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DualVision Ultra 724 combines airborne ultrasound sensing with visual and infrared video in environmentally sealed, Internet-enabled package. Utilized with MikroSpec R/T software, system can produce separate IR and visual images, composite visual/IR image, ultrasonic waveforms, and audible sound translated from ultrasound. Total of 14 cameras and ultrasonic sensors can be monitored from PC, and system can be used as component for enterprise-wide SCADA system.

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Monitoring software alarms to SCADA system while tracking real-time Internet feeds of visual/infrared video and ultrasonic sound

August 2005 - Mikron Infrared’s new DualVision Ultra substation monitoring system sees the invisible and hears the inaudible. It is the first remote system to combine airborne ultrasound sensing with visual and infrared video for continuous substation monitoring - all in an environmentally hardened, internet-enabled package.

“The DualVision Ultra adds a new dimension to substation security and maintenance monitoring with ultrasound detection,” said Jon Chynoweth, Mikron Infrared’s Vice President of Sales. “The ultrasonic sensor detects the unique sound patterns of arcing, tracking or corona conditions that cannot be detected with the use of infrared alone. By integrating airborne ultrasound detection with infrared and visual camera systems, we now have the ability to detect a wide range of anomalies before the underlying problems reach a critical stage. This turnkey system makes it economical to provide both security and predictive-maintenance monitoring in a single package, on one line, to any computer - with site-commissioning by the manufacturer.”

The DualVision/Ultra 724 system consists of separate thermal imaging and video cameras, plus an ultrasonic detection unit, all housed in an environmentally sealed, temperature-controlled enclosure. The cameras and ultrasound sensor have Internet IP addresses and password protection, allowing control from any computer using wired or wireless Ethernet.

Utilized with Mikron’s MikroSpec R/T software, the DualVision Ultra system can produce separate IR and visual images, a composite visual/IR image, ultrasonic wave forms, and audible sound “translated” from the ultrasound. The software blends the thermal and IR camera feeds into a single image with correct aspect ratio and spatial area. By applying an isotherm color pallet to the IR image, hot spots are easily identified while viewing the scene as a visual image. The composite image can be adjusted to show any percentage of the IR and visual, simply by moving a slider bar in the software screen. The infrared imaging system is fully radiometric, capable of measuring temperatures to [+ or -]2[degrees]C. Up to 32 regions of interest (ROIs) can be defined on the thermal image in any complex shape, enabling the software to trigger alarms at the approach of intruders or from temperature excursions on substation hardware. A total of 14 cameras and ultrasonic sensors can be monitored at one time from a PC, and the system can easily be used as a component for an enterprise-wide SCADA system.

Visual surveillance enhanced with IR imaging makes it easy to spot intruders 24/7, without supplementary lighting. The DualVision Ultra system can also record 75 minutes of blended visual and IR video feeds and ultrasonic data in real time. Total record time can be greatly extended by capturing images at intervals, rather than continuously. Video capture can be triggered by a temperature alarm from one of the ROIs or by direct command from the PC. A user-selectable prebuffer of video allows the operator to also capture what happened in a scene before an event trigger.

The IR and visual cameras are housed in a single enclosure that has a hinged back section containing all the interface connections, including RJ45 Ethernet, RS170 video, connection for a high-resolution LCD, and a power termination strip. An Ethernet-enabled pan-and-tilt head is also available.

The visual camera can be color or b/w with fixed focus or auto iris and remote focus. The MikroScan IR camera uses state-of-the-art UFPA microbolometer technology. It can be set manually or automatically for three different temperature ranges. Two image update rates (30Hz/60Hz) are selectable. Standard field of view is 28.9[degrees](H) x 21.9[degrees](V), with autofocus from 30 cm to infinity. Telephoto and wide angle lenses are available.

All DualVision systems are fully integrated by Mikron Infrared and commissioned on site to ensure customer satisfaction. For additional information, contact Jon Chynoweth at 888-506-3900 or email jon@mikroninfrared.com

COPYRIGHT 2005 ThomasNet, Incorporated
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Cell phones with built-in digital cameras pose the latest danger to companies’ trade secrets. In fact, camera-phones are so easily used to snap photos of prototypes and other sensitive information, at least one manufacturer, Samsung Electronics, reportedly banned its own products from its offices and factories.

