Video Analytics, what is available to us regular consumers?

[etc6849]

This software looks neat. Any chance there is a way to use software like this with rules that will trigger relay contacts on an i/o card such as a Weeder WTDOT-M or a Global Cache GC-100? Alternatively, could the software send a custom ascii string via telnet when a rule is triggered? This software looks like it could give near flawless occupancy detection, but it needs a reliable way to communicate (even RS232 would be work) with a home automation server.

Basically, I'm looking for software like this that I can build a rule for, give the rule a custom name, and have some means besides email (I'm not sure email would be responsive enough) to integrate it into my HA system. Any thoughts?

 

[drozwood90]

If you think that's neat - you haven't seen the link Dan posted in #15, this thread.

I think they are BOTH neat, I am sorry I did not post as such.

All this is neat, as the last time I worked designing thermal imaging cameras, we were embedding this kind of analytics inside the camera (we are talking $22K cameras that I used to work on...we had one thermal camera that could see the iris of a person's eye from 22KM away).

Before I left, we had a lead on some software, where the camera would watch, say an airport. It was good enough that it could tell if someone left a bag unattended. VERY nice, but pricey.

So, yes, "neat" to all video analytic "stuff"

(hope this came off as funny, not sarcastic...which was NOT my intention).

--Dan

 

[electron]

It supports executing programs if a rule activates, so you could have it send a command via EventGhost (free, supports sending data via TCP sockets using command line). I just bought the software and will be doing something similar (detecting which cars are in the garage), and am thinking about looking at xAP again, or use EventGhost.

 

[drvnbysound]

I think they are BOTH neat, I am sorry I did not post as such.

All this is neat, as the last time I worked designing thermal imaging cameras, we were embedding this kind of analytics inside the camera (we are talking $22K cameras that I used to work on...we had one thermal camera that could see the iris of a person's eye from 22KM away).

Before I left, we had a lead on some software, where the camera would watch, say an airport. It was good enough that it could tell if someone left a bag unattended. VERY nice, but pricey.

So, yes, "neat" to all video analytic "stuff"

(hope this came off as funny, not sarcastic...which was NOT my intention).

--Dan

Thermal cameras also help a lot in the sense of eliminating a lot of the false alerts generated by wind, causing movement such as tree branches or debris on the ground. Unfortunately, they arent cheap

 

[electron]

Hopefully the cost of video analytics will come down in the feature, but it has a lot of potential. I wish there was more competition out there, but Vitamin D seems to be the only product offering this many options for this kind of price. I am now monitoring 2 Logitech HD cameras, CPU usage is around 10% per video input (eventho 1 has multiple rules).

 

[drozwood90]

Thermal cameras also help a lot in the sense of eliminating a lot of the false alerts generated by wind, causing movement such as tree branches or debris on the ground. Unfortunately, they arent cheap

The software was designed for Video Cameras

As for eliminating, no, it can still see all the same stuff as you can, but thermally spectral. It sees all the leaves, branches, etc.
If I have time, I've got some demo video from one of the dual head cameras around somewhere (one thermal, one visible, looking at the same scene). I'll try to pull some "same" frames for you.

To be honest, real thermal cameras actually tend to give MORE information then the visible spectrum cameras. So, they tend to be "more" trippy. You have to be smarter with how you do the analytic processing. When you compare visible to thermal, you see the same blades of grass, you see the same everything as you would in visible. You just have to map the temperature gradients to visible colors, or greyscale. Funny thing, the video I'm going to try to locate, I had the pan/tilt pointing at a bush. The visible saw all the leaves. The thermal saw all the leaves as well as the squirrel that was in there, and 5 min afterward, STILL saw the imprint from the squirrel (his thermal shadow). Pretty neat. I think our camera could "see" 0.01th of a degree (rounding the number as the actual number is proprietary). Then talk about at night. You would only need the camera. It sees EVERYTHING. Even at night, the radiant heat from the grass and ground make very pretty pictures. No IR "lights" need (remember, MOST cameras that say IR is not really IR, it's near IR, which is why you need "IR" leds and IR "cut" filters...true IR is one of 3 EM bands. The one I was mostly working with was 5-12um wavelengths (long range). The 3 types are Long Wave (needs a thermally stable head, can be made from Vanadium Oxide, or Amorphous Silicon - has a LONG range for viewing with the least amount of "work" on the viewing side), Mid-Wave (requires a cooled sensor, can see through glass), and Short Wave (requires a cryo-cooled sensor, typically very large due to cooling). The lenses are made from rock that visible light can NOT pass through. The type of rock varies based on WHAT you are looking for. Pretty neat stuff.

