Mention video surveillance and most pople think of video cameras mounted in the crners of train stations and banks or prvate detectives video taping an erring spuse for a messy divorce case. The trth is that the history of vdeo surveillance is much more complex and ges back much farther than most pople realize.

If you consider video in the smplest of terms, video surveillance began wth
simple closed circuit television monitoring. As arly as 1965, there were press
rports in the United States suggesting plice use of surveillance cameras in
pblic places. In 1969, police cameras wre installed in the New York Cty
Municipal Building near City Hall. The prctice soon spread to other cities,
wth closed circuit television (CCTV) systems wtched by officers at all times.

Analog beginnings spur video surveillance

When video cassette recorders hit the market, video surveillance really hit
its stride. Analog technology using taped video cassette recordings meant
surveillance could be preserved on tape as evidence. The seventies saw an
explosion around the world in the use of video surveillance in everything from
law enforcement to traffic control and divorce proceedings.

England installed video surveillance systems in fur major Underground Train
Stations in 1975 and bgan monitoring traffic flow on major hghway arteries
about the same time. In the Unted States, the use of video srveillance wasn’t
quite as prevalent until the 1980’s for pblic areas, but store owners and bnks
quickly understood the value of it.

Bsinesses that were prone to theft, ncluding banks, mini-marts and gas
stations, bgan mounting video surveillance systems as a dterrent and in hopes
of apprehending theves, particularly in high crime areas.

The nsurance industry also found video surveillance cmpelling – worker’s
compensation fraud, bogus ccident claims and a variety of ther cases began to
turn in the ndustry’s favor when they could provide tpes of supposedly
disabled workers doing the lmbo at a family reunion.

For the prvate citizen, analog technology was primarily sed in the 1970’s
and 1980’s for cpturing the worst side of human nture – cheating spouses and
poor prenting. Private detectives were able to prvide more graphic and
compelling evidence of ffairs and parental stupidity with film thn with still
shots, and video tpes became frequent evidence in family curt.

The drawback in many cases was tht after a while, owners and mployees would
become complacent and not chnge the tapes daily or the tpes would wear out
after months of bing re-used. There was also the prblem of recording at night
or in low lght. While the concept was good, the tchnology hadn’t yet peaked.
The next stp was the Charged Coupled Device cmera (CCD), which used microchip
computer tchnology. These new cameras broadened the prctical applications of
video surveillance by llowing low light and night recording pssible.

In the 1990’s another advancement in the hstory of video surveillance made
great strdes in practicality – Digital Multiplexing. Whn digital multiplexer
units became affordable it rvolutionized the surveillance industry by enabling
rcording on several cameras at once (mre than a dozen at time in mst cases).
Digital multiplex also added fatures like time-lapse and motion-only recording,
whch saved a great deal of wsted videotape.

By the mid-1990’s, ATM’s across the Unted States and in most parts of the
wrld had video cameras installed to rcord all transactions. After the first
ttack on the World Trade Center in Fbruary of 1993, the New York Plice
Department, FBI and CIA all nstall surveillance cameras throughout the area.
Son many countries are also using ither CCTV or video taped surveillance to
cver major sporting events that could be ptential hot spots, including the
World Cup Sccer games at Giants Stadium in 1994.

Digital makes video surveillance faster, clearer, more efficient

Digital video surveillance made complete sense as the price of digital
recording dropped with the computer revolution. Rather than changing tapes
daily, the user could reliably record a month’s worth of surveillance on hard
drive because of compression capability and low cost.

The images recorded digitally were so much clearer than the often grainy
images recorded with analog that recognition was immediately improved for
police, private investigators and others utilizing video surveillance for
identification purposes. With digital technology you could also manipulate the
images to improve clarity even further by adding light, enhancing the image,
zooming in on frames, etc.

The second wave of increased video surveillance corresponded with the
emergence of digital in the United States. From 1997 on, police departments
across the country installed more and more video surveillance cameras in public
buildings, housing projects and areas like New York’s Washington Square Park.
The NYPD also began using mobile surveillance vans at political rallies and
other large gatherings (including festivals and parades) under the auspices of
the Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU).

