Honeywell has recently announced a simple cost-effective way for companies to improve productivity and regulatory compliance by connecting their existing inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) using Honeywell’s cloud-based Safety Suite software and specialized electronic tags. This new Connected Worker solution uses Honeywell’s ultra-high frequency radio identification (RFID) tags that can be attached to any safety equipment and are designed to withstand the tough conditions characteristic of many commercial work sites. The tags can be scanned directly into Honeywell Safety Suite software, which means equipment can be tracked for usage, maintenance and training, resulting in better, money-saving inventory management decisions and compliance reporting. “Our newest Connected Worker offering allows customers to connect virtually any piece of personal protective equipment – hard hats, fall protection gear, gloves, ladders, fire extinguishers – and track the equipment with Honeywell’s cloud-based software,” said John Romano, Vice President and General Manager of High Risk Safety for Honeywell, “This cost-effective tracking solution leverages Honeywell’s Safety Suite software to extend connectivity to a company’s entire ecosystem of safety equipment to drive more productivity for safety managers.” Three types of tags are available to cover the broadest range of worker tools, safety devices and personal protective equipment – a tag that adheres to various flat, non-metallic surfaces; one that can be mounted to metallic surfaces; and a sealed, rigid RFID tag that can be attached even to devices with irregular or odd-sized surfaces. When equipment is scanned into Honeywell Safety Suite, safety managers can track and manage their inventory of PPE, making sure it is tested on schedule or repaired or replaced as needed, reducing the frequency of equipment failure or non-compliance. The data pulled from the tag can be compiled automatically into reports, thus eliminating time-consuming manual audits and data logs. The ultra-high frequency RFID tags also enable longer-range scans, helping speed up and simplify scanning of multiple devices and workers. Honeywell is the global leader in personal protective equipment, including a broad line of Connected Worker solutions. Its products include equipment to protect workers from helmet to boot, including hearing protection, safety harnesses, respiratory and electrical safety equipment, turnout gear for first responders, and protective eye-, hand- and footwear.  

Pelco by Schneider Electric™ has introduced a new integrated solution based on the VideoXpert™ VMS integrated with Ipsotek’s VISuite 10.1 advanced video analytics platform. Ipsotek™ is a leading provider of scenario-based video analytics across a wide variety of industries. The integration provides a solution that increases security, reduces investigation time, and takes the complexity out of managing the video and associated analytics in an overall surveillance network. “This integration reflects the continued commitment that Pelco has to our customers to provide high-quality and innovative solutions that are also easy to set up and use,” said Dan Eslinger, Vice President Engineering, Pelco by Schneider Electric, “Ipsotek specializes in detecting target behaviors in the live video, delivering dependable alerts to operators while dramatically reducing false alarms. Combining this expertise with our enterprise-level video management system lets us offer our customers a powerful solution for efficiently mitigating security risks.” “Pelco is known for engineering the rock-solid security solutions that are required for any successful analytic overlay,” said Bill Flind, Chief Executive, Ipsotek, “Integrating the intelligent VISuite analytics with VideoXpert lets users tailor the automated system detection to their specific needs by applying one or more defined target behaviors.” Pelco’s VideoXpert VMS is designed to deliver control with confidence. It incorporates the latest advancements in system navigation with a platform that enables console monitoring to improve operational efficiency and reduce incident investigation time. The intuitive user interface requires little training, while also allowing operators to quickly and easily collate video scenes from multiple angles, up to nine video scenes, for export into a single clip for effective case management. The result is real-time data with real-time video for a quick response and improved security. VISuite, Ipsotek’s video content analysis (VCA) solution, proactively uses video surveillance systems to identify predefined events and behavior from live video using the scenario based detection (patented) rule engine, a proven concept that significantly reduces the generation of false alarms. Once these events or behaviors are identified, alerts are automatically sent to the operators. As a result, the element of human error is eliminated and operators can quickly intervene. VISuite improves the efficiency of operators by allowing them to successfully monitor many cameras simultaneously and quickly react to any deviant behaviors.

