Antiterrorism Planning for Corporations Automated Observation

There are a few software tools that can help with observation. One of them is BeWare, from Trigion, a Netherlands-based security company. Their website is www.multipav-beware.nl/index.php/en/participants. (BeWare won 'Best-In-Show' at the 2009 ASIS International Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Anaheim.)

From their website:

"Control room operators and crisis teams are swamped with data. The only way for them to process the streams of information is with the help of intelligent systems that perform a strict selection: only when video, audio, temperature or another circumstance deviate from what's normal an alert will be shown. This is efficient and effective. At the same time it is wasteful to discard all other data. BeWare uses all available data and combines it intelligently to establish a dynamic threat level. A computer system continuously analyzes and combines all data and looks for correlations to map out all possible risks. This makes it possible to create a complete and consistent set of security measures, to really control risks and to prevent crime and calamities or at least limit the consequences."

Another encouraging system is AISight, offered by BRS Labs. Their website is www.brslabs.com. From their website:

AISight:

Takes input from current and legacy cameras, recorded video or data files
Recognizes, remembers and tracks objects frame by frame
Rapidly learns what is acceptable behavior for any situation
Identifies and predicts abnormal, suspicious, and aggressive behavior
Provides a wide range of alert systems to a human operator
Requires no additional operator training
Requires no changes to the existing infrastructure

Both systems take feeds from multiple sensors and databases and learn to spot unusual activities. Certain activities are weighted higher than others, and when the index of suspicion reaches a certain level, it informs the operator and recommends action. Both of these systems improve over time as they gather information on what is 'normal' for the installation. They are very impressive systems, and would greatly enhance an observation program.