“Bang to Rights” Using Video in the Cloud
Cloudview has announced that it is partnering with Facewatch the increasingly popular crime reporting and intelligence sharing platform used both by police forces and thousands of businesses across the UK. As a result those businesses will be able to rapidly upload footage captured by any analogue or IP CCTV system ready for sharing with other Facewatch subscribers and to provide evidence to associated police online crime reporting systems.
Cloudview enables footage from any CCTV system to be stored securely in the cloud without impacting on local recording and monitoring arrangements. To achieve this a small Visual Network Adapter (VNA) attaches to each camera, connecting it to the Internet for remote video capture and management via the Cloudview service. Footage is encrypted and stored on secure Cloudview servers where it can be viewed from any device with a Web browser and Internet access.
As a result of the new collaboration with Facewatch businesses will be able to upload captured video straight into the Facewatch intelligence sharing and crime reporting system. Simply by clicking a button alongside the relevant Cloudview recording.
This is a significant new capability which will be of particular benefit to shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs etc., many of which already share information through, so-called, ShopWatch and PubWatch schemes. Walkie-talkies currently allow members of these schemes to alert other businesses to shoplifting gangs, pickpockets, drunks and potential troublemakers and now, using Cloudview and Facewatch, they will be able to share CCTV images as well, and just as quickly.
According to James Wickes, Cloudview CEO, the key advantages of Cloudview are its ability to work with any CCTV camera setup and make footage available via the cloud.
“Add Cloudview to a CCTV system and there’s no need to trawl through piles of DVDs or, in some cases, even VHS video tapes for the right recordings” he explains, “it’s all there in the cloud, immediately accessible from a smartphone or tablet ready to share with other users via Facewatch.”
Similarly, for unattended locations Cloudview can be configured to issue an email or SMS alert in response to motion or other sensors being triggered, enabling recipients to view the associated clips immediately. Now users will be able to upload those clips direct to Facewatch, both for sharing with others and to inform the relevant police authority with the minimum of fuss and delay.
According to Wickes, the integration of Cloudview into Facewatch streamlines and accelerates the whole process of getting images out to other businesses and the police.
“No technical skills are needed beyond being able to use a browser and the footage is held in a secure industry standard format in the cloud ready for instant transfer to Facewatch – and all at the touch of a button.”
Commenting on the new partnership, Simon Gordon, Chairman of Facewatch said “The partnership with Cloudview will be of great benefit both to our users and the Police. Facewatch users will be able to use CCTV images to identify potential troublemakers and quickly share that information with others, and to the police who will no longer have to send officers on-site to collect vital video evidence.”
For more information on Cloudview, visit www.cloudview.co
