Communications of the ACM
Defence Lab Reveals ltimate CCTV
A high-resolution digital camera can be mounted on the nose of a helicopter.
Credit: PV Labs
The United Kingdom's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) is developing a package of surveillance systems that can recognize insurgents or terrorists. The DSTL researchers are developing high-resolution imaging technology with built-in software to detect and follow insurgents based on their behavior. "You can't tell who is an insurgent by what they look like, but you can track their behavior," says DSTL chief technologist Andrew Seedhouse.
The surveillance techniques will be combined with software that can detect unusual patterns in behavior, such as two vehicles meeting in a concealed location. "It's like having the ultimate [closed-circuit TV] system with super sensors on the ground and flying round in the air," Seedhouse says. The package also will include a 128-megapixel high-resolution camera that can capture a four-kilometer by four-kilometer area. Another system, called a hyperspectral camera, can analyze color to distinguish a camouflaged vehicle from the vegetation it is hidden within.
Seedhouse says that all of the systems use the insurgents' activities against them. "We will get to the point where we can prevent them from hiding in the background noise and where they become a target," he says.
From BBC News
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