COE expands transport security market offering
16th October 2006
COE expands transport security market offering by integrating Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi) technology into core systems .
COE Group plc, the developer and supplier of advanced video surveillance systems, and Agent Video Intelligence(TM), Inc. (Agent Vi(TM)), the global leader in enterprise-grade video analytics, today announce that COE has integrated Agent Vi’s patented video analysis range into COE’s X-NET MPEG-4/MJPEG codec platform. This will enable COE to offer its customers the option of additional video intelligence across its core products.
COE believes that this application will be particularly relevant for the transport security market as it can be easily integrated into CCTV systems in transport infrastructure to intelligently monitor and analyse activity and data from on-board CCTV cameras. The huge increase in available video combined with headcount constraints in operation centres are driving an increased need for automatic detection of suspicious events rather than relying on human monitoring. The market for software to analyse video content is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 64% from now to 2010, reaching US$616M, according to data from IMS Research. Most of this value will be embedded in network edge devices such as codecs.
COE was one of the first CCTV developers worldwide to offer an MPEG-4 codec and now has major installations of up to 7,000 cameras in the UK, Europe and Asia. The X-Net codec is integrated into a complete transmission, recording and software suite and Agent Vi will complement these systems. The Agent Vi system is a standards-based distributed image processing architecture. Conventional analysis systems either sit in the control centre on standard hardware or in a dedicated device beside the camera. Both approaches suffer from several limitations. Agent Vi’s revolutionary approach combines a low footprint analysis engine (The Vi Agent) resident in the codec with scalable back end analysis systems (Vi Server) located in the IP network. This approach allows the analytics to be downloaded to any codec in the system without extra hardware cost. The Vi Agent is therefore able to analyse raw video data before compression to maximise accuracy and minimise false alarms and reduce network loading. The VI Server applies as many rules as required onto the video stream and can rapidly be scaled to allow analytical capacity to be focused where it is needed.
The AgentVi feature can be easily downloaded onto current generation COE codecs which are already in the field. These new COE codecs are currently on display at the security trade show in Essen, Germany. COE will also make other features available including dual streaming available for download into current generation codecs in the field.
Andrew Wallace, CEO of COE, said: “We are delighted to be able to expand our offering in transport security market as we are seeing increasing levels of interest from customers in this area as demand for passenger security and safety intensifies. AgentVi’s excellent architecture and engineering skills made them an easy choice for COE. We have worked with them for several months and we believe that this will move COE’s systems a major leap forward. COE’s approach of partnering with the best technologists and adopting open platforms is again paying off with rapid time to market.”
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in the evolution of video analytics, stated Dieter Kondek, President and CEO of Agent Vi. “With the addition of our IPoIP distributed image processing architecture, COE is offering extremely sophisticated and intelligent codecs with all the benefits of leading-edge video analysis capabilities minus the expense of network infrastructure and additional field hardware to its customers in key transportation markets (traffic management, transport and passenger monitoring, mass transit system and transportation infrastructure).”
The systems are being demonstrated at the Essen show in Germany this week.
For further information, please contact:
COE Group plc Andrew Wallace, Chief Executive Officer Tel: 0113 230 8800
Email: awallace@coe.co.uk http://www.coe.co.uk/
Agent Video Intelligence Inc Steven M Plavny Tel: +1 770-235-5918 mobile
Email: plavny@agentvi.com http://www.agentvi.com/
Notes for editors
About COE Group
COE is a leading developer of advanced video surveillance (CCTV) systems with a global customer base across three main sectors -- traffic & transport, city-centre surveillance and industrial complexes. The Company has installed its systems in the London Congestion Charge network, underground and high-speed rail systems worldwide, airports across Germany, Hong Kong and SE Asia, and road systems worldwide. City-centre systems include over 35 UK towns and cities, while industrial complexes include the South Pars gas field in the Middle East.
With a 16 year track record of innovation in video surveillance, COE has developed a portfolio of products for camera control, video transmission, scene analysis, operator display and recording which interface with most major third party systems. These systems are designed to work reliably in extreme environments for many years. The company also provides services including system design, on-site test, commissioning and long-term maintenance.
About Agent Vi
Agent Video Intelligence(TM), Inc. (Agent Vi(TM)), is the global leader with the only enterprise grade solution in Video Intelligence and Video Content Analysis Technology with its patented Image Processing over IP (IPoIP)(TM) family of video surveillance software. Founded in 2003, Agent Vi is the first company to provide embedded and distributed artificial-intelligence video analytics software with the low bandwidth required by video surveillance networks to support extremely large numbers of distributed cameras at lowest industry cost. With headquarters in New York, regional sales offices in Pleasanton, CA; Atlanta, GA, and Madrid, Spain, and R&D in Tel Aviv, Israel, the company has over 3 years of successful field deployment worldwide. For more information on AgentVi, visit: http://www.agentvi.com/.
Contact information: COE Limited, Photon House, Percy Street, LEEDS, West Yorkshire, LS12 1EG, United Kingdom
TEL: +44 (0)113 230 8800 FAX: +44 (0)113 279 9229 E-MAIL: sales@coe.co.uk