DHS tests new camera for future of surveillance

ISIS video-camera

At a time where the United States is desperate to reinforce security in its airports, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a pilot project with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) on May 7 to test a new surveillance system at Terminal A of Boston Logan International Airport.

The Image System for Immersive Surveillance (ISIS) is an innovative high-resolution, 24-inch diameter, 360-degrees camera equipped with video analytics software that allow the user to analyze the images recorded in a way never before offered. ISIS can be attached to a ceiling, can be set on a roof, or can be secured to a truck-mounted telescoping mast.

ISIS has several advantages that make it different from other imagery systems. ISIS is made of several individual cameras stitched into a single dome, which not only gives it its 360-degree wide view, but also provides excellent quality images, not distorted like those from a fisheye lens.

According to Massport’s director of corporate security, Dennis Treece, ISIS can see anything from an inch to more than 160 yards away with its 100-mega pixel image quality. John Verrico, a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security, stressed that in the event authorities need to identify a suspect from among the throngs of passengers mulling about the airport, they would have a good enough image so that they would not have to stop the operation of the entire terminal.

Another advantage is the ability for several users to zoom in, simultaneously on different spots, without loosing the entire 360-degree view. In addition, multiple analysts can retrieve digitally captured scenes at any time for further scrutiny without disrupting the ongoing coverage.

The prototype currently tested at Logan airport also offers the convenience of designating an exclusion zone, or restricted areas that ISIS can monitor and scan for abnormal activity as well as suspicious items left behind or even removed.

The ISIS project was launched by the Science and Technology (S&T) directorate of DHS, and cost approximately $3 million so far, for the research, equipment installation and testing. ISIS was developed jointly by a team of engineers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory and at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA.