One of the world’s leading manufacturers of sensor systems and thermal imaging equipment, FLIR Systems Inc., has launched TruWITNESS, an industry-first wearable sensor platform designed for city-level security and public safety operations at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
FLIR’s TruWITNESS combines video, audio, location data, Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, and cloud and management software in one solution, enabling organizations to reach a new level of situational awareness.
Although TruWITNESS is designed for any public safety organization that requires on-scene, real-time mobile surveillance, such as police forces, it has numerous potential applications for Departments of Transportation, transport and transit agencies, emergency response services and parking management organizations.
Worn on an individual’s body or mounted inside vehicles, TruWITNESS includes visible-video, audio, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer sensors.
These sensors combine to send alerts and stream data to a central command center in real-time to ensure full situational awareness and global event handling. Featuring FLIR’s Neighbor Aware inter-device connectivity, TruWITNESS acts as an IoT device, triggering nearby TruWITNESS devices, fixed and motorized pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) security or traffic cameras, and other connected sensors to act upon an alarm event.
TruWITNESS becomes a key component of FLIR’s United VMS (video management system), which command centers use to manage video surveillance. United VMS combines video, audio, and other related data and makes it available for real-time situation management and forensic purposes.
FLIR offers both visible and thermal sensors for use by cities in security, traffic and public safety applications, and United VMS integrates these devices into one comprehensive, omniscient system. Adding TruWITNESS to the system extends the reach to virtually anywhere, providing for enhanced real-time situational awareness, informed decision making and additional opportunities to affect a positive outcome.
“The market for wearable video surveillance technology today is confined mainly to law enforcement, but we believe TruWITNESS helps extend this capability well beyond it,” said Travis Merrill, president of FLIR’s commercial business unit.
“Equipped with the TruWITNESS platform and connected devices, security personnel can stream video of an incident not only to their command center, but also to local law enforcement or emergency medical personnel. TruWITNESS enables any public safety organization to use video to respond to complex situations and evolving threats as they occur.”
Also being demonstrated in Barcelona, FLIR has expanded its award-winning line of FB-Series thermal cameras to include the first models with 640 x 480 resolutions. Originally launched in early 2018 with a resolution of 320 x 240, the FB-Series now has a broader range of resolution and lens options to suit any application, including those in the smart city, transportation and parking industries.
The FB-Series is a compact, fixed-bullet camera line that offers wide-to-narrow coverage of streetscapes or facilities, reducing the number of units required to monitor open areas. The FB-Series produces crisp thermal video in challenging conditions, including total darkness, sun glare, smoke, dust, and light fog, enabling better classification of human and vehicles. The FB-family also offers plug-and-play compatibility with major video management systems, including United VMS, using hybrid, IP and analog outputs.
