on VA is that it works on motion detection and pattern recognition.

Motion Detection is basically examining each pixel in a given frame to detect the slightest movement. Pattern Recognition, on the other hand, recognizes specific patterns within a frame. These patterns or objects can be programmed and i.e, should a change happen or an object go missing the software immediately recognizes and sounds an alert.

The most common used types of video analytics used is violation of perimeters and recognition of license plates. Not only can this be used in surveillance, but in retail segment market analysis, to measure the number of people that pass in a given time (footfall), gender counting, shelf space effectiveness, and so on.

A fun and different way to see a little bit of VA in action, is watching a series called Person of Interest. It's just a TV show... but is it really?

Sources:
http://www.mistralsolutions.com/hs-downloads/tech-briefs/aug09-article-1.html
http://www.addic7ed.com/serie/Person_of_Interest/2/22/God_Mode
http://alexandra135.deviantart.com/art/Person-of-Interest-349555095

Visual Analytics: Integrating with every thread of our life !!

In today's world, all the application areas where large information spaces have to be processed and analyzed, visual analytics can play a pivotal role.

In line with this utility of visual analytics, major fields/sectors that are either using visual analytics  or are candidates for using it for their advantage include:
physics, astronomy, climate control, catastrophe and emergency management, terrorism informatics, border protection, investigation support, computer tomography in field of medicine, ultrasound imaging, sequencing of DNA and other biological data, human genome study, study of protein cells, combinatorial chemistry with tens of millions of compounds, financial data analysis, stock exchange trades analysis, credit card usage analysis, monitoring efficiency of prison systems, traffic light systems, airport traffic control; analysis of player data, games history, sports team analysis and much more.

The point here is that Visual Analytics is no longer constrained to being that "trendy new thing" out there for geeks to try; It is a integrating itself in every sphere of life as we know it - from DNA research to finance sector to climate control to sports to social media to crime control and monitoring. You think of a field/sector and I am sure you will find a news about how this field is getting benefited by visual analytics.

Just recently, TCS, a major technology company announced how it is using visual analytics and big data analysis to predict the future of IT industry and the trends of future.

And what do this integration of visual analytics with various aspects of our life mean? Well, to start with technological implications, remember the buzzword of 'High Performance Computing' that I had mentioned in one of my previous posts? Well, for starters, this would not be just the cool thing which is deployed only by major investment banks; it will be a necessity for every sector.

And to generalize, It is a mathematical fact that more samples you process for getting your regression model, the lower is the error value associated and no matter what sector you belong to, you have to admit that there is so much data now available to be processed and analyzed. In today's world, this 'big data' goes hand-in-hand with the various visual analytics tools, when it comes to using this data and putting it for use. I mean, along with all the other advantages that this association of visual analytics and the large volume of data will bring to your sector, you won't mind that 'added' accuracy in predictions of trends you care about most, would you? :-)

If you too forget people's names, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel...

As the battle between privacy protection and tech advancement continues, apparently Google has lost a battle. Intensified arguments and concerns towards access to personal information about people and other objects viewed by the Google Glass device forced the company to ban facial recognition and voice-print apps for the device. 

This means a halt on the stalkers and creeps, but also in the advancement of the ability to identify someone and bring up allergies, for example, in the case of a doctor, or prevention of people like me facing the embarrassment of not remembering a person's name. However, we all know that new things take time to sink in, so hopefully, our name-forgetting days are counted. And if this day should come sooner than later, and you still feel unsafe, rest assured that there will always be "rebel" technologies to protect you, such as the "Glasses to stop Google Glass from recognizing your face". Now isn't that something - Japan researchers already created the antimatter of the Google Glass even before it exists...

More info: 

http://bgr.com/2013/06/20/google-glass-facial-recognition-blocking/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226906

See what???

There has been massive discussion on Video Analytics, ranging from a necessary security measure, to a witch hunt on Snowden for exposing abuse of power on privacy (if you've never heard of him, check this out: The whistleblower). 

So first things first: What is video analytics?! In it's essence, it's a generic term used to describe computerized processing and analysis of video streams. In other words, every time you pass by a surveillance camera, from ATM machines, to security cameras in an airport, this generates information that can be used by surveillance system operators, security officers, government, corporate managers and so on, and so forth. By automatically monitoring people, vehicles and objects, within a camera's view, it's possible to understand their behaviors, and prevent events such as traffic or theft, or add value to a business. 

You may be asking yourself - But why? Well, on average, humans have an attention span of 10 to 25 minutes, so if you haven't lost your focus by now, you probably already get that automated monitoring of cameras can be faster, less costly and 24/7. And apart from the obvious security issue Video Analytics can be used to drive a business in ways such as getting in the consumer's pocket before he changes his mind, or helping uncover where to position a product in a store. More on these topics to come! 

Join us as we explore new technologies, business applications and some pretty cool trends on SeeIE!