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Entrepreneurial Dominion In
the at the Right Time ObjectVideo's video-recognition technology took years to develop. But after 9/11, it was just what America needed to protect its vital infrastructure. | ||||||||||||
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Critical
facilities across the
One
possible solution is to install motion-sensing software
to alert security personnel when something does happen.
Trouble is, these detectors are not very discriminating.
They can be triggered by such random events as blowing
tree limbs or cresting whitecaps. False alarms are so
frequent that guards often turn the feature off.
That’s
why a business opportunity exists for ObjectVideo, Inc.,
a Fairfax-based developer of intelligent video
surveillance software using computer vision to
distinguish between whitecaps and boats, tree branches
and careening vehicles. ObjectVideo software can tell if
someone has left a bag unattended in a railway station
for an unusual length of time, or if a car has been
loitering suspiciously on the perimeter of a
petrochemical plant.
“Our
software,” says Brian Eckert, vice president of
marketing, “detects, classifies and tracks a potential
threat – and immediately alerts the security forces so
they can do something about it.” ObjectVideo reduces
the nuisance alarms to almost zero – and it eliminates
the need to keep security guards in control rooms pumped
with No Doze.
Founded
in 1998 by scientists and program managers from the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ObjectVideo
introduced its first product about a year ago. Talk
about timing. The 9/11 terror attack, reinforced by the
Madrid train bombings, had heightened awareness to a
fever pitch that critical facilities around the United
States, and indeed the world, were terrifyingly
vulnerable. ObjectVideo was in the right place, with the
right product, at the right time.
The
fortunes of the company, which had hitherto labored in
obscurity, suddenly looked so promising that the
ObjectVideo board was able to recruit one of the
Still
celebrating a major deal with the Port of Jacksonville,
Fla., ObjectVideo is on the verge of breaking through
from a niche product sold mainly to “early adopters”
to a mass market product. The beauty of the software,
notes Eckert, a member of Fernandez’ former Proxicom
team, is that it plugs easily into existing video
systems. Clients can leverage their legacy systems.
What’s more the interface is so intuitive, it takes
only minutes – literally, only minutes – to start
using.
At
the core of the software are algorithms and artificial
intelligence that interpret images appearing on the
video screen. Unlike security guards, the computer never
grows drowsy and never takes time off for bathroom
breaks.
ObjectVideo’s
VEW (Video Early Warning) product allows the client to
convert its security policy into specific rules. With a
few clicks of the mouse, clients can define a “virtual
security perimeter,” either on land or water. Then
they can define the conditions that trigger an alert. Is
a vehicle heading toward the perimeter at an excessive
rate of speed? Is a boat threateningly close to a naval
vessel? Are individuals or automobiles loitering
suspiciously outside the facility? Has someone seemingly
abandoned a piece of luggage in an airport lobby? The
incidents may be completely innocent, but VEW can alert
security personnel immediately to check them out.
ObjectVideo
has issued its third release of VEW, Eckert says.
Besides continually improving the software’s computer
vision capabilities, the company is adding features in
response to feedback from the marketplace. “Customers
are using this in real-world situations. They’re
telling us potential improvements they’d like to
see.”
The
company also has announced plans to roll out a second
product, ObjectVideo Forensics, which allows security
professionals to scan weeks of video within minutes to
extract and analyze information to detect possible
patterns, such as someone performing ongoing
surveillance during the planning of an attack.
“Essentially, the software allows you to look
at the past to anticipate the future,” said Eckert.
ObjectVideo
shortly will have an opportunity to strut its stuff at
the Port of Jacksonville, Florida’s leading port and
one of the largest vehicle-handling ports in the
country. Port security, U.S. Customs & Border Patrol
and local law enforcement will cooperate under a central
command to rapidly share information across agencies and
departments. The technology will prove helpful not only
in countering potential terrorist threats but in the
ongoing battle against drug smuggling.
Homeland
security is the hottest application at the moment for
ObjectVideo’s video-recognition technology, but there
are potentially limitless applications, Eckert says.
Retailers and warehouse operators can use the software
to tip them off to possible theft. VEW can monitor
manufacturing facilities for safety and environmental
infractions. Eckert cites a study forecasting the
“intelligent video” market to grow at a rate of 24
percent annually through 2008.
To
get its piece of the video action, ObjectVideo is
building a direct sales staff, organized around vertical
markets, and marketing its products through partnerships
with re-sellers, systems integrators and manufacturers
of digital recording devices. The company is currently
active in
Eckert anticipates strong growth overseas. “We will grow internationally,” he says. That's a must, he adds, for the company to maintain global leadership in intelligent video surveillance software.
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Find Out More...
Recent News...
May 6, 2004: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Grants ObjectVideo Key Patent for Video Tripwire Technology
March 30, 2004: ObjectVideo
Launches High-Speed Forensics Product for Most Rapid
Analysis of Video Footage Available
If you would like to sponsor a profile of your company on VA Newswire, contact the publisher at jim@vanewswire or by calling (804) 873-1543.
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