COVID-19 & Surveillance

COVID-19 & Surveillance 

As nations have started to lift Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, large crowds of people have flocked to parks to enjoy spring temperatures but risking social-distancing guidelines that are deemed crucial to prevent an uncontrollable spread of virus.

In parallel shops are asked to ensure a safe reopening in adherence with the requirements coming from health authorities, e.g. that people need to maintain a social distance, compliance of protocols and health and safety guidelines will be key at every location. All stakeholders including employees will want to be sure that they are safe at work. It will therefore be important to ensure that such compliances are being stringently followed, and that reports are maintained.

State Governments and organizations are faced with the following challenges:

• Which part of my city, bus stop, shop or premises are most crowded and when?

• How do I make sure my building or shop doesn't get over-crowded?

• How do I know when people are getting too close to each other?

• How do I address people and avoid confrontation or incidents at the entrance to a store?

Yes, video surveillance hardware segment to hold largest share of the market. The hardware segment consists of cameras, monitors, storage devices, and accessories. The growth of the hardware segment is attributed to the increasing use of cameras in various security-related applications. Rising security concerns across various applications, the shift towards adoption of IP cameras, government initiatives to provide more secure environments, increasing smart city projects, technological advancements in cameras, and the availability of low-cost cameras are driving the growth of video surveillance hardware market.

Cameras is important component of hardware segment. Technological advancements have resulted in highly specialized surveillance cameras that can be programmed to zoom-in scan items such as harmful equipment. Technological advancements resulted in the availability of a variety of surveillance cameras, such as those with high resolution and better quality, cameras with more than 8 mega-pixels, body worn, mobile or spy cameras, ultra-low-light cameras, panoramic 360-degree cameras, robust outdoor cameras for harsh climates, cameras for sensitive environments, and those with integration capabilities for various applications such as people counting or retail management. In order to achieve optimal results from any technology, user 'expectations' must be in order. Technology has to assist users in performing tasks in an easier and standardized manner, leading to better decision making.

Major players in the video surveillance market are Axis Communications (Sweden), Bosch Security and Safety Systems (Germany), Hanwha Techwin (South Korea), Avigilon, a Motorola Solutions Company (Canada), Infinova (US), FLIR Systems (US), Milestone (US), Honeywell Security (US), Pelco (US), Agent Video Intelligence (US), Genetec (Canada), Nice Systems (Israel), Qognify (US),  VIVOTEK (Taiwan), CP Plus (India) and Zhejiang Uniview Technologies (China).

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented organizations of all types and classifications with a new set of challenges that impact the security, safety, and health of all individuals who enter their premises, as well as the liability and responsibility of the host. Right now, the biggest challenge is how to get people back to work, engaged in commerce, education, and all of the everyday activities that drive the economy with effective safeguards in place.

In surveillance systems

The role of intelligent video analytics software that can detect people violating health care guidelines has become important. Many solution providers of video analytics for security cameras and VMS are at the forefront of this segment, enabling authorities to use technology to avoid crowds, ensure social distancing, and wear masks. These video solutions involve a four-stage process of firstly establishing awareness of a situation, then confirming that distances are being maintained, responding to unsafe behaviour and analysing data to identify areas and activities that are proving problematic.

Here are a few examples of how video technology can contribute to a safe reopening of societies:

1. Detecting facial masks.

Masks have become an integral part of the fight against COVID-19, and facial recognition analytics solution providers are now factoring in the possibility of having to detect people who wear and do not wear masks. Detecting and identifying those who wear masks or PPE for special case could be a necessity from a security perspective, but in the pandemic, alerting authorities of someone not wearing a mask is critical for safety reasons.

2. Keeping people notified 

Both audio and visual messaging can be integrated with video, so those on a station platform can be given an audio reminder to maintain a safe distance over a PA system automatically when video identifies bunching. Screens can automatically provide notices of alternative access to buildings based on if the video system detects crowding in a particular area.

3. Crowd counting solutions

There is a danger of a fallback when COVID-19 restrictions are gradually being relaxed. So, in city squares, beaches, tourist attractions or other popular public places, social distance needs to be maintained for a longer period. Crowd counting solutions based on video analytics can help alert authorities to when these places get too crowded and social distance is at jeopardy. These alerts will be received in real-time, and historical statistics will also be available.

