Netwatch has partnered with a team of researchers from CLARITY: Centre for Sensor Web Technologies at Dublin City University to develop the new alarm reduction system which uses applied imaging technologies to decipher the alarm images received at the Netwatch Communication Hub

Netwatch is passionate about utilising emerging technologies in order to maintain our competitive edge.

Netwatch has invested €400,000 in its research and development capability, including the development of this new technology which will be integrated into the company’s remote visual surveillance solution and sold to clients in Ireland, the UK, Northern Ireland, Africa, the Middle East and the United States.

“Many traditional monitored alarm systems are outdated, or obsolete, because site inspections by the Gardai, a key holder or security guard are still necessary to determine if an emergency exists. The Gardai receive thousands of calls annually for alarm activations in both business premises and residences and the great majority of these turn out to be false.  Garda time is wasted visiting the premises to determine if an intrusion is taking place. Not only is Garda time wasted, but it is costing taxpayers’ money in the process,” said Netwatch CEO David Walsh.

The Netwatch System, allows us to conduct a remote site inspection, be sure it is intruders which have triggered the alarm and only then call the Gardai and the keyholder. It will not only reduce the number of false alarms but it will also enable Netwatch Intervention Specialists to respond more aggressively when an alarm is triggered, as we will be able to quickly determine when human activity has triggered the alarm.

In 2003 Netwatch’s R&D team discovered a small Israeli firm who had developed a software-driven detection system whereby objects moving in the field of view could be detected and tracked, originally designed for US sports television to track a ball in flight (e.g. golf) and keep the camera tracked exactly on the trajectory of the ball.

Netwatch licensed the algorithm and employed engineers to develop it. Fully committed to constantly improving our systems, we set about developing thousands of real-life test videos showing an intruder climbing a wall, scaling a fence, etc. and in conditions from rain to snow. Initially developed to detect a human shape, Netwatch discovered the software could be utilised in a diverse range of scenarios:

• Object Counting e.g. number of vehicles passing through a tunnel and segregate them by height, no. of axles, etc.
• Retail Statistics: movement of customers within a retail area e.g. 22% of entrants visit the bread counter first.
• Threat Detection: currently used in a major public transport hub in a highly specialised role involving public safety. The software can select when suspicious objects are left in a forbidden area e.g. car parked outside an airport entrance or detect objects left at a scene e.g. suspicious suitcase.

Netwatch are researching the use of the technology with a leading pest control company to detect the presence of pests in a building within a CCTV image and with a large property management company in London to detect Graffiti as it is being applied to a surface.

The R&D team also identified hardware involved in Transmission as an area for improvement. The engineers set-out a blueprint for a hardware unit that would combine reliability, usability and effectiveness.

The result is fully inclusive of capabilities such as wireless networking on 802 standard, polling software, UPS power capabilities, intelligent local polling and line checking to all edge devices and local digital recording with smart search.

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