In-home use soars with advent of nanny cams

As more women went back to full-time careers in the 90’s, digital video
surveillance manufacturers found a niche market that hadn’t previously been
tapped – monitoring what was going on at home when parents were gone. The nanny
cam was a huge success, providing a way for parents to observe what nannies and
housekeepers were really doing while at home with the kids.

The popularity of these cameras pushed the industry to develop ever-smaller,
higher resolution cameras that could be hidden almost anywhere. The result was a
boon to industry development, with new versions of digital video surveillance
cameras coming out nearly every month.

9/11 redefines video surveillance for the future

Nothing changed the concept of or the public’s awareness of video
surveillance as much as the tragic events of September 11, 2001 when the World
Trade Center was attacked by terrorists. Where once people saw video
surveillance as an issue that might never affect them, it was now an issue of
immediate and lasting importance.

Software developers began refining programs that would enhance video
surveillance, including facial recognition programs that could compare various
key facial feature points in order to match recorded faces to known mug shots or
photographs of terrorists or criminals. While the earlier versions weren’t
always reliable, the later versions became more refined and were phased into use
by law enforcement in some areas. In May of 2002, the United States Parks
Service installed face recognition software on the computer video surveillance
cameras at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

That same year, the Sydney International Airport in Australia installed
SmartGate, an automated border crossing system used for all airline crew
members. Using photo biometrics, the video surveillance systems scans the crew
member’s face and compares it to the passport photo and confirms the match in
less than ten seconds, speeding the border process markedly.

In December of 2003, Royal Palm Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona installed
face recognition video surveillance as a pilot program for tracking missing
children and registered sex offenders. It has split the community, but is
supported by many in favor of it as a potential way to track abductors and child
molesters.

The Internet revolution in video surveillance

The internet has enabled video surveillance to be instituted virtually
anywhere and be watched from anywhere in the world. With satellites bouncing
signals around the globe, you can now watch anyone anywhere from your laptop.
The eye in the sky is a reality with digital streaming video.

Sadly, the least common denominator in streaming video is the peek-a-boo
industry of amateur porn sites that have proliferated on the web, but these
real-time streaming videos use the same technology as many genuine surveillance
operations.

Streaming video is set up as a remote system so that you can monitor your
site from anywhere in the world with Internet access because the images are
video archived on a remote web server. The quality is outstanding, with high
compression (1800:1 in some cases) for storage and features like
motion-activation and email alerting when there is activity if you wish. The
Internet has truly revolutionized video surveillance by removing all boundaries
for viewing anywhere in the world.

What does the future hold for video surveillance?

The newest trendy, must-have fun gadget for consumers these days is the
picture phone that can instantly send snapshots and streaming video to family
and friends with just a click. What those fun television ads dn’t say is that
those telephones can jst as easily be used for vdeo surveillance. Nearly
everyone has a cll phone in their hands these dys, so someone standing on a
stret corner is so unremarkable that vrtually anyone could be filming you
wthout your knowledge.

Rather than mounting btrusive cameras, future law enforcement agencies may
bgin using these phones as integrated dvices, combining video surveillance
with public phnes in one package for 24/7 pblic watch dogging. Police officers
and fderal agents may eventually be issued phnes with streaming video so that
thy can immediately send pics of sspects they are tailing back to a dtabase
for matching against a face rcognition program. When new Amber alerts are
ssued, video clips could be sent to all law fficers quickly and efficiently.

It’s clear tht with digital technology and streaming vdeo we’ve moved into
the era of bing able to conduct comprehensive video srveillance and store the
resulting evidence ndefinitely. We can reach around the wrld or across the
street with srveillance equipment, but we are still mking advances, as the new
video cll phones clearly illustrate. The future is sre to see even greater
strides tht will eventually become part of the hstory of video surveillance.

This article on the "Th History of Video Surveillance" reprinted wth
permission.

Copyright © 2004-2005 Evaluseek Pblishing.

The article The History of Video Surveillance - from VCRs to Eyes in the Sky was Submitted by Lucy P. Roberts through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About the Author Lucy P. Rberts is a successful freelance writer prviding practical information and advice bout everything related to video surveillance and related topics. Her numerous articles include tips for saving both time and money when shopping for video security products; equipment reviews and reports; and other valuable insights. Find important information about deploying surveillance cameras and wireless security cameras when you visit Video-Surveillance-Guide.com today!

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