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Video Surveillance in 2010 - New Frontiers in an Economic Recovery
by Nahshon Calvin
More Economy Articles
Published on this site: January 19th, 2010 - See
more articles from this month
As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, technology
developments are foremost on people's minds when they think of
video surveillance. What the future holds for video surveillance
in 2010 may be a mixed bag, however, as sundry economic forces
jostle for position in a recovering economy.
The use of CCTV, IP Video, and other technologies continues to
become more prevalent. What's really changing in the market, and
what we can expect to see in 2010, is reflected in where and how
this technology is being implemented.
Great Recession, Great Recovery?
The market for video surveillance has slowed over the past few
years. Past market forecasts aren't matching reality. Some
analysts believe the recent down-turn in the economy indicates
permanent systemic changes. Previous market activity in this
industry may be no sure indicator of what may be coming in 2010.
While research and development departments have produced some
startling innovations in face-recognition and AI applications,
many customers are reluctant to adopt untested technologies. The
risk-averse nature of current market conditions seems to be
prevailing.
However, as Mark Twain said, history doesn't really repeat
itself, but it does rhyme. The market for all video surveillance
may be down in a semi-permanent way, but that doesn't mean there
aren't more prosperous days ahead for this industry.
"We expect the overall market to return to growth in 2010,"
says In-Stat analyst Michelle Abraham about the future growth of
the video surveillance market (http://bit.ly/4SKHsw). IMS
Research also projects a market recovery in video surveillance
(http://bit.ly/8MzoWI) for the late quarters of 2010.
For example, recent record unemployment rates have helped make
human security guards cheaper than ever. This condition, however,
is highly temporary. As the economic recovery progresses and
wages rise, CCTV and IP-based video surveillance options may look
more profitable than ever.
The real question is how far into 2010 this growth will begin to
take place, and what that recovery in the market will look like.
The answers may lie in new markets for video surveillance that
are already beginning to present themselves.
New Markets and Applications
Home users in 2010 will find video surveillance to be more
desirable. Web-based solutions that work with smart phones help
make video surveillance both more useful and less expensive, but
that's not all. The recent climate of financial insecurity is,
to some degree, translating into feelings of overall insecurity.
Home users are likely to flock to these surveillance solutions as
they become more readily available in 2010 and smart phone users
continue to multiply.
IMS Research projects that demand for security cameras
(http://bit.ly/4RlNRx) in US law enforcement vehicles will grow
6.5% into 2013; this, in spite of financial crises and severe
budget cuts in municipalities nation-wide.
Law enforcement agencies are also finding uses for remote video
surveillance outside the squad car. LA County Sheriffs have
deployed a wireless camera network in Lynwood, California. The
system has already led to several arrests. Other cities are
looking into the technology. Wireless surveillance will become
increasingly invaluable in fighting violent crime all over
America.
Unexpected Developments - Analog CCTV Holding On Tight
One thing we can expect to see in 2010 is not CCTV customers
converting to IP, but IP-based surveillance systems finding their
ways into homes and other places that haven't seen any video
surveillance of any kind before. Existing systems are also
getting smarter. AI applications can learn from the patterns of
movement in a given field of view and will alert the user when
something deviates from the norm. This kind of application only
gets smarter with use, allowing users to fine-tune which
activities cause alerts and which are just part of the pattern.
The major downside of these kinds of applications is that they
can require significant computing assets to run them. One way
around this is digital cameras with some of the thinking hardware
built-in. All of this, of course, comes back to questions of
cost. We may not see a robust expansion of these developments
until 2011 and beyond.
GI Joe
Government contracts seem to increase by the year. The US
Military reports that, for the first time ever the number of
unmanned aircraft purchased has exceeded the number of manned
aircraft purchased (http://bit.ly/7AULvF). This milestone seems
to indicate that CCTV will continue to play a crucial role in
defense and law enforcement applications into the future.
One of the biggest necessary developments in unmanned aerial
vehicles is the refinement of wireless security. The earliest
unmanned aircraft had no wireless security whatsoever. When raids
revealed that enemy installations had UAV monitoring stations the
need for tighter security was revealed. Since then the enemy has
continued to find ways to "hack in". This kind of escalation
helps ensure that security measures will be refined as developers
think strategically to outsmart hackers. These security
refinements will continue to filter down to the private sector.
Big Brother
While civil liberties groups voice some valid concerns about the
social and political impact of video surveillance, these often
engender unrealistic concerns among the general public. Movies
and television, for instance, give one the impression that one
could be feasibly observed by video surveillance throughout the
entire day with the cold totalitarian eyes of Big Brother
watching every move one makes. This just isn't the case.
It's true that video surveillance through CCTV is ubiquitous. By
no means, however, are all cameras and systems networked, and
doing so would mean a complete tear-down and rebuild of almost
every system. Future developments in video surveillance don't
seem to indicate a move in this direction.
Copyright (c) 2010 Evaluseek Publishing
Nahshon Calvin is a successful freelance writer providing
practical information and advice about video security for
business, non-profit and home use. His numerous articles
include tips for saving both time and money when shopping for
video surveillance products; equipment reviews and reports;
and other valuable insights about the CCTV markets.
Learn more about IP surveillance in 2010
(http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/video-surveillance-in-2010.htm)
when you visit http://www.Video-Surveillance-Guide.com/ today!
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