Military-grade security technology, which was designed and tested by the Israeli Defence Force, is now available to South African industry through security technology company C3 Shared Services (C3).

With an increased focus on the prevention of terrorist attacks, the Israeli Defence Force developed an intelligent video surveillance system to constantly monitor the perimeter fences at Parliamentary buildings and sites that are vital to the running of that country.

The system monitors the fence and its immediate peripheries and transmits information of potential security breaches to a control centre. The system has built-in algorithms that pick up unnatural behavioural patterns in the area surrounding the perimeter fence. This information is based on movement and takes into account the size of an object and the speed at which the object is moving.

A feature of the technology is that it tracks the movement of the target from where it is initially detected outside of the fence to where the security breach has occurred. In its development, the technology was tested under a number of realistic field con- ditions that included rain, snow, wind, slow-moving targets, fast-moving targets and camouflaged intruders. Because the technology has the ability to use thermal recognition when tracking a target, the technology can be used during night time surveillance.

C3 business development director Brendon Cowley reports that C3 included the ioimage technology to C3’s product range in an attempt to offer an unconventional solution to con- ventional security technology.

“When a company uses the old method of security observation, multiple screens focusing on multiple zones at one time, a security observation officer loses about 95% of scene activity after 22 minutes. This is because the average human can only concentrate on one screen at a time if multiple screens are presented to him or her,” says Cowley.

He reports that the company included the product in its range in an effort to ensure a high probability of detection with a sustained low rate of false alarms. He adds that the technology’s ability to maintain high performance levels over a sustained period of time and its rapid deployment and easy integration features are also advantageous.

Going Platinum
Cowley reports that C3 has installed an ioimage surveillance system on the perimeter fence of one of South Africa’s largest platinum-mining companies’ project sites in the North West province. The technology was installed with the purpose of early warning detection to reduce perimeter security breaches in low- or no-light conditions.

A similar system was also installed at the Xanadu Eco Park, a ecopark situated at the Hartbeespoort Dam, in the North West province.

Amid indigenous fauna and flora, the park houses about 680 residential estates and has a site for the construction of about 200 townhouses and a number of retirement villages.

One of the foremost security concerns of the ecopark relates to the potential security risk that an informal settlement, which encroaches on the ecopark’s border fence, presents. C3 was tasked with installing a system that could provide effective 24-hour a day security.

The technology has also been installed and proven at a number of international airports around the world. Its airport applica-tions include securing gates, terminals, aircrafts and perimeter fences under tight security conditions. The system can also be used to monitor the inside of a terminal building, where unattended luggage and loiter- ing pose high security risks.

Company Growth
Cowley reports that the company has performed beyond expectations in 2008, increasing its profits by 500% over the figure achieved in 2007. He attributes this growth to customer awareness of the benefits of an intelligent video security system. He adds that customers are also starting to regard security technology as a long-term investment rather then a grudge purchase.

He adds that the outlook for the remainder of the year is also positive with two significant projects in the implementation phase.