FLIR formalizes partnership with VideoIQ

FLIR has partnered with VideoIQ to combine the company’s Wide Dynamic Range thermal camera line with VideoIQ’s video analytics technology. The companies unveiled the solution at a special event Wednesday at the ASIS show.

“This is a win-win for customers, and it is an extended use case for video analytics,” said Bill Klink FLIR’s vice president of Security & Surveillance – Commercial Systems.

Indeed, the combined solution is an impressive example of how video analytics can be used in combination with thermal technology to create a secure perimeter. Activating the VideoIQ software on the FLIR FC Series camera is as simple as plugging the module into the camera. The analytics solution is also “self-learning,” as VideoIQ President and CTO Dr. Mahesh Saptharishi explained. “There is no setup required,” he said. “As the system matches the scene, it continues to learn. The performance of the (analytics) evolves from the day it was installed.”

With the powerful analytics, Klink billed the camera as a part of a “preventative perimeter security system that can help operators react and respond to outdoor perimeter security scenarios.” Thus, FLIR is billing it as a “Site Protection Solution.”

As part of the demonstration, Klink and Saptharishi showed a video and layout of typical situations for the use of the camera — on a rooftop and as part of a fence line application. Finally, they replayed live footage of the system in action, catching a “bad guy” roaming around a parking facility. The analytics/thermal-enabled cameras were able to track the perpetrator as he hid in a dump truck and was eventually caught and apprehended.

In fact, they said that for the example application, the parking facility was able to decrease its number of monitored cameras from 64 to 11 thanks to the thermal analytics-enabled cameras. While Saptharishi stopped short of calling the solution “proactive,” he maintained that the system would be a key element to preventing crime and security incidents by enabling operators at a video monitoring center to see the full picture, as it happens—allowing them to contact authorities before a threat can advance far beyond a perimeter.  

With more than 50 lens and sensor resolution combinations, the system should be capable of creating a virtual perimeter at a relatively low cost. Klink said that the system can cost as little as $5 per linear foot of coverage along a fence line. According to a press release, wide area coverage applications, such as rooftops, car impound lots and athletic fields can be secured for as little as $0.10 per square foot. The Total Cost of Ownership would not include the typical lighting infrastructure needed for visible cameras to work. “The solution is simple to install at a great price point,” Saptharishi said. “It is an out-of-the-box, easy to install, high-performance solution.