The KiwiVision™ Camera Integrity Monitor module detects any form of tampering with a camera, such as obstructing its view or changing its focus. When tampering occurs, operators are automatically alerted so they can send maintenance crews to remedy the situation.
To ensure that cameras stay operational and effective, the module periodically validates them. It’s especially useful for large systems with hundreds or thousands of cameras where manually checking cameras is impractical.
Camera Integrity Monitor role
The Camera Integrity Monitor role samples video images from cameras at regular intervals. The role detects any abnormal variations that indicate possible camera tampering, and generates Camera tampering events.- Partial or complete obstruction of camera view
- Blurred image due to change of camera focus or smeared lens
- Abrupt change in the position of the camera due to environmental or human causes
The Camera Integrity Monitor role can distribute its workload over multiple servers. This should not be confused with failover, where only one server always bears the full load of the role.
How to use this feature
Operators can monitor Camera tampering events with the Monitoring task in Security Desk. You can also create event-to-actions to trigger alarms or send emails and messages to the maintenance team when the Camera tampering event is raised.
For large systems with strictly scheduled physical maintenance, you can automate maintenance reports. The reports are automatically generated for your integrity-monitored cameras and emailed to your maintenance team. Then create a scheduled task to email the Camera events report to the maintenance team following their schedule.
Limitations
- Light changes
- Changes in lighting conditions, such as sunrise and sunset, dramatic shifts in
illumination, and resulting shadows can trigger false alarms.
Light variations at the pixel level, which are imperceptible to the human eye, can also trigger false alarms.
- Scene complexity
- A high number of edges can overwhelm the Camera Integrity Monitor, reducing its ability to track edge movements effectively and cause false alarms. A low number of edges can also result in false alarms due to inadequate tracking capabilities.
- Weather conditions
- Weather conditions, such as fog and heavy rain, can reduce scene visibility. As a result, the Camera Integrity Monitor might generate false alarms.
- Environmental changes
- Changes in the environment, such as door opening or people gathering, can trigger false alarms.