Recent developments in image processing, wavelet compression, and neural-network technology are giving digital surveillance systems a new lease on life. Capable of automatic target detection and alarm issuance, these PC-based systems are using off-the-shelf cameras, frame grabbers, and low-cost PCs to bring inexpensive, high-performance digital surveillance systems to a wider market. Surveillance systems should be capable of automatically combating criminal activity while at the same time being simple to install and upgradeable," says Mick Nailard of British Telecom. "Most of all, such systems should be designed to be transportable so that they can be moved from site to site as required," he says. To meet such demands, Neurodynamics (Cambridge, England) has developed a dual-processor PC security and surveillance system, dubbed Witness, that runs under Windows NT. Using the company's own FPGA-based frame grabber, off-the-shelf cameras, lighting, and networking boards, the system can separate real threats from accepted movement, significantly reducing false alarms.
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