Applications for security cameras: It's time for a revolution

IP-based cameras have become an indispensable part of building protection for companies and organizations. For good reason: They allow for improved remote access, higher image quality, and simpler processing than with the previous analog camera systems. Analysts, therefore, predict a rosy future for the market: By 2023, it is predicted that around US$68 billion will be spent on network cameras – double that of 2018.

The key growth driver here is progressive digitization. It offers new opportunities for pioneering camera applications. Three developments, in particular, are pivotal and we want to deal with these in more detail here: Increasing computer capacities, advancement in the field of artificial intelligence, and the new 5G mobile technology.

Increasing computing power on all cameras

In the past, the performance capability of computer chips has doubled every eighteen months. Today, each of us carries with us in our smartphones more computing power than was available in the entire world at the time of the moon landing. It is unclear whether chips will continue to develop at the same speed.

This is because the physical limit for increasingly small components will soon be reached. A range of new approaches is available for increasing computing power: Alternative carrier materials, new chip architectures, and neuronal chip systems, for example.

Thanks to these developments, even IP security cameras are becoming increasingly more powerful. 24-hour, high-resolution recordings, long retention periods, and fast transfer rates are already common practices. In the future, applications such as video analyses or AI-based facial recognition will run directly on the camera.

Specialized applications based on artificial intelligence

The progress in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) holds great potential for applications in the field of cameras. This is because AI allows large volumes of data to be analyzed in real-time. Facial recognition software at airports, therefore, compares – in real-time – a face recorded by surveillance cameras with photos from a database.

The AI-based Ella platform from IC Realtime goes somewhat further than this: It can not only detect objects in videos but also patterns of human behaviour, and it can interpret these in accordance with the relevant context. Video analyses are also used in the retail sector, the restaurant trade, or the transport sector in order to research customer behaviour, waiting times, or visitor numbers.

In addition to pure data processing, the software can carry out additional tasks for video analysis: For example, automatically sending notifications or even initiating measures. And all of this takes place in real-time. The user is therefore dealing with intelligent systems that not only provide unprocessed video footage but also provide added value. And they never have to switch cameras for the app installation: This is easily done via upload thanks to the connection to the Internet.

New 5G mobile technology

In addition to high-performance hardware and specialized applications, one additional development is important for the camera market: 5G mobile technology. This new communications standard is due to be launched in 2020 and promises to transfer data 100 times quicker than the current LTE. This not only allows for fast updates or video streaming. Its importance is much more significant: 5G makes the forthcoming IoT revolution possible in the first place.

The technology establishes the bandwidths that are required to be able to network billions of devices in the Internet of Things. Based on this, 3 out of 4 companies are planning on investments in order to improve their range of products and services through the use of 5G. The greater capacities and fast response times of 5G offer numerous new opportunities in the field of network cameras. This means that, in the future, tasks such as pattern detection can be moved entirely to the cloud.

More to learn about camera applications in our blog articles:

• How new applications for security cameras help flatten the curve
• 4 AI apps for security cameras to boost sales that you didn't know

The global platform for the next generation of security cameras

High-performance hardware, AI-based applications, fast mobile networks – these developments are paving the way for innovative applications that run directly on the cameras. At Azena, we believe that the market for such specialized applications will grow disproportionately in the next five years.

There is therefore enormous potential here for programmers and integrators. In order to support them in the development of new solutions, we have developed an open IoT platform, especially for security cameras. They can then use the digital App Store to market these directly to end-users.