4. Responding to crowding

Dispatching personnel to deal with unsafe distancing and risky behaviour places these people at risk from infection, and they may face verbal or physical harassment. If they have to be deployed, however, video can support them with rules-based push notifications that send them to the place where an incident is taking place, giving them control of all the doors needed to access the area from their smartphone, and integrating with body worn video if being used.

Fever Camera Market

The market for elevated body temperature detection cameras, aka 'coronavirus cameras' aka 'fever detectors', may be worth billions of dollars this year and is certainly, by far, the fastest-growing market segment in the industry. Moreover, with physical products, including video surveillance, generally facing downward sales pressure, sales of coronavirus fever cameras will be a major factor in which companies 'win' or 'lose' over the next year.

FDA supplies this illustration showing a good fever cam setup

FDA considers body temp screening cams (paired with a thermometer to confirm the fever) to be medical devices, technically a "Telethermographic system intended for adjunctive diagnostic screening". These require FDA 510(k) clearance before being marketed, a process that takes around 130 days. On Apr 17, 2020 The US FDA has declared it will not go after the many companies marketing unapproved fever detection cameras during the coronavirus public health emergency, even though it does consider these products medical devices, it has announced 10 page new guidance (Click to get enforcement policy). The FDA recommended thermal cams are tested under following "performance specifications" including "measurement uncertainty, is less than or equal to ±0.5°C (±0.9°F) over the temperature range of at least 34-39°C (93.2-102.2°F)". The FDA says that a 'prominent notice' should be included, explaining: The labeling includes a prominent notice that the measurement should not be solely or primarily relied upon to diagnose or exclude a diagnosis of COVID-19, or any other disease. In particular, the world's two top international standards groups, the IEC and ISO, have published 3 standards covering fever (i.e., febrile) screening:

• IEC 80601-2-59:2017 Medical electrical equipment — Part 2-59: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of screening thermographs for human febrile temperature screening
• ISO/TR 13154:2017 Medical electrical equipment — Deployment, implementation and operational guidelines for identifying febrile humans using a screening thermograph
• ISO 80601-2-56:2017 Medical electrical equipment — Part 2-56: Particular requirements for basic safety and essential performance of clinical thermometers for body temperature measurement

The IEC states the inner eye is the best area for body temp readings due to it being over an important artery, stating other body areas are "unreliable".

“Facial thermography of surface areas other than the region medially adjacent to the inner canthi is unreliable, and may be complicated by perspiration, facial skin flushed from exertion, etc. The current evidence indicates that the region medially adjacent to the inner canthi is the preferred site for fever screening due to the stability of that measurement site. This is because this region is directly over the internal carotid artery.”

“The temperature LABORATORY ACCURACY of a SCREENING THERMOGRAPH, including the measurement uncertainty shall be less than or equal to an offset error of ±0,5°C over the range of at least 34°C to 39°C”.

“Camera ensure that there are sufficient IMAGE PIXELS in the thermogram of the FACE and TARGET to permit an accurate assessment. The minimum display of the workable target plane shall be 320 IMAGE PIXELS by 240 IMAGE PIXELS. In NORMAL USE, the thermogram of the FACE shall fill at least 240 IMAGE PIXELS by 180 IMAGE PIXELS.” If a face on camera needs to be 240 pixels wide and a real face is about six inches wide, effectively a 400-pixel camera should have a field of view no wider than 10 inches. The practical issue is that with fewer pixels on target it is harder to get precise readings since the readings of adjacent hotter and colder parts of a face will blend in, reducing accuracy.

The ISO/IEC standards make no mention of such AI or of anything else helping overcome these obstructions. This sets up an issue where manufacturers may argue these 2017 standards are out of date. Some manufacturers have also touted "compensation algorithms" they claim automatically adjust for the (well-known) difference between face skin temperature and actual body temperature. However, the ISO recommends that this "small difference" between inner eye temp and body temp be accounted for by adjusting the "threshold temperature".

The ISO/TR 13154:2017 and IEC 80601-2-59:2017 standards specifically state that fever screening is deployed under indoor conditions.

The RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION needs to be aware of the type of lighting used at the screening area. Lighting such as incandescent, halogen, quartz tungsten halogen and other type of lamps that produce significant interference (heat) should be avoided. 

The area chosen for screening should have a non-reflective background and minimal reflected infrared radiation from the surroundings. IEC recommends A/C drafts be diffused to ensure they are not blowing onto people and cooling them. The ISO adds that "sun-facing windows, radiant heaters, or sources of cold (cold windows or outside walls" can also "interfere" with accurate readings and must be avoided as well.

