Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Integrated Emergency Response System

Emergency does not knock at your door before coming and every second counts at that moment of crisis. There are basically 3 major emergencies which one can think of i.e Police , Fire and Medical. At the time of crisis, each of the emergency has to be communicated to the concerned response agency for help to be available to you.A proper integration of all response systems facilitates help and places resources where they need to be.

People require help or assistance of Government agencies on a regular basis to tackle different emergencies. Be it a fire at your premises , where you need a Fire brigade to reach you or Be it a Police emergency where somebody is robbing you house. During such situations, time is essence and help should be communicated to these agencies in the fastest manner for them to dispatch help to you. In a country like India, where these govt. agencies receive thousands of calls on a daily basis, it is even more important for them to be equipped with proper devices to help the citizens. An Integrated Emergency response system for all these needs where the information can be communicated with simply a touch of button can be the solution. Thus, governments need to invest in citywide emergency response systems that can aid the distribution of information and better support agencies in their task of serving and protecting. The main aim is to simplify the whole process and make it simpler for the citizens to communicate when they are in an emergency situation.

But the cost of setting up an Integrated Response system does not come cheap and governments needs to invest in millions depending on the level of deployment. A relatively smaller cost also has to be borne by the citizens in terms of having a Gadget in their house or cars which complies with the standard of the Integrated response system for the emergency communication.To ensure an efficient and responsive system for emergency services, agencies have to set very stringent reliability and redundancy requirements for their contractors. In the event of system failure, operations can fall back automatically to the hot-standby equipment to minimize any downtime and/or degradation of emergency services.

As the number of technology driven systems increase within a city, we can move towards a secure and safer place to live which can be termed as a 'Smart City'.

@Rahul Jain - Omnipolis

Thursday, 3 March 2011

Dynamics in Video Surveillance

The digital video surveillance systems market is growing significantly, boosted by heightened public and private security concerns as well as a technology shift. The security industry is converging with information technology slowly and gradually transitioning to IP-based video surveillance systems. Video analytics is another technology that is rapidly advancing in surveillance systems.

Video surveillance has proved to be an effective measure as a crime deterrent and is being globally adopted by security and law enforcement agencies. The adoption by commercial establishments has also picked up as they it as a tool to control thefts and increase productivity. The digital video surveillance systems market is growing rapidly not only in terms of technological advances, but also in adoption of new applications. The number of cameras deployed is anticipated to be high along with the increasing security budgets for government and private sector organizations.

As per IMS Research the Indian video surveillance market is one-tenth the size of the Chinese market — US$165 million in 2010. However, much of China's growth is fuelled by its government's desire to watch over its population. It is unlikely India has the political or financial motivation to deploy large-scale public surveillance projects, reducing potential video growth. Video surveillance spending typically follows infrastructure projects, and India is no exception. There will be sustained investment related to roads, airports and railways.

A sad reality of terrorist attacks has heightened the need for security and protection. While it is difficult to assess the budget for video surveillance, funds will be earmarked for transportation and critical infrastructure. India has potential for video surveillance. However, the Indian tiger won't slay the Chinese dragon in terms of market size for some time to come.

@Rohit Jain- Omnipolis

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Securing One's Home!!!

Safety and Security of one's house is the prime concern in today's world. With an increase in the number of burglaries and other Property crimes, the need for hi tech security gadgets is on rise. There are few precautions which one needs to take in securing one's premises. The Need for an apartment and individual house differs and should be addressed accordingly.


Few things which one can keep in mind is :

  • Having a secured perimeter with proper fencing specially for Individual houses
  • Having a Security guard for apartments to screen people and enabling restricted entry.
  • Provision for Video surveillance where ever necessary to keep a recorded evidence against crime
  • Having a Burglar alarm system to alert the Central control room and neighbours in case of intrusion in you home.

 Before going for a Residential Security System , please consider few questions listed below :

  
  • What makes your home susceptible to break-in or theft?
  • What do you consider your biggest security threat?
  • Do you feel that your neighborhood contributes to your overall security?
  • Have you ever had problems with theft or break-ins?
With a Combination of different technologies available in the market and little bit of cheaper alternatives and precautions, you can create a secure home.
 
@Rahul Jain - Omnipolis