It has long since ceased to be enough to be able to reliably transmit, store and display video data – the flood of image data and information from third-party systems is resulting in a new level of complexity for security control room staff. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to filter out the relevant information from the mass of data – often across multiple locations. But administering large systems is also time-consuming and can incur significant costs. As a video management software (VMS) tailored to the needs of organizations that place a premium on physical security, Qognify Cayuga provides a solution to both challenges.

Improved situational awareness
During a security-related incident, every second counts. Security personnel must immediately understand the full context of a situation in order to respond quickly and appropriately. To achieve this, they need tools that focus on what is really important at that moment.

To this end, Qognify Cayuga offers advanced map capabilities based on georeferenced ESRI ArcGIS maps for a better overview. The Advanced Map Center enables the automatic display of cameras, sensors and alarms on an overview map based on stored location information. More detailed information or video streams can be called up with one click - worldwide if desired.

As a central element in the control room, the Video Wall can also help to capture relevant events faster and better. Qognify Cayuga enables direct control of a video wall via a standard PC with an installed Cayuga client. Since space on the Video Wall is often sparse, Qognify Cayuga provides tools to make efficient use of it, including dynamic camera layouts. To better assess an evolving situation, control room operators can drag and arrange the video streams that are important onto the screen. In addition, guard tours can be scheduled or played back ad hoc, in a dedicated video tile, without interfering or interrupting the playback of other streams.

To be alerted to an incident as quickly as possible and to get an initial picture, security personnel also need access to alarms and/or video streams while on the move. Qognify Cayuga users can use the Qognify Mobile Client for this purpose. It is available as an app for iOS and Android and offers the possibility to receive events and alarms and access live and archive streams from a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) via LTE or WIFI – for faster response.

More effective research
A quick and targeted response to a security-related incident has the potential to  to mitigate  the impact. However, identifying and tracking suspicious events and situations in real-time requires a great deal of experience and detailed knowledge of the video system and the respective camera locations. This can be particularly challenging when larger buildings and properties are monitored from a remote control center or when responsibilities change frequently. With Click2Track, Qognify Cayuga offers operators who are unfamiliar with the video system or site conditions the ability to switch to a neighboring camera by clicking on a predefined area in the image – e.g., to track where a person is going or where they came from.

Efficient management
Managing large, distributed video surveillance systems is often difficult and requires enormous resources. Even when remote access is available, administrators typically must connect directly to each system on site - often over narrowband connections. High operating and personnel costs are usually the result.

With the central administration and monitoring platform Umbrella, Qognify offers a way to optimize the administration of distributed video systems. The web-based solution connects to independent VMS installations of Qognify Cayuga and provides consolidated access to essential information and configuration elements. Failed cameras or bottlenecks on servers can be identified immediately. In addition, configuration adjustments can be made centrally across multiple sites and rolled out automatically. This also enables an often sought after rapid response to changing regulatory conditions, such as requirements for the retention period of records.

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