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A new video analytics software was unveiled by Hitachi Insight Group. The group is responsible for driving the global unified internet of things (IoT) business for Hitachi. The new technology will enhance and extend its Smart City and Public Safety solutions portfolio.

According to the company’s press release on marketwired.com, Hitachi Video Analytics (HVA) combines computer vision and advanced analytics to extract rich insights and generate real-time alerts that can provide cities, airports, campuses, transportation agencies, and businesses with the following advantages:

Operational and business intelligence: People counting, queue detection, activity analysis, directional counting, and image enhancement deliver insights that help cities, businesses and other organizations improve operations. It also helps to protect individual privacy.

Smarter transportation, traffic and parking management: Vehicle counting, traffic analysis, parking space detection and license plate recognition.

More effective public safety and security: Intrusion detection, left-behind object detection, facial recognition etc. provide a force multiplier for public safety departments to help keep people and property safe.

HVA unleashes the potential of video analytics by offering a privacy protection feature that can be used in conjunction with all of its robust insights and alerts. With this concern alleviated, HVA can help customers make better use of their video data by providing critical intelligence that can help to improve operations and better protect people and assets.

Cities, airports, transportation systems, campuses, manufacturers and retail environments are all examples of the types of organizations that may benefit from this new video analytics solution. For example, cities can use HVA to improve safety, operational efficiencies and transparency, while providing better public services through metrics — such as foot traffic combined with traffic analysis in downtown areas — that can help local businesses make smarter decisions.

Airports can use HVA to help enhance safety for travelers and also to detect long queues and optimize staffing at security checkpoints or enhance passport control processes in customs.

Retailers can gain the same level of actionable insight from their brick and mortar properties as they do from their websites. Insight that can help them understand where visitors are coming from, how they spend their time in their stores and what promotions or product placement help to increase sales.

HVA brings advanced analytic methodologies and unique features, including an Object Detector providing 4-D reconstruction of two-dimensional video images by using particles, perspective, velocity, path deviation and travel distance to improve accuracy and dramatically reduce the number of false-positive incidents.

Scenario-Based Analytics ensures that each analytic module uses a custom algorithm for the analytical engine to improve performance and accuracy to further reduce the risk of false-positive incidents.

A Privacy Protector – Cities, government agencies and private enterprises all share a common concern for the privacy of their constituents and customers when using video security and monitoring technologies. To address this, HVA offers automated and enhanced identity protection, which automatically detects and protects entire human figures. In addition, it tracks and records all access to video data to help support transparency and help combat misuse. This feature can also be crucial for organizations like hospitals and schools.

A Video Enhancer filters out interference like rain and snow, which could negatively impact video resolution.

A Camera Health Monitor provides automated detection of camera-tampering or damage and send an alert if issues arise.