I also had the one setup with the satellite modem. Was doing some testing, since I had the camera outside but pointed at the woods, I didn't realize the camera was calling home base to report it's findings...yeah, behind the woods I was looking at was a truck station, so every 5-10 minutes I was hitting the modem ($12/min as space is apparently an "international" call). My boss was not happy, but that was not my choice for the phone plan. Visibly, I did not see ANYTHING. The camera was looking through the trees.

No, they are not cheap. The one that could see 22KM away was ~$104K.

--Dan

Interesting note:
These 3 types of thermal is actually why your car gets hot in summer. The Long wave solar energy is bounced OFF your car, BUT some of the mid, and all the short wave thermal passes through the glass and is absorbed by your seats/etc. Once that happens, it then re-radiates OUT as Long wave, which can NOT pass through the glass...thus trapping it inside.

 

[etc6849]

It does support running a command Looks like I'll have to install cameras as my next project. Premise would integrate nicely with EventGhost + Vitamin D to make a smart door bell. I'll have to study EventGhost this weekend.

I hope you can keep us posted on your progress Dan and thanks for the tips...

•Run the command. (Basic and Pro Editions only). This is an advanced feature for those who can write scripts or applications, or have an existing one that does what they want. Selecting this check box allows you to enter a path name to a script or program in the adjacent field that can be triggered if the event is seen, e.g., "cmd.exe /k start C:\Users\Katie\Desktop\lights.bat." Some examples of what you can do with this feature:
•On Windows, you need to use the MS-DOS (or short "8.3") names of files and folders. For example, "C:\Program Files" needs to be "C:\PROGRA~1". To find the short file names, you can use the "/x" command. For example, to find the 8.3 name of an app called "Application 1," you can do the following:
•Go to the DOS prompt
•Navigate to the directory containing Application 1
•Type:
dir appl*.* /x
•That should display the 8.3 version of the file names starting with "appl."
•If you have an X10 home automation controller, you can write a script to turn on a light if something is seen in the camera’s view.
•In general, most commands that can be executed in the Run dialog on Windows or in Terminal on OSX will work in this field.
•Mac owners can use this feature to easily create custom voice sounds. Type "say" and some text to have that text spoken. (For example, if you type "say you are being recorded," then when the event is seen, your Mac will play a digitized voice saying "you are being recorded."

It supports executing programs if a rule activates, so you could have it send a command via EventGhost (free, supports sending data via TCP sockets using command line). I just bought the software and will be doing something similar (detecting which cars are in the garage), and am thinking about looking at xAP again, or use EventGhost.

 

[SteveQ]

I am surprised at the little response this thread is getting, I was under the impression that something like this was the holy grail of video based home automation I was hoping for alternative suggestions if people didn't think this product is good.

I am quite interested in this topic but the whole issue is a dillema for me. I need to get better cameras, but why invest in better cameras to get more pictures of birds and moving branches. So I need to get better software, but why get better software if all the pictures are blurry? I'm still searching for a balance point. In the meantime, my limited time and money resources are going into energy management programs.

Steve Q

 

[electron]

I had a similar dilemma, so I decided to just keep my DVR for recording all the video it can, don't care if it is over sensitive, and will rely on Vitamin D for automation/alerts. If I need to have access to the raw video, I will just get it from the DVR.

 

[ddennerline]

I have a Rokonet WatchOUT DT installed (http://www.riscogroup.com/Products.aspx?proid=69) for a six months. With a wide variety of weather condition, WatchOUT has been exceeded expectations. It's mounted outside with no protection. There are a number of trees in front yard. During last weeks freak snow storm, WatchOUT did not trip. A group of squirrels playing near WatchOUT can trip it; although one squirrel can pass through field unabated. I believe it has support for integrating with cameras. It's a little pricy though.

