For three days overlapping a comprehensive but refined education program, the GSX 2019 exhibits opened with a fusion of vendors focused on improving the operations and metrics of practitioners in an expanded number of verticals. Some of these exhibitors introduced some truly remarkable product and application enhancements that were clearly not apparent if one were to confine their visit to the industry’s stalwart manufacturers.
The introduction of standards by organizations on the periphery of their scope, such as the NFPA 3000 standard for Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER), as well as overlapping standards development bodies on mission, like ASIS International and the Security Industry Association (SIA), represents a challenge for the security ecosystem. What does the practitioner use as a reference model for active shooter response? And how do technology companies, application solution providers and AI developers for security advocate to be included and represented in the design?
One year ago, I advised some attorney teams representing the victims of the Mandalay Bay shootings in Las Vegas and they were shocked to learn that many hotels do not avail themselves of the opportunity to evaluate and test solutions from companies that would enable them to quickly pinpoint the source of the gunfire and respond appropriately.
The unfortunate reality – well apparent and stated over and over in GSX education sessions – is that law enforcement agencies and security practitioners seem to be satisfied with their investments and believe if they purchase a video management system (VMS) or camera solution, then they are committed to seeing any potential enhancement or add-on through the eyes of that solution provider.
While it remains to be seen when this mindset will change, companies on the cutting-edge of technology continue to develop what could be game-changing solutions for the industry moving forward. Here are a few companies and technologies I had chance to check out at this year’s show.
Athena Security
Athena, who received the New Product Showcase award last April at ISC West, is taking a pro-active approach to early weapons detection. The company, whose technology was recently deployed at one of the New Zealand mosques that suffered a mass casualty attack earlier this year, had a storyboard-style booth at the show, illustrating the unique success of its recognition system, even with black weapons against a black-colored background. Continuing its integration expansion, Athena can now be easily integrated into many video surveillance systems including Avigilon and Genetec. Thermal imaging sensors are now supported for even faster recognition of concealed carry weapons.
EAGL
The company’s new FireFly wireless gunshot detectors feature an ultra-low power, cylindrical, compact design and can be placed in a luminaire or semi-concealed under an eave. The product analyzes the wave form and energy levels of detected sounds to determine whether a firearm had been discharged. It runs on a wireless network, with the sensors wirelessly connecting back to receivers called nodes, connected to the EAGL server.
The use of this “Zero G” ultra-low power product is one of the first at GSX, and many more will come in the future, as previously reported in the July/August 2019 issue of Security Technology Executive magazine.
The EAGL server is the point at which their latest API can exchange event data and directly notify a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), lockdown individual or groups of access-controlled openings (doors), provide real-time incident location for mass notification and video surveillance call-up.
FLIR
Although not a direct exhibitor at GSX, new FLIR products were exhibited at numerous booths and expanded the company into Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and/or Explosives (CBRNE) detection, personal radiation sensing, and safety, inspection, industrial verticals. If that were not enough, virtually every drone demonstrated had the capability of dual spectra cameras on board, illustrating the power of the FLIR development kits in tiny packages. As reported in SIW’s CES 2019 show coverage, many of these technologies are shared with the new FLIR Automotive Development Kit that – together with LiDAR and RADAR object/hazard recognition and avoidance – are keeping autonomous vehicles and Automated Driver Assistance Safety Systems (ADAS) on the path to maturity.
The FLIR partners also showed the Prime online CBRNE Training Video Series that provides first responders with best practices for HAZMAT accidents and attacks. In July 2019, a Facebook mailing facility received a sarin-related scare that ultimately proved to be a false alarm, however, it forced first responders to react quickly and decisively after the first preliminary positive test, illustrating the need for continual, partner agency joint training outreach well before the incident, hopefully delivering a unified response.
FLIR’s new Spectroscopic Personal Radiation Detector, the identiFINDER R200G, gives the first responder a read-out technology that identifies gamma radiation and additionally provides neutron detection capability. Law enforcement agencies and first responders will use this during routine border crossings, at high visibility events and in mass transit or critical infrastructure entry control points, keeping the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) resilient.
HSE facilities need to be inspected and maintained, and the FLIR T860 High-Performance Thermal Camera System streamlines industrial inspections with route software that automates surveys and reporting. Power substation components, distribution lines, manufacturing equipment, facility electrical and mechanical systems are use cases for running a pre-planned route through the T860.
Hanwha Techwin
At GSX, Hanwha Techwin introduced the most powerful industrial security surveillance camera, the TNB-9000 32-megapixel 8K network camera with full frame format 35mm CMOS sensor for 8K, multi-codec streaming at 12 fps. Up to this point, SoC developers had thermal limitations; Hanwha Techwin has made a leap forward with this stable, wide area surveillance system sensor, designed for game day at stadiums, city overwatch and long-range aviation surveillance.
Although Hanwha Techwin’s new Multi-sensor 2MP and 5MP IP Camera models don’t share the same processor with their new 8K and AI camera releases, the flexibility and feature set has brought this category to a new level.
Each sensor may be moved as a PTRZ (pan, tilt, rotate, zoom) device, independently or together. Each sensor’s lens has lens focal length, angle of view and zoom controls. Each module has its own infrared illumination. Each sensor processor is thermally managed for long life and this is a significant consideration when one remembers the Google/Yi Halo.
Two years ago, Google introduced Halo/Jump, a VR platform that uses cloud-based software and smart stitching algorithms to make 360-degree video creation easier, but at $17K. Seventeen different Yi 4K cams generated 8K x 8k stereoscopic VR content at 30 fps. However, the solution was fraught with constant overheating issues; in fact, this author tested out one of the modules as a dash cam where I endured a thermal shutdown at any random time.
Compare this with the stable Hanwha Techwin multi-sensor unit and it becomes clear, literally what product will be needed for critical situation awareness for first responders at a public event or a gaming surveillance owner wanting to see every potential scam.
Together with solution provider AI Tech, Hanwha Techwin is now focused on leveraging AI Object Recognition and the extremely powerful Wisenet X for false alarm reduction. Unlike many AI solutions requiring a significant algorithm training period, this is designed to deliver reliable space detection regardless of the lighting conditions or the presence of shadows or reflections.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s)
The impact and innovations in the field of UAV’s were on display at GSX with numerous quad rotor drone systems on short flights in a corner of the exhibit floor. Unfortunately, no fixed wing solutions were demonstrated; these UAVs have a far greater available flight time due to their larger lift surfaces, as reported in the July 2019 issue of Security Business magazine. However, as shown in the education session, “Business Espionage in the Age of Technology,” drones may be used as weapons, much like small animals can be used to stop an autonomous vehicle for abductions, or halt a group of platooning, autonomous semi-tractor trailers that could be transporting CBRNE material.
As stated by the session presenters James Acevedo, Founder and President of Star River, Inc., and Bruce Wimmer, Regional Director and Senior Consultant at G4S Corporate Risk Services, to a standing room only audience, UAS will continue to proliferate and are constantly being improved. Leveraging emerging technologies will, however, require significant planning and training; don’t get sucked into the “buy and fly” mentality. The session attendees grew very quiet when Acevedo displayed a flight history chipset hidden in most drones, and what was mysteriously changed out when he had his Chinese-manufactured drone serviced. Now his drone flight history may be among shared overseas intelligence.
About the Author:
Steve Surfaro is Chairman of the Public Safety Working Group for the Security Industry Association (SIA) and has more than 30 years of security industry experience. He is a subject matter expert in smart cities and buildings, cybersecurity, forensic video, data science, command center design and first responder technologies. Follow him on Twitter, @stevesurf.