Milestone Systems, has released XProtect 2018 R1 the updated VMS in response to the market’s rising demands for cost-effective video business solutions with this first VMS update this year. In this release, Milestone pioneers the use of multiple NVIDIA graphics cards on top of Intel GPU acceleration (Graphics Processing Unit) to achieve ultra-high performance. The XProtect Smart Client 2018 R1 and Smart Wall now support hardware acceleration, where system performance can be boosted just by adding a supported graphics card to take over the heavy lifting in decoding video, leaving room for the system to handle other tasks. This means that the user can view more high definition or ultra HD streams just by adding one or more supported graphic cards to the computer running the XProtect Smart Client or Smart Wall. Cost-saving and preventing incidents with TV displays The support for DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) video sharing technology allows users to directly connect their VMS system to any DLNA-supported TV and display video captured from cameras without needing a Smart Client or even a computer for display. The DLNA support is highly valuable for retail stores, kiosks, gas stations and law enforcement facilities who want to display video from a certain area. This feature can have a preventive function – showing malicious persons that video surveillance is present. This can be a discouraging factor to deter incidents and prevent loss. The feature will give users the ability to create a carousel flow of all or selected cameras in their installation for a flexible, visual representation. Enhanced privacy masking Selective blurring of video image regions enables Milestone users to easily meet privacy requirements. The blurring can be permanently applied to the stored video or be liftable, depending on a user’s credentials. This gives Milestone customers free choice in optimal camera positions while meeting privacy regulations. It also helps maintain a level of situational awareness that is not possible if sensitive areas are blacked out. New features in Milestone XProtect 2018 R1 Among the many operational enhancements in this XProtect release is an optimized software installer with automatic detection of hardware devices. There is a new structure for Milestone Device Pack releases, with drivers managed so that customers can choose to download only recent device drivers. XProtect 2018 R1 also includes a Mobile SDK that enables Milestone partners to easily embed video feeds into apps for Android and iOS devices. XProtect 2018 R1 is available through the Milestone Partner community now.  

Vicon Industries, Inc., has recently announced the upcoming release of Valerus 18, the most significant update yet to its popular video management software. With this latest release, Valerus provides enhancements to its user interface, new data backup and security options, and support for H.265 cameras. It also introduces a new module, ValerusViconNet Gateway, that provides a simple and affordable migration path for users of Vicon’s legacy platform to benefit from all of Valerus’ features and capabilities. Support for H.265 compression allows Valerus users to take advantage of HEVC video from the latest generation of IP cameras. H.265 video can provide up to 50% savings in storage space and bandwidth usage compared to H.264, while maintaining the same level of video quality. Interface improvements make it easier to navigate the video timeline and call up specific recorded video within the Playback mode. Application server redundancy makes sure that Valerus users will never lose important data in case of a server failure. The redundant application server license is available free to Valerus PRO tier users. Valerus-ViconNet Gateway provides users Vicon’s legacy ViconNet systems with a bridge to connect existing cameras to a new Valerus system. Users can take advantage of the Valerus interface, features and flexibility while preserving the value of their previous investment, and benefit from more affordable expansion options moving forward. “Since the launch of Valerus, the response from our customers has been universally positive, as they appreciate the simplicity the system brings to any size VMS installation. With the new features and H.265 support included with Valerus 18, we expect to further enhance the experience for all our customers, including those using older ViconNet systems who can now easily migrate to the Valerus platform,” said Bret McGowan, Vicon’s Senior V.P., Sales and Marketing.

Wavestore, the British developer of innovative openplatform and highly secure Linux-based video management software (VMS), has launched v6.10 enabling simplified camera setup alongside new features and performance enhancements. Automatic camera configuration has been introduced for ONVIF compatible cameras, greatly reducing the time it takes to set up systems on-site. Integrators can now simply discover all cameras on the network and apply common ONVIF stream settings for each camera as a Wavestore generated profile, without having to use the camera’s setup screens. For projects with a large number of servers, systems integrators can simply create a single customised configuration file and roll it out across all Wavestore units, greatly reducing the time spent when commissioning larger projects. Two-way audio Wavestore’s VMS already delivers lip-synchronised audio as standard but v6.10 fully integrates compatible ONVIF cameras with built-in microphones and speakers to be used as part of a cost-effective two-way audio system. Operators simply click the microphone button on the WaveView client for an individual camera, or a group of cameras, to converse with people or broadcast messages across a site quickly and easily. Audio is included in each channel license and recorded onto a separate track, which is time synchronised and can be played back with associated video from any selected camera. Minimal joystick control latency I n addition, major improvements have been made to minimise the latency when using joystick controls, a common problem for network based security systems, providing users with accurate control of connected ONVIF PTZ cameras and Axis’ native HTTP PTZ protocol. Wavestore v6.10 also introduces a new ‘recording less than intended’ event rule that can be applied to individual cameras. If a configured recording period will exceed the available storage, and previous footage is in danger of being overwritten, then an event can be triggered such as sending an e-mail to an administrator. Flexible “ The success of Wavestore’s VMS depends more than ever on our flexibility, adaptability and responsiveness to the needs of our customers,” says Julian Inman, Head of Product Management, “Many of the enhancements we are delivering in v6.10 are in direct response to customer feedback as Wavestore’s VMS is used in an ever-increasing number of projects around the World.” Wavestore has also introduced a host of new third-party integrations to its VMS and welcomes new technology partners to its ongoing integration programme. These include SALTO ProAccess SPACE access control software and Texecom Premier Elite intruder alarm solutions, combining leading video management from Wavestore with best in-breed third-party access control technology. Furthermore, significant improvements have been made to Wavestore’s Honeywell Galaxy Interface integration, including the ability to trigger custom events from the panel using SIA level 4, and a new function to use new event types to automatically react on an alarm