Surveillance Camera Technology
Law enforcement and security agencies have used surveillance camera technologies throughout the end of 19th and into the present 21st centuries. The first ever recognized use of camera surveillance for security is recorded in the UK with the help of still photography concept to photograph imprisoned people in the year 1913.
Surveillance camera technologies also have generations. In each generation there is a considerable improvement in the technique used. They are listed in the order of arrival into the market.
CCTV:
Closed Circuit Television also called CCTV technology was first used in missile monitoring tests. It allowed scientists to check the performance and precision of missiles during the launch. It was implemented into use in 1960’s. As there were no video tapes, these data were not recorded. Therefore, the visuals have to be monitored by a security officer.
Video:
This was put into use after the introduction of video cassette. This surveillance system was used in the beginning to monitor and record the train passengers in the underground train. At the same time, insurance companies were also using the same to monitor fraudulent employees. After the invention of computers, the video clarity were very much improved to make it working at night times.
Digital multiplexing:
This involves video surveillance of multiple cameras at one time. This kind of surveillance systems were used in large buildings, offices, colleges etc. The technology used less video tapes to be used for recording at the same time provides larger storage of data in compressed form.
Digital video recording:
The arrival of video recording enabled surveillance systems to store large volume of data. The video feed from various cameras were stored permanently in a hard drive. The ease of data compression in hard drives made video recording as first choice of surveillance system.
Internet:
The advancement in technology has made the surveillance system to be monitored remotely with the help of internet. With the use of internet, one can view security cameras attached somewhere else on a terminal.