PSIMay2018

PANEL
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Andy Palmer –
Seagate
We’re absolutely seeing AI
capabilities increasingly
integrated into security and
safety systems, and it's well
reported how important a role
it has to play in the future of
security. But as always, a diverse range of
technologies working in collaboration with one
another will offer the best results.
What’s important to note is that any security
and safety system requires a holistic approach.
The means an appreciation of how each tool fits
within a wider network, and an understanding
of how each component works within the
system.
As AI surveillance systems have to operate
constantly they are required to process swathes
of data, and that data needs to be efficiently
stored and easily accessible.
Marc van der Putten –
Pyronix
Fitting surveillance cameras
with AI and analytics certainly
has many intriguing
possibilities within an access
control system, but it isn’t a
technology that will be
replacing a security or fire panel anytime soon.
We can be sure that cameras will continue to
develop new and smarter features in terms of
facial and behavioural recognition with AI
analytics and it is this that will pose different
questions to security and fire panels.
Cameras, in theory, could phase out alarm
and fire panel capabilities in the future,
whereby, alongside AI analytics, they can
trigger the appropriate responses that security
and fire panels can, alongside added value
too, such as recognising who is approaching,
when conditions are normal and when there is
a problem.
However, cameras would need to be able to
differentiate between events to deliver the
“Technology and offerings will inevitably become increasingly
more sophisticated as integration continues, but the role of
cameras will more likely be to complement the system by
replacing sensors, rather than replacing the panels”
response required, such as contacting
emergency services, users, Alarm Receiving
Centres (ARCs) or keyholding services, with the
video or stream of what has or is happening.
Alongside this, regulations, approvals and
protocols would also have to be developed and
keep pace with the rate of technological
development that cameras, unlike panels, tend
to be subject to. For example, the amount of
time the system must run on its backup battery
or the volume of polling that it must action to
adhere to regulations.
Professional alarm and fire panels are
dedicated to security and life safety purposes
and therefore, every component is certified and
developed with this fundamental purpose in
mind; to alert the user or any occupants in the
event of any incident with a high level of
accuracy. The control panel continuously checks
the status of the entire system; connections,
inputs, outputs and communication paths, they
even monitor mains and backup battery and
when something fails, it immediately triggers a
warning. This development to stringent
standards minimises operating errors and
maximises performance and reliability.
The hardware and development of cameras
is with the fundamental purpose of capturing
images. The hardware is often connected either
directly or indirectly to the internet, which
makes cameras more accessible to hacking. So,
unless systems within the professional
industries begin to be developed without
stringent standards upholding the integrity of
security, cameras can be equipped with nice
features and extras that make them very
sellable, but, they would need a complete
redesign of purpose and hardware to even
begin to phase out alarm and fire panels
anytime soon.
We know that the technology to allow
cameras to replace such systems is possible
and we have seen with the development of total
solutions how rapidly the industry can change.
Technology and offerings will inevitably become
increasingly more sophisticated as integration
continues, but the role of cameras will more
likely be to complement the system by
replacing sensors, rather than replacing the
panels.
Cameras have the potential to one day
replace panels, but whether this is the direction
the industry will go in, only time will tell.
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