Virtual Observer integrates multiple mobile video feeds

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 16:59

Business IT - Security

Street surveillance cameras are commonplace in many cities these days. But a company formed to commercialise the fruits of research at Perth's Curtin University of Technology reckons mobile cameras may be more effective than those commonly used.

Virtual Observer, a company formed by Curtin and Digital Technology International is looking to install cameras on the roofs of buses and emergency services vehicles. The location of each camera is tracked by GPS.

Software developed by Professor Svetha Venkatesh and Stewart Greenhill of Curtin's Institute of Multi-sensor Processing and Content Analysis (IMPCA), then assembles the footage.

"Trials by Curtin University's Security team have shown that the system can work in a robust environment, providing coverage that no fixed camera system can match for a similar cost," said Rohan McDougall, Curtin's director for research and development - IP and commercialisation.

The Virtual Observer system is also capable of merging video from fixed cameras with the mobile feeds.

"Due to various terrorism events we have seen a huge proliferation of closed circuit television camera networks," said Virtual Observer CEO Justin Davies.

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