Controlling ambient temperature is important, as overly hot/cold people will not give accurate results, particularly if they are sweating. ISO states the temperatures measured by a screening thermograph can be influenced when the individual being screened is sweating. Sweating thresholds can vary according to a person’s fitness level, environment of residence, length of adaptation and the relative humidity. When humidity is controlled, these effects are minimized. To produce consistent and reliable results of the temperature screening process, it is imperative that the screening thermograph be situated in a reserved stable indoor environment with a temperature range of 20°C to 24°C and relative humidity range from 10% to 50%.

The ISO recommends that a "secondary screening area" be set up "removed from the general traffic flow" for people who are being confirmed for fever. The secondary screening area should be properly equipped with "masks, wipes, disinfectants".

Toilets should not be proximal to the screening thermograph area. This is to both inhibit potential cross-infection and to prevent facial washing (alteration of the thermal profile) immediately prior to entering the screening thermograph area.

ISO recommends the responsible organization should retain this information for at least one month (normal maximum incubation time for known infectious diseases). The responsible organization should be prepared to maintain the data for longer periods when deemed necessary by the public health authorities and other organizations ensuring protection of public safety. Technically, the GDPR does not apply to thermal camera readings, as it only deals with the "processing of personal data" i.e. data that can identify a specific person - which thermal readings cannot.

IPVM test Thermal Imaging Camera & IR Thermometer

Camera Manufacturers 

These companies generally released thermal temperature screening products after the coronavirus pandemic commenced:

Camera Manufacturers / OEM & Their Partner
Dahua	FLIR	Hikvision	Sunell	TVT	YCX
Altoros	Embedded Logix	ClearWay	Bolide		IVC
Amcrest	Emitted Energy	Smart CT Solutions	CBC Ganz	AvyCon	Secureye
ENS	HIS MSC	Mercury Security and Facilities Management	Dubak Electrical Group DuThermX	Johnson Controls	Tsimplifica
Optiview	Viper Imaging	Smart CT Solutions	CP Plus		CommOptics
PlatinumCCTV	Midas Touch	Remark Thermal	CohuHD / CoStar		Cyber Info
IndigoVision			EagleEye
RedSpeed			DLink
RS Tech			EOS Australia
			Flexible Systems
			CheckVideo
			Braasco
			InVid
			Novus
			SATIR
			TKH / Siqura
			Vicon
			VenueScreen
			Watchnet
			ZKTeco

A core issue is there are no independent tests of thermal camera performance/accuracy and no independent standards to measure against. This has allowed manufacturers to tout products meant for body/fire detection as a fever solution, or falsely claim pinpoint accuracy at long distances. We urge caution against buying low-cost thermal solutions from any manufacturer.

Bengaluru-based Cocoslabs Innovations will receive a loan from the Technology Development Board, under Science and Technology Department, to develop a “low-cost solution to identify persons with abnormal body temperature in a crowd and, at the same time, provide an alert system to notify about identified persons to authorities on their phones and laptops”. The product, according to TDB, includes features such as detecting and tracking a person with and without a face mask, predicting age, gender, race, temperature readings, and facial recognition in a single product that can track multiple people in a real-time environment.  “Imagine a CCTV which can take temperatures as well as carry out mask identification”.

In access control systems

Video analytics is no longer limited to CCTV systems. With cameras becoming an integral part of access control solutions for facial recognition, video analytics are now being used on them too. The consequences of COVID-19 are clear to see in the short term, but it may also drive the need for technology that will help mitigate against pandemics and the spread of disease in the long term.

Major players in the access control market are HID Corporation (US), Suprema (South Korea), LenelS2 (US), Gallagher (US), IDEMIA (France), ViRDI (Korea), DDS (Israel), CEM (US), Honeywell Security (US), SYRIS (Taiwan), Kaba (Switzerland ), Boon Edam (Netherlands ), FAAC (Italy), Mantra Softech (India), WYSE Biometrics (India) and ZKTeco (China). 

One of these technologies that offers some promise is long-range RFID. The value offered is more than just security and safety. Implemented correctly, it not only helps minimise the dangers posed to staff and patients, but also helps improve the efficiency and workflow around the facility. Hence, during the current times of peak capacity, the risk increases. The right long-range access control solution can help minimise the risk by reducing shared contact points.

