U.S. cities increasingly using BRS Labs’ Biometric Surveillance

San Francisco is poised to become the latest city using AISight software to detect suspicious activity.

Behavioral Recognition System Labs (BRS Labs) is the company behind AISight, software that monitors and memorizes movements and detects “suspicious” behavior in real-time, captured by security cameras.

As reported by Slate, San Francisco’s Municipal Transit Authority will utilize AISight to track more than 150 “objects and activities” continuously at 12 MTA train stations, according to this government report.

The software builds autonomously an ever-changing knowledgebase of activities seen through every camera on the video network. It can capture up to 150 people in real time. It builds on memories of normal activities at certain times in certain areas. Abnormal or “suspicious” activity can trigger alarm or alerts. Such abnormal activities could be a person leaving a bag unattended in a crowded airport, unusual loitering, etc.

Slate also reports that AISight has entered an agreement to monitor the new World Trade Center site in New York, is providing port security in Louisiana, is monitoring water treatment plants in El Paso near the Mexico border, and has been deployed for citywide surveillance to identify potential criminal or terroristic behavioral activity in Houston.

In a recent interview with Fast Company, BRS Labs President John Frazzini said that the company’s AIsight behavior recognition product relies on 11 patents related to computer vision technology and surveillance imagery.

Its advanced features also mean it can compensate for poor light or a shaky image, further reducing the need for human supervision. Each camera has a series of virtual ‘trip wires’ and if any activated then an alert is sent out to a human supervisor. The relevant clip of footage is then sent over the internet to human employees, along with a text message informing them of more details.”

According to Homeland Security Research Corp., the future will see a fusion of CCTV with biometrics and “behavioral suspect detection.” Now that the technology is there, it is expected that sales will grow from $750 million in 2011 to $3.2 billion in 2016. BRS Labs has strategically placed itself in the forefront of it.

AISight is created by BRS Labs based in Texas with offices in London, Sao Paulo and Barcelona.

Article Topics

cameras  |  counter-terrorism  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  security  |  software  |  surveillance  |  video