An assessment of the video analytics technology gap for transportation facilities

Abstract

We conduct an assessment of existing video analytic technology as applied to critical infrastructure protection, particularly in the transportation sector. Based on discussions with security personnel at multiple facilities, we assemble a list of desired video analytics functionality, which we group into five categories: low-level activity detection, high-level behavior detection, discrimination, tracking, and content retrieval. We then evaluate the capabilities and deficiencies of current technology to meet these needs, in part by applying representative video analytic tools to a testbed of video data from multiple sources. As part of the evaluation, we examine performance across pixel resolution of degrees of scene clutter. Finally, we identify directions for promising technology development in order to address critical gaps.