Vanguard Magazine

42 DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com THE LAST WORD In situations when operators are then di- recting first responders or security person- nel on the ground, the potential benefits in additional information being overlaid on the scene are clear. Some Axis cameras al- ready include an orientation aid, which can overlay street names and compass points to live video footage to assist in providing ac- curate directions. But when seconds can make a real dif- ference, there could be many other useful pieces of information delivered through AR overlay. Understanding the location of the closest defibrillator, for instance, and being able to direct people at the scene via live au- dio could be a life-saving enhancement. Helping first responders or security offi- cers with the layouts of building, entrances and emergency exits, whether remotely from the operations room or locally via mobile devices, could hasten building evacuation or finding people trapped inside. Safely dis- persing crowds from areas through the most effective routes might reduce the risk of in- cident escalation – again, this could be man- aged remotely from the control room with information overlaid on live video monitors, or locally when delivered on mobile devices. Gazing even further forwards If we allow our imaginations to wander a little further into the future, we could see how a combination of existing and live data could be employed to bring vital insight to first responders and security personnel. Perhaps a police officer or a military personnel could view video with informa- tion overlaid using data aggregated from sensors such as installed surveillance cam- eras, body-wearable cameras, and even cell phone location data. Video could be over- laid on the video to direct the officer to the location of a cell phone that was used to initiate a call to emergency services re- questing assistance, speeding up a search for someone in distress. It is also not beyond the realms of imagi- nation to think that medical staff and para- medics could use AR to help provide assis- tance and attention to people at the scene of an accident, or that live feed of surveil- lance from the scene would assist them with relevant preparations while on route. Beyond emergency services The use cases above provide some of the most compelling scenarios in which AR might have a significant positive impact on public safety, but examples in other sectors can also be imagined. For example, personnel in an industrial plant could receive data from connected sensors throughout the site – video sur- veillance, but also temperature, air quality sensors and smoke detectors as examples – which would allow them to react to issues more rapidly, while also having a clear and live view of the scene. Alerts related to sudden increases in tem- perature, breaches of perimeters, specific noises (such as raised voices) could bring live images to video monitors, while map- ping directions of the fastest route to the scene, or to locations of fire extinguishers and alarms. In the case of a break-in, video surveillance cameras tracking the intruder might even leave a trail of 'breadcrumbs' overlaid on video surveillance for security and military officers to follow. The potential applications are endless. AR and video surveillance – sooner rather than later? Technologically, there's very little – if any- thing – to stop the development of solu- tions such as those detailed above. Indeed, as we mention, there may well be compa- nies already developing this type of AR ap- plication, they just need to find the right partner… Stefan is Senior Expert Engineer, Technolo- gies at Axis Lund HQ and has been part of the team behind the world's first network camera, launched by Axis in 1996, Stefan is a Rockstar of technological innovation. As a long-serving expert technologies engineer, it would be fair to say that he has been involved in every single piece of cutting-edge technology that the company has taken to market since he joined just in time to do image tuning of our first camera. When not tinkering with technol- ogy in the R&D department, Stefan likes to ski, fixing things or taking pictures with his Canon camera. This article was originally published on Axis Communications' Secure Insights on June 30, 2021 and reprinted here with permission. https://www.axis.com/en-ca For example, personnel in an industrial plant could receive data from connected sensors throughout the site – video surveillance, but also temperature, air quality sensors and smoke detectors as examples – which would allow them to react to issues more rapidly, while also having a clear and live view of the scene.

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