Long-range RFID is gaining traction as a complete people and vehicle solution. As an ideal solution that automates vehicle access without the need for ticket stations, pin pads or manned gates, members of staff can now go from their doorstep to the room they are required in without having to touch surfaces in order to access the car park and building.

All of this can be done from a card that is transferred from a special holder in your car to a land yard for centrally managed, hands-free access around the facility. A modern access control solution using long range readers can help by keeping supplies locked in a dedicated room with access granted only for approved staff ID badges. Whilst also restricting access in staff car parks to only approved staff members.

Access control software offers a unique insight of real-time data into key staff members and their movements within the building. This software can then compile the data collected into reports which can help reveal bottlenecks in the flow of staff members around the facility.  In the case of an emergency, an access system with connections to readers and cameras, can lock / unlock certain doors, or revoke access to particular people in case their badge was stolen.

Whilst we cannot accurately predict what the world will look like post COVID-19, long-range RFID technology could prove to be a powerful tool going forward. It offers solutions that go beyond just security, and helps healthcare facilities build a better future by improving workflow, manage medical equipment, protect patients, staff and visitors from infection and future pandemics.

The turnstiles, revolving doors restrict entry to one person at a time and with the automatic systems, the entry is verified against each individual and the door is opened and closed automatically. This will ensure a contactless access control in Ireland while maintaining the same level of security.

The access control system will regulate and limit the incoming and outgoing of a pedestrian. The access control gates can be installed to stop the pedestrian movements and only allow the authorized authorities to enter. This way you can control whether the permission can be granted to the person or should be restricted. This system will regulate social distancing and safe workplace environment by ensuring only the essential personnel to enter and restrict the outdoor crowd. Public places such as stations, hotels, banks, restaurants, airports, etc. can use the access control system to ensure only the needy person gets in and the contraction of the virus is stopped.

This will not only be useful in public places, but also at community centers, apartment complexes, parking garages or college campuses. This will control the crowd in a manner will implement social distancing and will protect the entire facility.

Seos is a breakthrough credential technology that represents a new way of thinking about end-user experiences. Solutions that are powered by Seos offer the freedom to use your device of choice – from smart cards to smartphones – for secure access to more application. Solutions range from building access, computer login and cashless vending to Internet of Things (IoT) applications, time-and-attendance, secure print authentication and an ever-increasing number of other uses that are in demand. As a dynamic, standards-based technology that is already proven in the marketplace, Seos introduces a new realm of choices. End-users have the potential to use any combination of smart phones, smart cards, tablets, wearables, bank cards, key fobs, inlays and other smart devices to secure applications.

Finger technology is end now, most of end user going to nontouch based attendance system. Through iPhone & Android enabled app platforms GPS & Camera end user track there employee mainly who work from home / field technical or sales team. Employees in the field can register their attendance through a mobile app. The attendance is pushed to ADIS and it puts the data on cloud server. Tech integrates with Google Map, its Advance Geo Tagging features gets you the exact longitudinal location of the employee which verifies his presence on the client’s premises. For example, when an employee reaches a destination on time and the client keeps him waiting, the manager can intervene and make meeting on time. On the other hand when the employee leaves the premises a quick check up can be done about his performance with the client and any issues can be resolved as soon as possible.

Facial recognition is the ideal choice. Once installed and your employees are registered they merely have to look at the device and it will record them. Clocking takes a split second. But due to Mask on your face, some old face recognition system may not work.

Access Control Manufacturers / OEM & Their Partner
Mercury	HID	Proprietary
Lenel	RedCloud	Kantech
R2S	Averics	GE
Open Options	CBORD Group	Software House
Honeywell Prowatch	Genetec	Johnson Controls
Red Cloud	IDN-Acme	AMAG
S2	Imron	Keyscan
Brivo	Maxxess	Gallagher
Maxxess	Next Level Security Systems	DSX
Keri NXT	Automated Management Technologies (AMT)	RBH Access
Genetec	Johnson Controls - EDGE ONLY	Identive
Stanley	Wren Solutions	Paxton
Identicard		Infinias
RF Logics Inc
Bosch ReadyKey

Ref:

https://www.medianama.com/2020/05/223-cocoslabs-facial-recognition-tdb/

https://ipvm.com/reports/
https://ipvm.com/reports/zkteco-fda

https://www.securityindustry.org/2020/05/27/fda-issues-guidance-on-thermal-imaging-systems-and-covid-19/