CLARITY and Netwatch collaboration

A team of researchers from CLARITY, the Centre for Sensor Web Technologies at DCU has collaborated with Netwatch, to develop a new alarm reduction system. The surveillance technology system can distinguish whether an alarm has been triggered by human activity and will greatly reduce the thousands of false alarm calls received by Gardai each year.

The real time technology, developed under the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership programme, will analyse the images for human characteristics
such as shape, size and movement, ensuring that when an alarm is triggered, intervention specialists can be sure it is an intruder and not a wild cat or urban fox which has triggered the alarm.

David Walsh, Chief Executive, Netwatch said, "The Netwatch System, allows us to conduct a remote site inspection, and can be sure it is intruders which have triggered the alarm and only then call the Gardai and the keyholder. It will not only reduce the number of false alarms but it will also enable Netwatch Intervention Specialists to respond more aggressively when an alarm is triggered, as we will be very quickly determine when human activity has triggered alarm."

Prof Noel O'Connor, a Principal Investigator in CLARITY, based in Dublin City University, said; "The approach that we have developed uses sophisticated video analytics coupled with machine learning to provide a new layer of information to Netwatch's intervention specialists. It's an example of how the research expertise in our universities can be leveraged to help solve real world problems being faced by key players in Ireland's knowledge economy such as Netwatch."

Walsh is high in his praise for the CLARITY centre, a multi-disciplinary research partnership between University College Dublin Dublin City University, and the Tyndall National Institute, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, which is focused on the intersection between two important research areas - Adaptive Sensing and Information Discovery - to develop innovative new technologies and a new generation of smarter, more proactive, information services.

"The quality of research being undertaken in the CLARITY centre and the team of researchers who worked with us on this project is world class. This new surveillance technology is a fantastic example of what can result when industry and academia collaborate".

Richard Stokes CEO of Invent, the Technology Transfer Office at Dublin City University shares Walsh's enthusiasm.
"We are delighted at the opportunity to work with Netwatch. The Innovation Partnership Programme is a very effective way to allow companies to access the best and brightest researchers and the latest technologies. We hope that this is the start of a long and successful relationship."