PACE Zenith Awards
Mining, Minerals & Exploration category sponsored by Schneider Electric.
Winner: iOmniscient
Project: BP (British Petroleum)
The objective of the British Petroleum (BP) project was to protect the exposed portion of the Azerbaijan pipeline, against intrusion by thieves who may damage the pipeline and steal the oil. It is one of the world's longest pipelines in rough conditions particularly with wide ranging temperatures, high winds and sandstorms.
Previously BP had guards who would patrol the fence by driving along it every 30 minutes. In addition, BP had also implemented a system of CCTV cameras which were manually watched and a Fence Vibration Detection system. None of these systems proved adequate.
Humans cannot effectively watch large numbers of CCTV cameras on monitors for any length of time. Also the fence Vibration detection system was generating large numbers of false alarms and was not able to detect people or objects moving slowly or in the dark. High winds could generate false alarms as could local wildlife.
This project consisted of implementing an Advanced Video Analytic System covering several hundred cameras. Each camera covered the pipeline for approximately 100 to 120 metres.
Dr Marlene Kanga, Director at iOmniscient said that the technology involved in the Video Analytics System means that false alarms are now kept to a minimum.
"Our patented technology is always 'learning' about its environment and can distinguish, for example, between leaves moving on trees and small animals as well shadows and light changes on moving water. For the BP oil pipeline, our system can cope with complex lighting environments including dust storms, which could affect the accuracy of a video analysis system."
Animals and humans can also be distinguished with the system. It can easily distinguish between small animals and a human being and can also distinguish between a crouching human and an upright one.
"Our Nuisance Alarm Minimisation System (NAMS) has been developed to make these distinctions so that systems do not get flooded with false alarms. Minimising the false alarms that can occur involves very sophisticated artificial intelligence based techniques," she said.
iOmniscient's Marlene Kanga (inset) was overseas on business and unable to attend the Awards dinner. The winner was announced by Schneider Electric's Vice President Industry Business, Scott Wooldridge, sponsor of the Mining, Minerals & Exploration category.
BP has also implemented iOmniscient's Surveillance HealthCheck system which provides immediate notification if cameras are malfunctioning which is particularly important for a project with a large network of cameras which are distributed over a long distance. The positions of these cameras can be viewed on a map or a diagram to allow for a complete overview of the health of the surveillance network.
The operator will be informed promptly if any cameras are not functioning properly and the cause of the malfunction will also be recorded.
"Our HealthCheck system monitors contiguous cameras so if any camera is tampered with, an alarm is transmitted to the central control room. Secondly, the HealthCheck system enables the control room to monitor if every camera is operating effectively. If the camera has been sabotaged or if the image cannot be seen clearly, a warning is sent to the control room to raise an alarm," said Kanga.
The system has many applications and is currently being used throughout the world in various industries from theme parks, airports, shops, traffic management and railway stations.
"Our systems go beyond security to counting, monitoring congestion and crowding and observing the behaviour of people to enhance safety and customer service," said Kanga.
"iOmniscient is continuing to develop its patented technology to include both detection of a wide range of objects and people and identification such as facial recognition and license plate recognition. It is also developing the capacity to analyse large volumes of video data to provide additional realtime intelligent responses."
PACE Zenith Awards 2012: Mining, Minerals & Exploration category is proudly sponsored by Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric
t: 1300 369 233