Jamil Al Asfar, Senior Sales Manager, IDIS Middle East & Africa explained what the company has in store for Intersec and the major advantages of updated IDIS technology.
What has changed with the latest iteration of IDIS Deep Learning Engine?
Firstly, we have IDIS Deep Learning Analytics (IDLA), which is a service module within our IDIS Solution Suite video management software that enables customers to benefit from agile appearance and intelligent searching, object detection and classification (such as people, cars, and bicycles) intrusion and loitering detection. These are all adapted to fit a 16:9 ratio.
The latest version is more accurate, faster, and more scalable. Through the development of our deep network architecture, we are now achieving a 96% accuracy combined with a 200ips speed, allowing for the analysis of 32 channels simultaneously.
Smaller customers will also be able to reap the benefits of the IDIS deep learning engine through the DV-2116, AI in the Box option, which we will launch at Intersec. This reduces the cost and complexity often associated with implementing and configuring analytics solutions.
AI in the Box is a pre-built and -configured, 16-channel unit that benefits from IDIS plug-and-play technology making it quick and easy to set up and eliminating the need for expensive hardware upgrades to increase processing power.
AI in the Box enables users to harness their legacy hardware and cameras to transform their existing surveillance systems into powerful AI solutions. With no calibration required, users simply set the region of interest and sensitivity to access the power of deep learning analytics.
AI in the Box is available through a simple-to-understand and affordable licence, which allows users to take advantage of standard detection features, as well as IDIS advanced intelligent search functionality.
Why was it the right time to update the solution?
IDIS doesn’t launch new technologies to make headlines. We only bring to market new products and technology that can deliver tangible benefits in real world applications.
We launched deep-learning and self-configuring IDIS Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) back in 2015 while simultaneously developing simple, and cost-effective analytics such as VA in the Box. IDLA is an advance on those technologies driven by global customer demand.
And with the formation of Dubai Police’s General Department of Artificial Intelligence and organisations in the Middle East looking to achieve a safer and more secure environment, there’s never been a better time for vendors to showcase advances in AI technologies at Intersec.
Have the upgrades been user-driven?
The IDIS product roadmap is tightly aligned to customer requirements. Every year our major partners from across the world meet for the IDIS Global Partners’ Summit near our headquarters in Seoul, Korea. One of the main objectives of the summit is to prioritise our R&D efforts and shape the future of video to drive more value for end users.
Affordable, simple to implement and use, deep learning analytics are something that end users the world over are considering when they look to improve crime prevention and investigation, road safety, operational efficiency and customer service.
As we make IDLA more affordable, more accurate and less processing power hungry, we will be able to apply them in more real-world applications and meet those challenges that end users are looking to overcome.
What advantages will users see?
When most new technologies are launched, regardless of the industry, they come with a lot of hype and promise, and it can be years before most businesses can afford to realise those pledged advantages.
Many first-generation deep learning video analytics systems have proved to be expensive, complex and often erroneous. Many customers have found themselves paying for analytics on cameras they don’t use.
To configure more than a handful of channels has been prohibitive in terms of the labour costs involved with implementing each channel, on-going configuration to achieve the right performance and the need for additional processing power.
Further, early releases were prone to false alarms and proved unreliable when using functions such as appearance searching.
At IDIS we wanted to ensure we had a commercially viable AI solution for a wide range of customers. The IDLA service module in the IDIS Solution Suite is perfect for our larger customers in the enterprise space, while AI in the Box now puts the power of the IDIS Deep Learning Engine in affordable reach for end users in the mid-market.
What have you developed for the advanced deep network architecture?
Despite the hype around AI and surveillance, many people are still unfamiliar with the differences between analytics and deep learning analytics.
Traditional analytics should be able to detect the difference between a human from an animal when crossing into a restricted area and raise an alert accordingly. Deep learning analytics can do this and much more.
Deep learning analytics can operate under changing conditions to distinguish a human from an animal in thick fog or heavy rainfall without reconfiguration, because the system takes huge amounts of historic data enabling it to learn.
The IDIS Deep Learning Engine comprises multi-layered neural networks to mine vast amounts of video data that surpass the human capability of rapidly identifying objects in images. It analyses live video streams to quickly identify potential issues, anomalies, or specific events.
Designed to help businesses better leverage video to enhance efficiency, security and safety, the engine turns video into searchable data and actionable information.
This helps users to quickly highlight potential subjects and objects of interest, detect or track patterns, observe heat maps, spot anomalies in footage. And in doing so it enables a rapid response to threats and the ensures ability to take preventative action before an incident occurs.
Why is Intersec the right platform to launch the latest version?
Many countries in the Middle East are at the vanguard of security innovation. The region strives to create a safer and more secure society and is proactive in setting up government focus groups to evaluate the benefits of new technology.
Intersec attracts the whole security supply chain from across the region, making it the perfect exhibition to bring new products and solutions to market.
With everyone under one roof, the show gives us the opportunity to receive feedback from end users, consultants, systems integrators and distributors as well as the media. The show also gives us the opportunity to give hands-on demonstrations of our entire line up to both new and existing customers and a chance to deepen relationships and forge new partnerships.
IDIS first exhibited at Intersec in 2014 and we can track many of our successes back to our presence each year at the show: including major IDIS deployments in banking, such as the National Commerical Bank; a multi-site upgrade at Majmaah University; significant rollouts for high-end retailers including the famous SEDAR and Al Sulaiman Jewellers; and sensitive government and infrastructure projects.
First meetings at Intersec have also developed into long-term relationships with systems integrators in Bahrain, KSA and UAE and strategic agreements with some of the largest IT and security distributors in the region.
