From SecurityInfoWatch.com:
IBM is now officially entering the smart camera market. They call their system the S3 for Smart Surveillance System. I have been waiting for this announcement. IBM has been doing a significant amount of research on smart surveillance or what they use to call their PeopleVision project. You can get a lot more information on the S3 system including technical publications over at IBM Research. Its fairly impressive and you wonder how this will transfer over to their products. Its nice from my position to see a vendor flex their technical acumen.
Also, this is another sign of the importance of this industry. The big players are moving in and swallowing startups. Last week Siemens Building Technologies acquired Vistascape.
rshah Vendors
From cbs2chicago.com:
I often get asked about the usefulness of cameras. I first point out that the research shows they aren’t a very useful deterrent to crime (from the viewpoint of the city as a whole). However, they are useful as an investigative tool (and often generate considerable publicity) in statistically rare criminal cases. The most riveting of these are kidnappings by children and terrorist activity.
The Jamie Bulger kidnapping in the UK with its footage of a child being taken away was crucial in building support for widespread video surveillance. We now have our own similar story in the US for blue light cameras. It does differ (thankfully) in that Shakina Scott was found quickly and safely. But it also shows (and will be over-hyped) another potential use of the blue light cameras.
UPDATE: According to Parenting magazine, there are 115 kids who are actually kidnapped by strangers every year. This is why I called this type of case statistically rare. However, a poll by the magazine found that 40% of moms (what no dads!) think that 5,000 kids are kidnapped by strangers each year. (This also shows I do read magazines other than Wired.) I found this in the October 2006 issue on page 37.
rshah Policy
Via thenewspaper, from Coeur d’Alene Press
ANPR will soon be deployed on I-90, which is a major road between Seattle and Chicago. A Homeland Security grant is paying for 8 cameras on the highway. Its not clear how the license plate data will be used. The local police figure it will help with stolen cars, Amber alerts, and terrorists. However, thenewspaper points out, this is a significant way to start tracking the movement of vehicles. Naturally, all of this depends on who is getting the data and how they utilize it.
rshah ALPR
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