Video observation systems have become common fixtures
in our everyday lives. Cameras mounted obscurely on walls, ceilings,
and even traffic lights, capture the average person on videotape
several times a day. Banks, gas stations, convenience and retail
stores, and office buildings use video systems for business,
customer, and employee safety. Through a licensing agreement,
Intergraph Government Solutions, of Huntsville, Alabama, adapted
a technology originally developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center for enhanced video imaging, in developing its Video AnalystTM
System. Barco Inc. Display Systems, Duluth, Georgia, also has
a licensing agreement with Marshall and is incorporating the
technology into its new computer hardware, designed for real-time
video image enhancement, stabilization, and tracking.
Marshall's scientists
developed the Video Image Stabilization and Registration (VISAR)
technology to help FBI agents analyze video footage of the deadly
1996 Olympic Summer Games bombing in Atlanta, Georgia. VISAR
technology enhanced nighttime videotapes made with hand-held
camcorders, revealing important details about the explosion.
Intergraph's
Video Analyst System is a simple, effective, and affordable tool
for video enhancement and analysis. It combines high-end broadcast-quality
systems with an easy-to-learn, user-friendly interface. Currently,
the Video Analyst System is available for use with Microsoft®
Windows® 2000, Adobe,® and Premiere® applications.
Many of the
benefits associated with the Video Analyst System include support
of full-resolution digital video, frame-by-frame analysis, and
the ability to store analog video in digital format. Up to 12
hours of digital video can be stored and maintained for reliable
footage analysis. The system also includes state-of-the-art features
such as stabilization, image enhancement, and convolution to
help improve the visibility of subjects in the video without
altering underlying footage.
Adding to the
appeal of this innovative technology is its price/performance
value. The coupling of the system's highly technical workstation
abilities with the cost-effective Microsoft Windows 2000 operating
system, provides an unparalleled graphics-intensive video analysis.
Even a novice can quickly learn to operate the system, eliminating
the need for costly video specialist training.
Adaptable to
many uses, Intergraph's Video Analyst System meets the stringent
demands of the law enforcement industry in the areas of surveillance,
crime scene footage, sting operations, and dash-mounted video
cameras. Military applications include security, video feed from
aircraft, target identification and confirmation, weapons deployment,
damage assessment, surveillance and reconnaissance, training,
and mission debriefing. The Video Analyst also adds significant
value to the sophisticated surveillance systems prevalent in
the intelligence field. With features such as enhancement, image
tracking, and the ability to accept sonar data, the system greatly
enhances the use of satellite or aerial video. The affordable,
easy-to-use characteristics of the Intergraph system benefit
both government agencies and the commercial sector.
From satellite
imaging to catching criminals, the collaborative efforts of NASA
and Intergraph Government Solutions have brought another NASA
technology down to Earth.
Video Analyst System is
a trademark of Intergraph Government Solutions, Inc.
Microsoft® and Windows® 2000 are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation.
Adobe® and Premiere® are registered trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated.
![man siting in then dark and being viewed with eal-time video image enhancement](images/100.jpg) |
The Video
Analyst System
has the ability to stabilize, register, and zoom selected frame
areas. This unprecedented method improves dark surveillance video
with dramatic effect. |
![man siting in then dark and being viewed with eal-time video image enhancement](images/101.jpg) |
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