Previous high-profile terrorism events, such as 9/11 and the London Underground bombings in 2005, resulted in increased government spending on video surveillance. While IMS Research initially projected that worldwide revenue for the video-surveillance equipment market will rise to $US20.5 billion in 2016, up 114 per cent from $9.6 billion in 2010, recent events like the bombings at the Boston Marathon has prompted the research firm to update its projections.
“The growth outlook of the video surveillance industry is subject to significant variances,” says Paul Everett, senior manager, video surveillance, for IMS. “This is because the market is dependent upon the vagaries of several intertwined factors that are difficult or impossible to predict, including economic conditions, government spending and notorious terrorism incidents.
“While it’s too early to tell exactly what impact the Boston bombing will have, past events…have led to increased government spending on video surveillance for public spaces, particularly in the transport sector.”
To further emphasize the effect government funding and legislation will have on video surveillance spending, IMS Research noted that the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued 11 grants for physical security equipment and video surveillance that have generated millions of dollars of spending.
The development of new technologies is also expected to fuel spending for video surveillance systems. The research firm cites the current transition from analog to network solutions that enable network-based control and the monitoring of security and surveillance.
By 2014, the global market for network-based video surveillance will climb to $7 billion, surpassing for the first time ever the analog segment at $6.5 billion, the research firm projects.
Expanding public surveillance solutions are cities like Atlanta, which will spend $US2.25 million to add more than 100 cameras to its surveillance program throughout the city, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Once the legislation is signed, contractors will install 92 cameras in Zone 5 police district, which includes downtown, midtown, Atlantic Station, Georgia Dome, Georgia State University and Georgia Tech. An additional 20 cameras will be deployed throughout the city’s remaining five zones. The cameras will provide real-time information sharing through Atlanta’s Operation Shield Initiative.
With the addition of the 112 new cameras, the Loudermilk Video Integration Center will monitor 762 cameras. The center, which opened last September, links communications between Atlanta police, private security forces and other government law enforcement agencies. In the future, city officials hope to build a network that would include thousands of wireless and fiber optic cameras.
Post Boston bombings, Harrisburg Pennsylvania will install 10 wireless cameras throughout the city. The task force has collaborated with Johnson Controls to install the PTZ cameras, which will be placed on poles around the city.
The integrator will begin the $373,000 project in July. Officials also signed an $80,000 contract for maintenance and service. Up to 3 data technicians will monitor the system for 17 hours per day. Mirroring Baltimore, city officials hope to integrate the new surveillance system with existing security at local businesses.
And in a further development, Koorsen Fire & Security (KFS) and Koorsen Security Technologies (KST) has donated a $20,000 mobile security camera system to the city of Indianapolis to protect the Indianapolis 500 motor race and other public events in the city.
Originally created for military use, the state-of-the-art camera includes a 360-degree view on a 30-foot telescoping mast. One of the bonuses of the camera is that it can more easily get into tight spaces and requires much less set-up time than the mobile cameras currently in use, according to KST President Skip Sampson.
“Although Indianapolis has a substantial number of cameras in place, there is no way to guarantee absolute coverage,” Sampson says. “This camera is mobile and can be moved quickly and easily from event to event — providing an extra level of protection for the thousands of conferences and events hosted in Indianapolis throughout the year.”
The decision to donate the camera resulted from the increased concerns about security following the recent bombings during the Boston Marathon, KFS President and CEO Randall Koorsen says.
“After the bombings in Boston, I felt a responsibility not only to show support to Boston but to help protect the city of Indianapolis,” he explains. “This camera offers a new and convenient way to provide extra security for any or all of the events that Indianapolis hosts.”
