Omnicast and ObjectVideo® Analytic Integration

IP Video Surveillance with Video Analytics

ObjectVideo® integration brings intelligent video analytics to the Omnicast system by seamlessly incorporating ObjectVideo’s innovative products into Omnicast. Whether the need is for a server-based solution to add analytics capabilities to existing cameras or an on-the-edge solution where the analytics are performed directly within an ObjectVideo-enabled platform, Genetec’s IP video surveillance solution Omnicast offers a fully integrated intelligent video solution using ObjectVideo’s industry-leading technology.

ObjectVideo with OV Ready

Omnicast supports ObjectVideo analytic platforms using OV Ready, an open standards based intelligent video protocol. With this integrated solution, the analytic engine from ObjectVideo is completely embedded in an edge device, such as an IP camera or encoder. With this on-the-edge solution, there is no need to deploy additional servers as the analytic engine uses the resources available on the device to compute the analytic rules. This creates a more cost-effective solution where no analytic servers need to be installed and maintained.

In addition, the OV Ready protocol allows configuration and management of the rules and events from within Omnicast. Therefore, the setup of video analytics is simplified as the configuration of rules can be done directly using the Omnicast client interface instead of using a separate GUI. Analytic events generated by the device and sent to Omnicast can be managed to make the system react based on the behavior being detected (i.e.: intrusion, object left or removed, camera tampering, loitering, etc.). Based on the type of event, the system can be programmed with specific actions, such as generating an alarm to a group of users, displaying the video to specific operators or providing a procedure for handling the particular event.

Equally, the system can also be programmed to record specific events, which in turn saves storage space by optimizing video storage resolution and frame rate near the time of an event. These events are also stored by Omnicast and users can conduct after-the-fact investigations, searching based on type of event through Genetec’s Archive Player. With the OV Ready integration, a complete unified solution is being offered.

With this type of solution, no additional hardware is required; Omnicast and an analytic device that communicates via OV Ready is necessary.

ObjectVideo Server-Based Solution

Omnicast also offers an integration with ObjectVideo’s server-based solution, OnBoard Complete. This server-based solution includes the rule configuration interface and central analytics communication server and has the advantage of working with existing deployed cameras whether it is an IP camera or an analog camera, therefore this is the best way to add intelligence to existing cameras. The integration between Omnicast and OnBoard Complete is based on the Omnicast Metadata Engine Plugin technology and the Direct Show Filter (DSF). The Omnicast ObjectVideo plugin is responsible for receiving and storing the events from the ObjectVideo Server and the DSF is responsible for the transmission of video streams from the Omnicast system to the ObjectVideo Server to be able to process the video for analytic detections. The video streams sent to the ObjectVideo server are decompressed on that server by Genetec’s decoding software. Once the stream is decompressed, it can then be analyzed by ObjectVideo’s advanced image analysis algorithms.

The results of the ObjectVideo image processing (events) are then transmitted automatically to Omnicast over the network and captured by the Omnicast Metadata Engine using the ObjectVideo plugin. At this point the Omnicast system has the ability to send a real-time alert to an operator and will also store all the analytic events to be able to perform after the fact video searches. As with OV Ready, more complex rules can be setup to start a recording, send an email alert, display a camera, etc.

The benefit of this solution is that it will work with any camera. It does not have to be OV Ready compliant.