While many security professionals are becoming increasingly aware of Flir Nexus, some remain unclear on the tangible advantages this advanced innovation can offer. So, who better to provide a few key insights than Flir Security Software Architect and all-round Nexus Guru, Ignacio Vilches Rojo? Flir Nexus: What is it and what tangible gains does it provide in thermography and perimeter security applications? A good way to understand Flir Nexus is to first grasp the central challenges facing security managers today. According to Ignacio, the primary one here is the need for greater situational awareness. “This includes understanding a given circumstance, collecting and analysing relevant information, and making informed decisions to address any potential risks,” he explained. In thinking about a conventional design for perimeter security, many would expect the system to include a variety of detection and data handling/ processing technologies. Flir typically works with customers to create a virtual barrier that comprises a combination of thermal and visible cameras, and radar-which are then coupled with detection analytics. These cameras work together, using Nexus as the communication protocol, and provide accurate information to track people, animals or vehicles. It’s the action that follows a perimeter breach that determines how a security team should respond. Unfortunately, this is where we see gaps in security system designs which ultimately mean the operator does not have total situational awareness But there is one key point to consider here: “It’s the action that follows a perimeter breach that determines how a security team should respond. Unfortunately, this is where we see gaps in security system designs which ultimately mean the operator does not have total situational awareness.” Reading the Situation: How Flir Nexus Enhances Situational Awareness Flir Nexus is a software and proprietary communication protocol for thermal imaging systems that helps bridge the gap between devices and systems, ensuring a more complete understanding of the environment outside and inside a security perimeter. To execute a high level of situational awareness, a customer typically requires some form of advanced software that collects the geodata presented by different sensors before co-ordinating proper hand-offs as the target moves. Flir Nexus meets this ambition in a different way. It allows edge devices to communicate in a server/client format without the need for any software or a server in the middle, reducing the cost of ownership. Right now, Nexus is the only protocol that permits access to all the different features and settings required to achieve a high level of integration with Flir sensors, providing you with the best image. Notably, the camera becomes a server by definition because it provides functionality that can be connected to and used. It also becomes a client of other cameras using the Nexus protocol. I see this as a further differentiator that allows us to really ‘explode’ Nexus features for use by the cameras themselves, providing access to a whole new world of possibilities Flir Nexus devices facilitate straightforward installation since all edge devices communicate in real-time, only requiring simple configuration. “When combined with our camera analytics for detection, Nexus can identify, locate and track targets at the edge,” continued Ignacio, “As a potential threat moves through the scene, Nexus-enabled devices communicate the geodata to other Nexus devices and provide seamless hand-offs for continuous tracking. This capability ensures you have complete situational awareness to make informed decisions.” Another advantage is that Nexus allows customers to extend their coverage over large areas using fewer devices, making the provision of total situational awareness far more affordable. The Flir Nexus Difference: Futureproof, Modular, and Intelligent Nexus’s modular architecture is a major market differentiator. Its strategic building block approach forms a robust, multi-layered, and fully integrated security solution. Always employing the same base structure to help create the optimal solution ensures backwards compatibility, simplifying the task of making future additions or changes, even if they take place many years down the line. This level of futureproofing ensures Nexus retains its considerable capability advantages. “By combining thermal, visible and ground-based radar imaging with Flir’s classification analytics, the multi-layered Nexus helps detect, identify, track and act over a long range and in any weather conditions,” added Ignacio, “Notably, you can detect threats in real time, which is important for rapid response and the ability to adapt continuously in the face of security breaches.” While many other communication protocols exist, some of which are open, most were developed and defined before the widespread adoption of thermography processes in the security arena. At that time, developers were instead focusing on visible spectrum cameras. “Right now, Nexus is the only protocol that permits access to all the different features and settings required to achieve a high level of integration with Flir sensors, providing you with the best image. Notably, the camera becomes a server by definition because it provides functionality that can be connected to and used. It also becomes a client of other cameras using the Nexus protocol. I see this as a further differentiator that allows us to really ‘explode’ Nexus features for use by the cameras themselves, providing access to a whole new world of possibilities.” A Sense of Space: How Flir Nexus Integrates Radar and Geodata A good example involves the integration of radar. By providing detection from radars as points in space (latitude and longitude), it becomes possible to show them on a map, point to them with cameras, or simply provide alarms – a major advantage in security. “Why not create a ‘window’ from a video and make objects appear in the real world through latitude and longitude co-ordinates,” explained Ignacio, “It required advanced mathematics, and you need good calibration to ensure accuracy, but using Nexus ultimately means a target in the video now becomes a target in the real world, where things happen and make sense. Seeing an object on a map means you really see it moving towards you. It has more meaning.” He added, “Nexus is the software… is the protocol… is a way of working. It’s far more than a translator,…