ADVISOR –Annotated Digital Video for Intelligent Surveillance and Optimised Retrieval– is a system which automates recognition, reporting and archiving of suspect or dangerous human behaviour captured from video surveillance cameras around metro stations.

The system takes a live video feed provided from the metro network as input, sends them to the ‘crowd monitor’ system which analyses the video and returns alarms based on movements related to crowd behaviour – overcrowding on station platforms, for example.

Next, a motion detector recognises and tracks individuals as they move about the metro system. Data is analysed by a behaviour recognition unit, which makes decisions based on the type of behaviour being perceived. If the system recognizes scenes such as ticket barrier jumping, vandalism, fights or muggings, it sends alarms to the human-computer interface (HCI) of the control and command centre. An archive server stores the images and responds to requests from the HCI to either search for or retrieve particular sequences of video based on specified behaviours.

The ADVISOR system was tested by the operators of the Barcelona and Brussels metro services who recognised that the system was a supplementary aid as it is hard for one human being to manage hundreds of video cameras. When an alarm occurs the relevant camera view takes over the screen, but the decision to intervene is left to the controller.

From Innovations Report.
IST Report.