Sneaky idea thieves have long used hidden cameras to snap photos of sensitive information. But camera-phones are insidious because they can be used out in the open, says George L Spinelli, a former FBI special agent and chairman of Spinelli Corp., a Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm that specializes in combating corporate espionage.

Businesses that operate in the public eye, such as retailers, can’t reasonably expect to keep anything private, he says. But those that have security-protected areas where they develop and test new products have every right to protect their ideas. Says Spinelli, “If I were taking clients or journalists into an R&D area, I would request that cell phones [be] checked at the door.”

–J.C.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Byline: Terrence Nguyen, web editor

Railroad giant CSX Transportation’s (CSXT) motion to invalidate an emergency act prohibiting ultra-hazardous materials within a 2.2-mi. radius around Capitol Hill has been denied by U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Emmet Sullivan.

If Judge Sullivan’s decision survives a CSXT appeal, it will set a precedent for truck transportation, said Rick Schweitzer, National Private Truck Council’s general counsel & government affairs.

“It’s to my understanding that the city councils of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh are considering rail bans similar to D.C.,” Schweitzer told Fleet Owner.

“This case involves longstanding principles of federalism applied to one of the government’s newest and most important roles-protecting our nation from the threat of terrorism,” Sullivan wrote. “At issue is a simple, but potentially devastating scenario: the deliberate targeting and destruction of a railroad car containing chlorine gas or other ultra-hazardous material in the heart of Washington D.C.”

The judge sided with the D.C. Council, the local government which proposed the emergency act, in that it has the right to implement temporary restrictions until Congress addresses such threats.

“Thus, the case is not about whether the D.C. Council has unconditional authority to choose whether or not hazardous materials may enter the District; it clearly does not,” Sullivan said. “Rather, this case presents the much narrower and fact-specific question of whether the District of Columbia, pursuant to its traditional police powers and on a temporary basis, may prohibit the rail carriage of certain hazardous through the District until the federal government has more thoroughly addressed the threat of terrorist attack on trains and put sufficient safeguards in place.”

D.C. Councilmember Kathy Patterson applauded the decision, citing the inadequacies of the current measures in place.

“I see the judge’s ruling as an invitation for the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation (DOT) to put aside their ideas of adding hidden cameras and dummy rail cars, and to step forward with meaningful security measures, which clearly include rerouting out of high-density areas,” Patterson said. “I look forward to working with the Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress on this national issue of hazmat transportation safety.”

CSXT vows to file an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit “as quickly as possible,” noting that the ruling goes against the legal opinions of DOJ, DHS and DOT. Additionally, CSXT is expected to ask the appeals court to temporarily bar the emergency act, which is slated to go into effect tomorrow.

“CSXT believes that if left unchallenged, the District’s law could establish a precedent that could lead to a patchwork of similar laws that could virtually shut down rail transportation of critical commodities in the U.S.,” CSXT stated.

“I think the decision was surprising and ultimately will be overturned. The preemption authority in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, the Federal Rail Act and the commerce clauses of the constitution are based on the idea that state and local governments couldn’t impede or disrupt the flow of interstate commerce,” says NPTC’s Schweitzer. “It’s a tremendous balancing act- you need to balance the citizen’s right for security and the commercial needs of railroads.”

COPYRIGHT 2005 PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Bosch Security Systems offers NightSense on its FlexiDome[.sup.XT] line of vandal-resistant, fixed-dome cameras, extending the camera’s sensitivity threefold in monochrome operation. The NightSense mode, which automatically activates from color to monochrome in low-light conditions, provides round-the-clock surveillance by delivering optimum image quality even at low light levels.

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FlexiDome[.sup.XT] cameras are set in durable cast-aluminum housings. With polycarbonate domes and hardened inner liners, the cameras can withstand the equivalent of 120 lbs of force. They are sealed for outdoor use with protection against water and dust to IP66 (NEMA-4) standards.

