The current year has become ever more groundbreaking for Eocortex. In March, the IP video surveillance experts and professional CCTV system integrators switched over to version 2.5, the development of which had taken the whole year. As early as in May 2009 the version 2.6 was released, enabling customers to simultaneously connect up to 4000 cameras to a single server. The security system as a whole took a leap to the next level of reliability and user-friendliness. Finally, the new version was released in June. That time, Eocortex 2.7 came about with the breakthrough solutions with which some of the industry professionals had been able to get acquainted during the company’s open events. What is good to know about each version?
EOCORTEX 2.5
Version 2.5 of Eocortex was released in April 2019. A large number of updates, upgrades and new features turned the already efficient software into even more practical quality tool for solving a wide range of business tasks. The key innovations of the version can be conventionally divided into 11 sections.
- Supervised by the Detector
Starting from version 2.5, the set of intelligent video analysis modules contains the hard hat detector. The mere fact of developing such a detector was a huge hit. And understandably so, since the false triggering dropped to as little as 3%!
The Hard Hats Detector is a software module that finds the violations of the labor safety norms in a video stream. The detector cannot be cheated or dissuaded; it works with white, orange, red, green, yellow and blue hats. Moreover, the software even takes into account the noise-cancelling headphones and safety goggles – in version 2.5, they do not prevent the module from detecting the absence or presence of a hard hat. In case an operator appears on site without a hard hat, the detector generates an alarm event, sends an immediate notification to the messenger or email of a responsible person, and makes a corresponding note in the event log. Eventually, a shift foreman or an owner of the business will always be aware of the situation with labor safety and will be able to take an appropriate action immediately. All the violations will be registered for the subsequent investigation. As a result, the number of injuries on site will be kept to a minimum.
- Always in the know
One of the novelties of Eocortex 2.5 is the possibility to receive scheduled reports. The automatic report creation feature is available for several intelligent modules: People Counting, Face Recognition, License Plate Recognition.
This feature is very useful and easy to use: just set the schedule and indicate the electronic address the report will be sent to. As a result, the responsible person, wherever he or she might be, will always be aware of the situation. In the message he will see, at his option, the generated table or a special .csv file, helping him to draw up the extensive statistics.
- Down with the queues!
In the XXI century, the absence of queues is not an indication of the unpopularity of a store, but of the high level of service. And it has become easier to eliminate the queues due to the improvements made to the queue monitoring module available since the release of version 2.5. The module can also be used in a different way. If an owner or a store manager notices that there are less customers waiting in the lines, he or she can optimize the personnel work schedule: use their time better, reduce costs for employing additional personnel, create full-time work schedules, etc.
When someone says that a video camera used for queue monitoring must be pointed at the floor, meaning that it should “hang above the queue”, this person still lives in the past! Nowadays, thanks to Eocortex 2.5, the camera installation requirements are much more user-friendly. For example, the camera can now be fixed at an angle of 40° to 70° to the vertical plane. It means that now the device that before could only be used for counting people in a queue, can be used as a versatile tool for intelligent video analysis. Install it as you like!
Additionally, the queue monitoring module now supports operation on NVIDIA graphic cards, boosting performance and lowering server processor load.
The accuracy of the module has reached 90%, meaning that if you say “No more than 5 people in a queue!”, so it will be. And if this rule is broken, the module will notify each and every one whose salaries depend on fulfilling your orders and requirements.
- Using all comm channels
By the way, regarding notifications. Is email not enough for you anymore? Starting with version 2.5, the intelligent modules can find a responsible person with the help of all the communication channels. Telegram, Viber or even Facebook Messenger – all of these are now officially supported, meaning that users get access to their CCTV systems directly from the messengers, being able to receive images from the cameras, alert notifications, server statuses, and much more.
Connecting up to ten users to the CCTV system has become a walk in the park: just send the required persons a link by email. Note that it is free of charge. Then the automated bot will help you: by request, it will show you the frame taken at a specified time by any camera and stored in the archive, send you an event notification and provide you with a technical data report.
