COVENTRY, UK--IIPSEC 2007, a showcase for IP-based security technology applications, kicked off this year's show circuit here on January 23 with a series of well attended technical seminars aimed at installers, facilities managers, distributors and others, examining hardware and software used in IP-based security systems and issues related to the design and integration of such systems.

Brian Tilson, business development director for the security division of the Canada-based Lumenera corporation, touted the variety of ways video analytics can be deployed and accompanying advantages such technology can bring to security systems. He ticked off a variety of intelligent camera capabilities, including object classification, object tracking, digital tripwires, object size filters and graffiti and vandalism protection, while noting that "capabilities vary greatly depending on the software provided."

One of the key advantages of intelligent video highlighted by Tilson is its ability to allow proactive responses to threats. For example, he noted how an airport might combine capabilities such as digital tripwires and directional alarms that, if triggered, would allow operators to take action before and incident occurred.

Tilson also pointed out the growing role of intelligent cameras in fighting crime and vandalism. Training intelligent cameras on known crime zones has proven effective cracking down on illegal activities. "Video can be streamed to police so they know who they're looking for before they even arrive on the scene," said Tilson.

Adding intelligent video to systems can also pay off in financial terms as well, giving guards more information and therefore reducing false alarms. "With multiple rules, guards make better decisions," he said. Triggers that alert guards to possible employee theft can also reduce financial loss for companies.

In a talk entitled "Bringing it all together," DVTel's managing director for UK and EMEA David Petrook looked at the increasingly integrated, converged security world and addressed what he said will be the next step, unification of systems and capabilities.

"Unification means seamless operation," he said, using the evolution of travel planning to illustrate his point. Previously when people wanted to plan a holiday, they would turn to a travel agent to find a flight, and maybe a rental car, put the two together, and that was it. He likened the process of unification to the ability of a would-be tourist today to visit a single web site where he can book a flight, reserve a car, hotel room and meals and also secure a number of other services all on a single page.

It's not really a question of whether unification will take place in terms of security systems; according to Petrook the process will eventually be forced upon the industry whether it wants it or not. He compared the process to what happened with the mobile phone, which was originally a device simply to make calls, but which has become a calendar, diary, camera and more.

As this happens in the security industry, it will be up to installers to "make sure the client knows what features he has and how to use them," said Petrook. Unification can bring a number of benefits, including enhanced productivity, increased functionality and reduced costs, but operators of systems will have to know what to do with all the information that may becoming in over a unified platform, and installers have a key role to play in ensuring that they do.