Manual by target is the ability for the user to manually invoke auto follow and then select the specific target of interest by clicking directly on the target within the video feed. This essentially mimics the action of a security operator: identify the target, take control of the camera and control the camera to follow it. This obviously has benefits in situations where there may be more than one target in the scene and the operator wants to select a specific one to follow.
Then there is camera engagement via slew to cue. Similar to manual by target, slew to cue involves the initial steering of the camera to an exact location versus a scene. As referenced earlier, this typically requires some sort of geospatial understanding to be able to facilitate.
Once the camera has redirected itself so it is looking at the correct “cue” – which in this case is a latitude, longitude and elevation – it uses this exact reference point to identify which object is the target of interest and begins its automatic follow. This proves very valuable for views with multiple targets or a scene that may cover a very large physical area.
To recap, camera auto follow is a very powerful feature to consider as an addition to your security arsenal. The ability to track an intrusion hands-free allows security personnel freedom to perform other tasks in support of the event. The trick is cutting through the various terms that exist in the marketplace today and understanding the actual functionality that you will be achieving.
Eric Olson is Vice President of Marketing at Phoenix-based PureTech Systems.
This article originally ran in CS’ sister publication, Security Sales & Integration. To view a slide show illustrating the techniques described in this article, click here.
