The History Of CCTV
The Destructive Beginning
Closed Circuit TV was first created in Germany in the 1940s. The engineer Walter Bruch, the man who had previously led the development of PAL color TV was assigned the task of determining a method to monitor rocket launches V2 rockets. They became the first fully operational Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles. These missiles were designed so that they would strike London and be difficult to penetrate, in the hope that they would cause fear among the population of the nations that were allied with them. V2 rockets were made using a highly volatile mix of fuels, which led to several dangerous accidents occurring during the production process and launch facilities. Bruch’s CCTV was a system that was designed for monitoring the deadly weapons of terror from an uninvolved distance. He developed the system to perfection in 1942. It was unable to record film. The rockets were continuously monitored by an engineering team who were huddled in the bunker. In the end, the V2 did not have any difference in the strategic outcomes of the war and brought it into a new era where ICBMs were joined by nuclear warheads. This was not a good history for Bruch however, the Closed Circuit TV invention would be a lasting legacy that wasn’t entirely tied to destruction and war.
Commercial Emergencies
Following the end of the Second World War, government organizations and private companies rushed to utilize the technologies that were created by Nazi Germany. The race to collect the technology-based war spoils resulted in a variety of important consequences. Space-based rockets were developed throughout both the United States and the Soviet Union and were greatly assisted by technological war spoils. CCTV also made its way into allied nations and served more peaceful goals than the original system developed by Bruch.
It wasn’t until 1949 that a real commercial CCTV system became available. In 1949, the US company Verizon launched its first CCTV system in the year 1949. As with the first system, this commercially-available CCTV could not record images. This resulted in the development of comprehensive monitoring systems that are often provided by third-party organizations.
Protection of The Royals
The first time that we have documented the use of CCTV as a security tool occurred during the 1952 coronation celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. This ceremony – was extremely symbolic in the country and also caused a significant security problem for the event’s organizers. Security personnel put up a comprehensive set of CCTV cameras to provide live surveillance of the huge crowds that were gathered in Westminster. The use of CCTV during the coronation of the monarch could be a way of explaining the fascination of the UK with technology. The UK is among the most monitored nations on Earth and has around 5.2 million cameras being used throughout the country. That’s one camera per 13 people.
CCTV Homecoming
It was in 1969 that New Yorker and inventor Marie Van Brittan patented a home security system that utilized CCTV technology. This system was developed to be placed on the outside of a home and let the owner be able to see the people who were knocking at the door. The technology was embraced and many companies started tailoring their CCTV systems to small-scale homes across the United States.
Relevance to Retail
The 1970s and 1980s witnessed widespread adoption of CCTV in retail stores. The first retail CCTV systems were large and could only capture images in black and white. They were also capable of recording video onto tape. This turned CCTV into a very effective instrument for the prosecution of criminals. The introduction of recording capabilities CCTV altered the enforcement of the law dramatically. CCTV evidence can be used in court to exonerate or convict the suspect. The usage of CCTV cameras in court drastically increased in the 1990s in the United Kingdom due to a coordinated effort by the government to create new methods of proof of conviction.
The Digital Age
The advent of the age of technology brought an array of technological advancements in CCTV. tiny camera, connectivity to the internet, and remote recording are all standards.
Drones
Drones that are affordable and powerful are among the most important innovations at the beginning of 21 21st century. Drones can be used to capture aerial footage, and map buildings, and are used for military reasons. Drones have proved to be among the most significant weapons of conflict throughout Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria. They are also used to serve as floating CCTV units.
A few defense firms that started their careers by producing drones specifically for military purposes have focused their efforts on the market for civilians. Drones with powerful cameras and able to longer loiter times could soon be utilized as mobile CCTV systems. The most recent CCTV drones can make individual identifications by using machine learning technologies. For many, the thought of a flying CCTV camera that can identify particular individuals is a scary one. However, it is a method of surveillance that is expected to be a lot of usage within the next few years.
Monitor Algorithms
Monitoring CCTV feeds is vital and takes a lot of time. Security personnel must keep an eye on CCTV screens to spot any unusual or suspicious behaviors. In the past several years CCTV surveillance has started to evolve. Security tech companies are trying to automatize CCTV monitoring by using algorithms. The latest version of the software for security surveillance will detect anomalous visual data, alerting an employee on staff. The software employs algorithmic machine learning that utilizes vast data networks when trying to detect patterns in the visual data. It can help businesses save enormous amounts of money that would otherwise be spent hiring a 24-hour human monitor.
Algorithm-powered CCTV monitoring is not able to completely substitute for the human monitoring agent. However, it could significantly reduce the amount of work that is assigned to each professional who monitors.
