In Depth
Video Content Analysis: Look Smart
Video content analysis (AKA video analytics) is getting better all the time, but it's still new enough that buyers should proceed with eyes wide open
By Sarah D. Scalet
For Ishikawa, the pitch was powerful. If someone cashes a forged check, Ishikawa’s group might be able, without much research time, to look for other instances where that same person had appeared, possibly cashing other forged checks. Not only would this allow the bank to ensure that the same investigator was working both cases, it could also help aggregate small check fraud cases to make prosecution easier.
Ishikawa borrowed a test unit to install in one of the bank’s branches for a trial period. “You can set the system to a percentile scoring of possibilities,” he says. “If you set it on a higher possibility, it’ll give you fewer photos to view. If you lower that percentage, you may have a lot more false positives, but you might capture the party with no glasses and no beard.” Overall, he was happy enough with the results to put together a business case, which persuaded management to invest in some of the devices.
Even now, though, he’s proceeding slowly. The system could, conceivably, be used for marketing purposes, with alerts set up to notify bank employees when an important customer walks in the door. But Ishikawa hasn’t ventured there yet. In fact, he hasn’t even firmed up plans to install the DVRs in all 90 bank facilities, because he doesn’t want to end up with something that’s widely installed but out of date.
“The technology is moving so fast,” he says, “that a lot of times it’s hard to make a decision, enterprisewide.”
Senior Editor Sarah D. Scalet can be reached via e-mail at sscalet@cxo.com.
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Dated: September 01, 2007