FlexiDome[.sup.XT] cameras are available with auto-iris varifocal lens options, line-lock with phase adjustment, and backlight compensation. They come completely assembled and ready to use for quick, easy installation and feature a pan/tilt/rotation mechanism for simple camera adjustments. Their design enables the cameras to blend into almost any decor. An optional conduit-compatible hard-surface mount is available.

CIRCLE 83 ON READER SERVICE CARD

COPYRIGHT 2005 Medquest Communications, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

FACIAL RECOGNITION technology is often billed as a tradeoff between privacy and security. A recent American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report suggests that it’s closer to a no-win deal, resulting in less privacy and precious little added security.

The ACLU report focuses on Ybor City, Florida, where police began installing surveillance cameras with facial recognition technology last July. Faces caught on camera were compared by a computer to a database of 30,000 wanted criminals, a scheme that resulted in a loud outcry from privacy advocates. One dismayed resident told the local alternative paper The Weekly Planet that “citizens of [Ybor] are now subjected to a police lineup for the crime of walking down the street.”

In mid-August, the police department stopped using the technology, saying that because of redistricting, too many new officers would have to be trained to use the system. But Jay Stanley and Barry Steinhardt, authors of the ACLU report, suggest a more likely cause: The technology was a complete failure. It not only resulted in no arrests but made many false matches. In several cases it misdiagnosed a potential suspect’s sex, and it was easily fooled by less than perfect lighting.

“Right now,” Stanley explains, “discussion of a reliable face-recognition package is science fiction, which is not our line of work.”

COPYRIGHT 2002 Reason Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

More surveillance cameras are to be installed at airports in Paris, France, the French Transport Minister Dominique Perben has said.

The authorities plan to treble the number of surveillance cameras at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports from the current 2,000 to 6,000 in the coming years.

The minister made the announcement on Monday (1 August) as he inspected security systems at Charles de Gaulle airport, and said that the government was also planning to look at ways to strengthen border controls.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))

COPYRIGHT 2005 Ingram Investment Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Never doubt the importance of good surveillance technology. Take, for example, the case of a missing former University of Wisconsin-Madison student, which occurred last spring. Police searched for Audrey Seiler and after finding her in a marsh, went on the hunt for a “bad man” Seller accused of abducting her from her campus apartment and holding her captive. Several hundred volunteers joined the effort and a national media blitz followed.

The search turned up no leads, and not long afterwards video surveillance footage taken at a local store showed Seller buying duct tape, a knife, and rope to “fake” her own abduction. Her explanation: Depression drove her to erratic behavior. Accurate footage cracked the case.

The incident may not have the dramatic ending that makes for a good episode of Without a Trace, but it does prove the utility of surveillance technology.

These days, cameras are eyeing everything on campus. But these surveillance cameras are not the old “shoebox” models that have been in banks and retail stores since the mid-1980s. These are inconspicuous domes whose base colors blend with the walls and beams on which they are mounted. They are small, they are wired, and they capture thousands of hours of digital data.

These cameras can be programmed, as well, to capture activity only during certain hours, eliminating the need to record the views of empty corridors and classrooms. Some digital cameras are motion sensitive, activating only when they detect something suspicious. Through behavioral analysis, they identify if people are where they shouldn’t be, such as a research lab after hours. Some might begin recording when a person walks down a hallway.

“They can identify people who are walking fast, behaving erratically. They won’t record someone entering an office at an expected time and sitting in a chair, but they will start recording if a person starts taking artwork off the walls,” says Adam Thermos, president of Strategic Technology Group, a consulting firm that has worked on higher ed and K-J2 campus security installations.

These motion sensitive cameras operate in much the same way motion-sensitive light switches do. They are either driven by sensors installed in the fixture, or by network software that “informs” the mechanism about when to turn on and when to “sleep.”

Motion sensitive cameras can be calibrated to detect the slightest movement, only unusual things in the field of vision. The camera may do nothing while “watching” a mailbox in an office building, but will begin recording if someone places a box next to it and walks away. Many camera models have “nightvision” to keep watch on research labs and lecture halls that house expensive equipment.

“For more than 20 years we were captive to analog technology,” explains Thermos. This meant that cameras had to be connected to cable systems. Today, most digital cameras are IP addressable, which means they can send data over the internet; some are even wireless models.

