Video surveillance: Cities and counties will spend more on this technology category

Local governments will increase their budgets in at least one technology in the coming year, says Kevin Taylor, area sales manager at Axis Communications, a producer of video surveillance equipment and other products. “We are optimistic about the growth of video-based Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in local government. We are at a nexus where the forces of technology advancements are meeting funding in critical infrastructure in a post-pandemic era.”

Taylor says cities and counties are evolving. “Local governments are transforming into organizations that value data-driven decision making, and today’s video technologies offer the opportunity to capture valuable data while also enabling real-time visual verification of events.” It’s a good time to work with the public sector marketplace, Taylor believes: “The local government segment presents Axis with an opportunity where our technologies and solutions bring us closer to our organization’s ultimate vision—to innovate for a smarter, safer world.”

The firm offers a variety of products, including network cameras and intercoms, wearables, access control systems, video recorders and workstations and video management software. Axis Communications works with governments, including cities, and offers tools and solutions that enable surveillance in public transport, stadiums, prisons, critical infrastructure, traffic and other applications.

Cities and counties rely on video surveillance systems in numerous applications, Taylor says. “In public spaces, the most common uses of video technology have been for situational awareness/overview, real time scene analysis during dispatch of emergency services, and license plate recognition to identify when a vehicle that is already of interest in an ongoing investigation enters a municipality.” He adds that there are also more traditional physical security use cases. These can include monitoring critical infrastructure, historical monuments and landmarks, and government facilities.

Municipal parks are yet another location where video surveillance technologies can serve a useful purpose, Taylor believes. The video monitoring and reconnaissance tools, he notes, can be used to detect unanticipated crowd gatherings, loitering and presence of intruders during hours when the parks are closed.

Other departments and stakeholders beyond public safety may see value in the data from video surveillance, Taylor explains. “Many cameras now offer deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) resources natively built into the camera itself, effectively transforming the device from a camera and into an ‘optical sensor.’ This intelligence makes it possible for the sensor to classify objects such as pedestrians, busses, cargo trucks and passenger vehicles.”

He points out that counting these objects over time and delivering them as quantified values alongside the video stream is quite valuable. “Many stakeholders, including mayors, city managers, council members and department directors, are eager to have a data visualization of how people, products and vehicles move throughout their city’s public right of way. Modern video technologies offer a pathway to this data visualization.”

Taylor singles out this infrastructure-technology area of activity in local governments in 2023: “In terms of general administration, one of the most prevalent trends is the migration of all applications and software platforms to the cloud.” He says local government stakeholders at the departmental level continue to have a high level of interest in traffic management, public safety and emergency response.

He spotlights the following technologies that can help boost efficiency and aid in decision-making:

Taylor offers advice for local government officials when they are considering any investment in infrastructure and/or technology. First, collaborate internally. “Find other stakeholders that may have a need or parallel use case for the investment that you’re considering. This can serve to unlock additional funding and help to avoid redundant spending.”

The second recommendation is for government decision-makers to avoid proprietary offerings. These setups generally only allow customization provided by the vendor, which limits the ability to create solutions that can be used the way the end-user wants or prefers. Many vendors and producers base their products on this business model. Taylor explains: “The needs of a local government can change significantly in a relatively short period of time. Proprietary offerings, particularly in the tech sector, may lock you into a platform that is not the right long-term solution for your department and for your community.” He urges cities and counties to steer clear of proprietary offerings. “By always selecting open-architecture solutions, you maintain forward mobility in future purchasing decisions.”

Taylor tells Co-op Solutions that Axis Communications’ engineers and product managers are constantly evaluating the market for new needs, pushing the boundaries of what its offerings can do, and ensuring added value for its customers. One example of the firm’s innovations is its AXIS Object Analytics (AOA), which is a native video analytic embedded in many of its products. “AOA classifies objects as people or vehicles, but since its launch we have produced several upgrades in both features and performance. Today, AOA not only distinguishes between people and vehicles, but it can also break down vehicles into four sub-classifications. In addition to detecting the presence of these objects, our latest offering can also count objects in the scene over a specified time period.” Other examples of the firm’s product improvements include sensor fusion (e.g., combining an optical camera and radar into one unified sensor), improvements in bandwidth-savings technologies and advancements in cyber-security frameworks.

Taylor believes cooperative contracts can be a plus for public procurement teams. “Cooperative contracts can absolutely save time and streamline the process. With many of today’s modern offerings, it is increasingly difficult for government procurement to openly compete products and services from different vendors in a true ‘apples-to-apples’ fashion. Cooperative contracts allow a municipality to select an offering that has already gone through the process of open competition by another agency or municipality, and source that offering without beginning the process anew.”

Taylor adds, however, that what works in one municipality may not be right for all municipalities. He urges government officials to avoid selecting an offering simply because it is available via a co-op purchasing vehicle. “However, if you vet the offering and decide through proper due diligence that it is the right decision for your agency, then seeking an applicable co-op that allows procurement without an unnecessary RFI/RFP process can yield great efficiencies and can be highly beneficial.”

OMNIA Partners offers a robust portfolio of cooperative contracts in the public procurement space. The firm simplifies procurement for state and local governments. Its cooperative purchasing approach focuses on efficiency, compliance and value. Here is information on video surveillance cooperative contracts available through OMNIA Partners.

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].