NEC Techology Detects Changes In Crowd Behavior, Promotes Security

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- NEC Corporation has developed the world’s first “crowd behaviour analysis technology” that utilises security camera footage to understand the behaviour of crowds and to detect abnormalities. NEC said this technology is expected to contribute to greater safety and security through the early detection of unusual conditions and accidents. When a large-scale facility or public space attracts a large amount of people, there is always the risk of an unexpected incident taking place, including accidents and acts of crime. As a result, a wide range of heavily trafficked facilities are equipped with security cameras to help prevent accidents and to minimize possible damage. However, in a crowded environment, where hundreds of people are interacting in a complex mixture of activities, it is difficult for conventional technologies to quickly detect and identify the characteristics of a disturbance. NEC’s newly developed technology analyses the influence that an unexpected incident or the signs of an incident has on the behaviour of a crowd to accurately identify changes in the crowd’s behaviour. As a result, existing security cameras can be used to detect disturbances, such as a sudden change in the flow of foot traffic or a crowd formed around a fallen individual, and to accurately estimate the degree of congestion, even in an extremely crowded environment, such as an event venue or train station during rush-hour. Key features of this technology include: accurate understanding of crowd conditions, fast and accurate analysis of changing crowd conditions. Going forward, NEC will continue driving research and development in support of image analysis technologies and the expansion of safety related business that promotes greater security for communities throughout the world. NEC exhibits these technologies at the C&C User Forum & iEXPO 2013 at the Tokyo International Forum from Nov 14 – 15, 2013. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/event/uf-iexpo/index.html?cid=gltop -- BERNAMA