Newer dome cameras can compress and store data, allowing for efficient and quick feeds over campus networks. Security personnel can simultaneously monitor what the camera sees from a laptop or a PDA. They can remotely take in many camera feeds at once, scanning what is happening in diverse campus areas. Personnel can also control the cameras’ views–zooming in and out, panning and tilting, to get a better look at what is going on. Cameras that are activated by suspicious movement can “ping” security personnel with e-mail messages. This equipment can be networked to alarm system panels, too, setting off bells and warning messages.

Such a setup eliminates that need for security personnel to be stationed at a specific bank of monitors, mindnumbingly scanning hours of uneventful footage. Digital technology is doing away with this dull, and expensive, task. As Thermos notes, personnel costs are expensive, digital storage is cheap.

Which is why more digital cameras are showing up on campus. The half-inch minidome camera can cost as little as $300, says Thermos. By comparison, the older, “shoebox” style camera used to cost at least $2,000.

The Georgia Institute of Technology uses such digital surveillance to keep watch over its design lab and activity center. These are academic areas where students indulge their flights of fancy, building new racing cars for GIT’s off-track racing team, robots, and other high-tech gizmos. Axis security cameras keep watch over the design equipment and student projects–allowing staff and students to watch on their laptops from remote locations. “They are using the cameras for dual purposes,” says Fredrik Nilson, general manager for Axis Communications. “Students can see if the tab is available for them to use; security personally can monitor the equipment.”

GIT invested a reported $50,000 in the surveillance technology to keep watch over an estimated $1 million in academic equipment.

Pinpoint Accuracy

New digital security systems store data on DVRs. Though not exactly new–the DVR has been on the market for five years–models are becoming more affordable for higher education, says Richard Chace, executive director of the Security Industry Association. Whereas the first models sold for as much as $5,000, the DVR for campus security use is now in the $600 to $1,500 price range. (There are home electronics models now selling for as little as several hundred dollars.)

Depending on memory, DVRs can store large amounts of data and can be programmed to keep any number of days, weeks, or months of recorded images. Images captured on a specific day, hour, or minute can be called up immediately, eliminating the need to wade or fast-forward through videotape. DVRs also solve another campus problem: storage. The storage of VHS tapes, even those that record as little as one week’s or one month’s activity, can require shelves and shelves in storage space. Digital data can be stored on a server. The digital alternative provides another advantage: Tape fades over time, while digital data does not.

Digital technology also allows campus security to pinpoint an exact day and time in the recorded materials, eliminating the need to try to synch a tape to a particular time frame.

Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) installed a digital security system in its Henry F. Hall Building, a downtown academic center that houses scientific, biological, and research facilities. One DigiEyeLT server is installed on each of four floors in the 10-story building. Each server accepts digital feeds from four cameras. The cameras keep a constant watch on the stairwells and hallways, sensing for unexpected activity.

At any given time, up to eight users can view what the cameras are seeing. Because the system in connected to a wireless area network, they can view the images on a computer screen or PDA. They also can remotely review what happened during a particular time frame, and zoom in for better views.

The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, which enrolls 20,000 students, is using digital surveillance to monitor approximately 20 buildings.

In all, 150 Kalatel minidome cameras monitor the buildings’ entrances and exits. AGE system, comprised of software and technology, networks the cameras and the visual data to the campus IT network and, ultimately, to storage devices.

The setup allows campus investigators to monitor each camera on their individual PCs or PDAs.

UA began the overall installation two years ago with its business school. Prior to the security up grade, six projectors were taken one summer from one academic building and five from another. Total loss: $15,000 in presentation technology equipment. The need for tighter security was obvious, says Michael Cobb, chief security systems technician.

Today, the digital security system protects key academic buildings, especially the multimedia labs in the school of communications. “We have cameras for TV studio work, plasma screens that cost $7,000 each, and control rooms between the tabs,” says Cobb.

Now digital cameras, and the network connections, provide security surveillance not only for this academic investment, but also for the campus’ art museum. A similar digital network will soon secure the sports stadium (which has a seating capacity of 83,800) and keep a watchful “eye” on two new parking decks that are under construction.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Consumers seem to have located finally the elusive “print” button on their digital cameras.

