08.09.17
What role does smart security have in safer rail?
Carl Pocknell, head of engineering at Panasonic System Solutions Europe, discusses the role of video analytics in keeping transport hubs safe and operating efficiently.
Despite there being over five million CCTV cameras in the UK, most surveillance footage is still manually managed and controlled. On the railways, incidents from crowd control to petty crime and suicide remain a big problem to passenger safety and service reliability.
To begin to address this, it is vital that the technology becomes smarter, more adaptive and responsive to changes in the environment. Video analytics within CCTV creates a more manageable security system.
Lost luggage and motion detection
Analytics software can detect luggage left in public areas automatically and flag it up to an operator, automatically switching the camera feed to the nearest camera. The software can also detect vulnerable people and send an alert if they get too close to the platform edge.
Trespass warning
Smart security systems divide station platforms into zones. Anyone entering a specific area triggers a Pan Tilt and Zoom camera which focuses on them and tracks subsequent movements.
It’s possible to combine this with an audible warning via a Public Address system that acts as both a safety precaution and deterrent to suspected trespassers.
Facial recognition
Panasonic’s facial recognition software, WV-ASF900, automatically recognises individuals from a black list and creates event alerts, giving the operator the ability to immediately play back the footage at the location where the incident was detected. The software also makes searching through hours of footage easier by narrowing it down to a specific face and timeline.
Congestion detection
People counting systems can distinguish between moving and non-moving congestion and flag up any issues to staff, helping them with deployment or opening extra walkways or barriers. For rail, it is crucial for underground and subway stations helping keep crowds away from platform edges.
Camera Tracking
Auto Tracking software enables the tracking of a moving object until it passes from a camera’s view. Once out of sight, another camera takes over the tracking using Panasonic’s proprietary inter-camera protocol. This works alongside scene change detection, so that if a camera is moved or its lens is covered, the system flags it up as a threat.
Such intelligent functionality creates automated alerts, meaning operators save a lot of time by being able to concentrate on genuine threats, rather than watching multiple screens for hours at a time, where no threat may occur or be picked up.
Panasonic System Solutions Europe develops bespoke technology solutions for the rail industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
W: business.panasonic.co.uk/solutions