Surveillance



Video surveillance gets smarter in Verbania, Italy

Verbania, the capital of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italy, was created when the towns of Intra and Pallanza merged. As one of the most idyllic and famous tourist destinations on Lake Maggiore, the town relies heavily on holidaymakers to fill its streets and generate income. To ensure the safety of visitors and citizens, the town council decided to launch a community surveillance project based on a system of network cameras. Monitors linked to the ten Sony SSNC-RX550 network cameras are installed in the Verbania Municipal Police control room, which is currently undergoing restructuring. Even so, the system does not require the intervention of dedicated security operatives. The human element only comes into play when real-time monitoring is needed (for example during a major event), or when an automatic alarm is triggered.

The town's network cameras have been positioned so that they can monitor all arrival and escape points in every area of the town. Intelligent image analysis functions now enable allow the city to keep special areas such as no-stopping zones under control. Using these features, live images can be monitored in unattended mode until suspicious activity occurs, at which point the operator is proactively alerted to the threat by means of an appropriate alarm.



CyberExtruder Gets 2D to 3D Face Patent


CyberExtruder announced that the company had been granted a new patent on their process for creating reliable 3D models of a person’s face from a single or series of 2D images. CyberExtruder’s 2D-to-3D conversion is certainly an important innovation to the security and biometrics technology industries. Why? It enables better matching between offline photographs and surveillance video. While the matching of "watch list" images against surveillance video has traditionally achieved mixed results as a result of inadequate lighting, angle, expression, etc., this patent could signify a leap forward in terms of the quality and value of 3D facial images.


"[The New World Order] cannot happen without U.S. participation, as we are the most significant single component. Yes, there will be a New World Order, and it will force the United States to change it's perceptions." -- Henry Kissinger, World Affairs Council Press Conference, Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel , April 19th 1994



UK's Trial Biometric PassportCard

National Id Cards - Does an increase in identification really lead to increased security or is it an invasion of our privacy? The advance of identification technology—biometrics, rfid chips, identity cards, surveillance, databases, dossiers—threatens privacy, civil liberties, and related human interests. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, demands for identification in the name of security have increased. A national ID represents a transfer of power from individuals to institutions, and that transfer may threaten our liberty, subject people to unwanted surveillance and a uniform, government-controlled identification system.


"What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea - a new world order...to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind...based on shared principles and the rule of law...The illumination of a thousand points of light...The winds of change are with us now". George Herbert Walker Bush


Enhanced Driver’s Licenses

Vermont has become the third state to begin issuing enhanced driver’s licenses with radio frequency tags that also serve as official identification cards at U.S. border crossing points. It did so under a program authorized by the Homeland Security Department. The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles began accepting applications for the enhanced licenses through its Montpelier office. The new card is voluntary and costs $25 more than a standard license. New York, Washington State and British Columbia in Canada offer similar licenses designed to comply with DHS’ Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which goes into effect in June, 2009. Officials in Arizona, Michigan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec have indicated they intend to issue similar cards. The enhanced drivers licenses have embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that can be scanned at a distance of 20 to 30 feet at U.S. border crossings. The RFID chips in the licenses emit a reference number that must be checked against a DHS database to obtain personal information.


"We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order." - David Rockefeller