As you’ve probably noticed, biometric technology is slowly but surely making its way into our lives. More commonly used for authentication purposes, biometrics measure and analyze a variety of body characteristics. From automatic face-tagging on social media to thumbprint passwords on our smart devices, it’s likely that these technologies will continue to advance and afford us new and exciting experiences.
Of these biometric technologies, facial recognition seems to be the most promising. Facial recognition has come a long way and, in conjunction with information we already possess, will continue to refine its capabilities. Google has algorithms that can already match a child photo to the adult photo, while Facebook’s algorithms can recognize a person by hair style and body shape, sometimes without the presence of a face. The archives of driver’s license photos not only provide a focused, face forward picture with adequate lighting, but also identification information such as name and date of birth. The combination of these photos, plus photos from social media, which provide different angles and light conditions, allow for facial recognition technology to improve.
The proliferation of facial recognition technologies is fascinating, but you may wonder what exactly it may be used for. For business analytics, facial recognition can be a great asset. With customer information and behavior at the business’ fingertips, you, as the consumer, may get a more personalized experience. For example, based on your shopping history, they can determine which items you may prefer over others. And while ads can be bothersome, they are less so when they actually pertain to a product or service you are interested in.
Aside from retail, facial recognition can increase safety and security in public places such as amusement parks, sporting events, music festivals, or even in churches. Facial recognition allows authorities to identify and monitor attendees to these events and places. The goal is to spot any suspicious behaviors or possible threats before anything can happen.
As with any type of surveillance, privacy issues will arise. And as these technologies become more prevalent, regulations will need to be put into place. Those who may oppose this type of surveillance may solely be concerned with data collection, however, analysis of this data can afford us a great deal of information. Dangers will exist whether there is surveillance or not, but facial recognition and biometric technologies could give us the upper hand in capturing criminals or preventing crimes all together.
What are your thoughts on facial recognition or biometric technology in general? Do you think it will eventually be commonplace, or will it be met with heavy opposition? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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The presence of security cameras often deters people from behaving badly and provides evidence if and when a crime occurs. Most businesses employ video surveillance for loss prevention purposes. However, as surveillance technologies get smarter, video surveillance can play a larger role.
Surveillance data can provide a wealth of information for different industries. For example, in retail, not only do security cameras help loss prevention, but surveillance footage can hold the key to increase sales and improve the shopping experience. Video surveillance data can replace “mystery shoppers” as a more effective avenue of collecting consumer data. For the transportation and shipping industry, surveillance analytics combined with RFID tags can help track cargo, lower operational costs and improve traffic flow.
To achieve such excellent benefits, businesses must seriously consider an effective storage solution. In order to get substantial results, studies must evaluate data over long periods of time, forcing business to get smarter about video surveillance data storage. When choosing the appropriate storage method, the main components to consider are performance, access, and cost.
Because high quality equipment can be costly, considering proper surveillance storage often goes by the wayside. This should not be the case if business analytics are your focus. For an effective system, your means for storage must be able to handle high traffic and high bandwidth without dropping data. If your cameras have high definition, the bandwidth load will only increase from there. For effective performance, your storage should be able to upload, process, and allow access as quickly as possible.
While you need a strong performing system, you must balance your cost. You can spend your entire budget on a storage system that can perform appropriately, but may lack functional organizational. On the other hand, you can cut costs by implementing more affordable means of storage, but again, organizing and accessing this data can become a nightmare.
Your best bet when it comes to storage would be to employ a high-performance, tiered-storage infrastructure that can be managed as a single system. A tiered structure allows data to be stored as a cost-effective medium. The files will be stored based on user defined policies, allowing you to be in total control of your data. Costs are lowered and data is analyzed more effectively.
Business analytics of surveillance data can afford your business with a multitude of benefits. But you can only capitalize on these benefits with an effective storage system. Pay close attention to your options and evaluate your needs before making a final decision.
Are you considering or currently implementing business analytics to your surveillance data? Share your experiences with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Want to estimate how much storage you will need for you system? Looking for affordable security cameras and equipment? Visit us online at SecurityCamExpert.com or give us a call at 1-888-203-6294.
You may have seen this before, but Disneyland surveillance footage from 2009 has resurfaced showing what looks like a ghost roaming around the park after hours. Could it be?
It may take a few views to see what everyone else is seeing, but a spooky apparition appears to be roaming around the empty amusement park near the Haunted Mansion and Rivers of America area. Could he have escaped the Haunted Mansion to enjoy the park to himself?
There is plenty of speculation on what this could be, ranging from Walt Disney’s spirit to the unknown. Others more practically infer that a reusing of VHS surveillance tapes produced this strange and ambiguous footage. We understand this video is old, but if Disney is still using VHS tapes to record and store their surveillance footage, they may want to upgrade to digital video recorders or network video recorders.
What do you think you’re seeing in this video? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Want to see what’s lurking around your property after hours or when you’re not around? Visit SecurityCamExpert.com for our selection of security cameras, equipment, and more. Do you have questions about our products and services? Feel free to speak with us directly by calling us at 1-888-203-6294.