VIDEO | Axis Communications VP of Americas: Surveillance Cams Are Becoming Smarter and More Intelligent

(US and Canada) Fredrik Nilsson, Axis Communications VP of Americas, speaks with Gavroshe Chairman Derek Strauss in a video interview about the surveillance camera business, video data management, and critical industry challenges.

According to Nilsson, Axis Communications’ key driver is its vision of a smarter and safer world. Nilsson mentions that the organization aims to make the system more proactive and intelligent. He reveals that the United States has about 100 million surveillance cameras, and they are becoming more innovative. 

When asked about managing the high volume of video data generated daily, he explains that modern compression technologies and application-specific smart codecs reduce the volume of video data. Today, a typical surveillance camera generates five gigabytes of data daily instead of the previous terabyte.

Nilsson elaborates that most of the data is stored locally, is difficult to retrieve, and needs more analytics or ways to search for the right data. He maintains, however, that Smart Search Tag metadata now helps pinpoint specific scenarios quickly instead of combing through hours of video footage.

Highlighting two of the most significant video surveillance challenges today, Nilsson mentions:

1. The lack of a data structure makes accessing data difficult.

2. The presence of other subsystems in any location complicates surveillance.

He also notes that because access control, HVAC, intercom, and audio systems lack integration, the data collected from them cannot be used smartly.

CDO Magazine appreciates Fredrik Nilsson for sharing his insights and data success stories with our global community.