That was the news from the Photo Marketing Association’s annual convention and trade show last month here–a strong hint that better times are ahead or retailers in the photofinishing business.

Show attendees were treated to the latest generation of kiosks and digital minilabs. While there were no revolutionary advancements, vendors are offering more configuration options and enhancements to equipment design ed to better serve consumers’ printing needs, and new data indicate that print services are on an upswing. PMA predicts that 40 percent of all digital prints this year will be made at retail.

According to InfoTrends/Cap Ventures data, retail is finally on its way to surpassing home printing, as the number of prints made at stores in 2004 increased to approximately 22 percent of all images captured digitally, up from around 5 percent the previous year. Between September 2003 and August 2004, 37 percent of digital camera owners who printed pictures utilized some kind of retail service either on-site or online.

Uploading photos to retailer’s sites for in-store pick up is still in its infancy, but shows significant promise. According to InfoTrends, 7 percent of digital camera owners who printed images did so online and that is expected to increase. Either way, it’s a win-win for the drug channel. “There’s a world of duality” in how consumers are printing, said Grant Pill director of photo processing at CVS. “There is growth in both markets.”

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Consumers are flocking to digital cameras for more reasons than the thrill of new technology. In the relatively young life of digital imaging, style has evolved into a big draw, and at the convergence of form and function, one mantra has risen above the others: Slim is in.

Credit card-sized cameras, such as models that Casio released last year, have caused a consumer frenzy, and the company could hardly keep up with demand. Initially the product was available only online, but as production capacity grew, so have retail outlets. Currently RadioShack, Sharper Image and even WalMart are carrying the product and Casio is in talks with CE chains Best Buy and Circuit City.

As for who’s buying these pint-sized products, Casio product manager Scott Nelson said they originally were targeted at women ages 18 to 49, but sales skewed toward both genders. “There’s the gadget appeal to men and portability to women,” he. said. “It’s a lifestyle product. You take it out anywhere and people want to know about it.”

It also affords retailers a point of differentiation when it comes to merchandising. “You have 40 cameras on the camera bar and 38 of them look the same,” said Nelson. These smaller, more stylized cameras really stand out.

Initially, the tiny size forced consumers. to give up some features such as higher resolution and zoom lenses. Casio’s first product was just 2.0 megapixels, plenty for most consumers who typically only use the images online, but “trying to convey that 2.0 megapixels was enough for the average consumer is a tough message to convey at retail,” said Nelson.

A 3.2 megapixel unit begins shipping this month along with a third zoom model. The addition of a zoom lens does increase the size to a bit larger than a credit card, but the company expects to get the technology down to bite size soon.

Fuji manages to pack extra features into a small size with two new FinePix cameras utilizing Super CCD SR technology that brings a better range of color and highlights to each image. But rather than shrinking the price as well as the form, the units are expected to retail for $499 for the 3.1 megapixel model and $599 for a 6.2 megapixel unit. Both began shipping this month.

Sony’s compact Cyber-shot digital cameras are shrinking insize while increasing resolution, ranging from 3.2 to 5 megapixels. Olympus’ two new ultra zooms are 30% smaller than the models they are replacing and Pentax, Sanyo and even Concord are introducing 3.2 megapixel cameras in very small housings.

Canon has five new PowerShot digital cameras, including one 3.2 megapixel model expected to retail for less than $200. “It’s very aggressive pricing for a 3.0 megapixel camera,” said Chuck Westfall, assistant director, Canon camera division. “We think we’ll be able to expand to new channels of distribution, hopefully to drug stores.”

“[Drug chains] seem to have invested quite heavily into the digital photofinishing side and these cameras are a good complement to that,” said Westfall. “They won’t carry a camera for more than $200, which is one reason we pushed hard to have a camera at this price point.”

COPYRIGHT 2003 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

CINGULAR’s newest handset is the Sony Ericsson S710, a swivel, 1.3 megapixel camera phone. Held horizontally, it records video clips and snaps photographs digitally. Vertically, it has the look, feel and functionality of a wireless phone and mini organizer as well as gaming, MP3 and messaging device. (cingular.com)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group