 

[electron]

How much are those sensors?

 

[ddennerline]

How much are those sensors?

There are three different models that range in price from $127 to $174. I have RK315DT00USA with "sway technology". The kit I received had several different lenses.

Here's a better technical description with a PR slant http://www.rokonet.com/newsletter/issue_6/html/focus.html#item6.

It was *not* a piece of cake to setup because of how the IP65 enclosure, mounting swivel, and walk tests are intertwined. The biggest problem I have is that I chose the wrong mounting location (20ft. from front door). I should have picked the corner of house and used a slightly lower (6ft) mounting position. The instructions “recommended” installing so intruder is walking parallel to detection plane. I unfortunately ignored recommendation based on previous PIR install experience.

The swivel mount helped fix most of the problems. Maybe next year I will reposition in order to increase view field.

 

[electron]

Looks interesting for sure. Where did you buy it from, or is this something you can't share?

 

[ddennerline]

Looks interesting for sure. Where did you buy it from, or is this something you can't share?

homesecuritystore.com. Normally, I buy from automatedoutlet.com, but they are a few security items that can only be purchased from HSS.

 

[drvnbysound]

The software was designed for Video Cameras

As for eliminating, no, it can still see all the same stuff as you can, but thermally spectral. It sees all the leaves, branches, etc.
If I have time, I've got some demo video from one of the dual head cameras around somewhere (one thermal, one visible, looking at the same scene). I'll try to pull some "same" frames for you.

To be honest, real thermal cameras actually tend to give MORE information then the visible spectrum cameras. So, they tend to be "more" trippy. You have to be smarter with how you do the analytic processing. When you compare visible to thermal, you see the same blades of grass, you see the same everything as you would in visible. You just have to map the temperature gradients to visible colors, or greyscale. Funny thing, the video I'm going to try to locate, I had the pan/tilt pointing at a bush. The visible saw all the leaves. The thermal saw all the leaves as well as the squirrel that was in there, and 5 min afterward, STILL saw the imprint from the squirrel (his thermal shadow). Pretty neat. I think our camera could "see" 0.01th of a degree (rounding the number as the actual number is proprietary). Then talk about at night. You would only need the camera. It sees EVERYTHING. Even at night, the radiant heat from the grass and ground make very pretty pictures. No IR "lights" need (remember, MOST cameras that say IR is not really IR, it's near IR, which is why you need "IR" leds and IR "cut" filters...true IR is one of 3 EM bands. The one I was mostly working with was 5-12um wavelengths (long range). The 3 types are Long Wave (needs a thermally stable head, can be made from Vanadium Oxide, or Amorphous Silicon - has a LONG range for viewing with the least amount of "work" on the viewing side), Mid-Wave (requires a cooled sensor, can see through glass), and Short Wave (requires a cryo-cooled sensor, typically very large due to cooling). The lenses are made from rock that visible light can NOT pass through. The type of rock varies based on WHAT you are looking for. Pretty neat stuff.

I also had the one setup with the satellite modem. Was doing some testing, since I had the camera outside but pointed at the woods, I didn't realize the camera was calling home base to report it's findings...yeah, behind the woods I was looking at was a truck station, so every 5-10 minutes I was hitting the modem ($12/min as space is apparently an "international" call). My boss was not happy, but that was not my choice for the phone plan. Visibly, I did not see ANYTHING. The camera was looking through the trees.

No, they are not cheap. The one that could see 22KM away was ~$104K.

--Dan

Interesting note:
These 3 types of thermal is actually why your car gets hot in summer. The Long wave solar energy is bounced OFF your car, BUT some of the mid, and all the short wave thermal passes through the glass and is absorbed by your seats/etc. Once that happens, it then re-radiates OUT as Long wave, which can NOT pass through the glass...thus trapping it inside.

I too have worked with thermal cameras, so I understand the technology. However, there are different types of thermal cameras, as far as what the output video looks like (either showing a real-time thermal spectral image and others that are filtered such as infrared). Yes, they do "see" branches, leaves, etc, but everything that makes up the "background" of an image generally has a temperature that is not rapidly changing. Having said that, a person walking across the view should show up as a hotspot for the camera, as is generally easily detected with analytics. I will see if I can post some video links as well.