- Slim-fit design
Eocortex iOS mobile app design has also become more ergonomic. Using tile design, we made our interface look like a normal client’s interface on a PC.
Those who got accustomed to the new design note that one side panel has greatly increased the usability of Eocortex 2.5. By the way, the Servers tab has been renamed: now it is called Systems. However, the improvement of the design will go on, meaning that it is just the first amenity in a long list of the upcoming innovations.
- Demo for a client
Demo client 2.5 has also undergone global changes. For one thing, the size of the installation package for trial is only 1 Mb. It means that it would even fit on the diskette made in 1987, and can be downloaded in seconds. All the data required for working with the demo client is loaded automatically.
After the installation, Eocortex will automatically connect to the demo server and show the CCTV system on screen. In the new demo version, the major intelligent modules will be readily available. By the way, in Eocortex 2.5 there are 19 intelligent modules in total.
- German thoroughness
Starting from version 2.5, Eocortex supports MxPEG codec that is used in German-made Mobotix cameras. Thanks to this novelty, the happy owners of such Mobotix video surveillance cameras as C26, D10, D12, D14, D16, D24, D26, I26, M12, M15, M16, M24, M26, P26, S16, Q24, Q26, V10, V12, V16 and V26 will be able to use all the capabilities of the Eocortex intelligent modules confidently and without any adverse effects.
- Third-party connections
Versions 2.5 and later of Eocortex allow a network administrator to connect third-party software to the server. This feature has been implemented by virtue of supporting the ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) standard protocols. In the earlier versions, the ONVIF data could only be received, but could not be sent.
Another new feature concerns the Active Directory, the Microsoft corporation directory service for Windows Server family operating systems. By requests of many users, we have implemented the possibility to log in to the web client thru this service. It means that a user can conveniently enter the Eocortex system via the same account that he uses for other services.
- The optimizations
The list of optimizations made in version 2.5 has probably become one of the most extensive in the whole history of our software. The most important ones are as follows: speed-up of the launch of the client on a PC, optimization of archive playback smoothness and archive recording to network drives, optimization for multiprocessor systems.
The improvements also involve the server-client traffic – its streams have been optimized towards decreasing, which also reduces the processing load. Moreover, the response time at the large number of channels in the client and in the server settings was reduced. This will be appreciated by the owners of the large-scale CCTV systems.
- For experts and professionals
Ultimately, it is worth mentioning the novelty features that appeared in 2.5 by requests of the specialized industry professionals. First, the new software version features a watchdog. It is a system-integrated USB device that performs a hardware restart of the server in case of its hangup or shutdown.
The second point is the possibility to interactively select an interval on the timeline for archive export. And finally, the new REST API capabilities allow to configure the server using the corresponding requests
EOCORTEX 2.6
Eocortex 2.6 can be called a special and, at the same time, an interim release. In comparison with Eocortex 2.5, two key modifications have been introduced there.
First, the development department of Eocortex has created a special version of the software protection key that allows to simultaneously connect up to 4000 cameras to a single server. Before, one protection key permitted connection of only 479 cameras. Thanks to the upgrade, this parameter increased by 735%. The operators of large video surveillance systems are very interested in that because it facilitates the management of a hardware and software package.
Secondly, the software protection modifications introduced facilitate international logistics. The new protection key standard allows to order them directly in any of the offices of Gemalto company, the Eocortex partner, in North and South Americas, Europe, or the countries of the Pacific. A key can be received in the local office in just one week
EOCORTEX 2.7
In comparison with the previous versions, Eocortex 2.7 has become more efficient from the point of view of the generation of profit. In general, six key novelties of the version must be pointed out.
- License Plate Recognition
Software Development Kit (SDK) for the License Plate Recognition module was added to Eocortex 2.7. Thanks to the modifications made to it, now the users can work with the license plates of such countries as Georgia, Ireland, and Portugal. The recognition of license plates of the already supported countries has been improved: now the module is less demanding as regards the system requirements with no loss in quality. Less server load – more benefits.
- Two-factor authentication
Version 2.7 features the improved integration with the major brands present on the Russian and European market, such as Sigur and Perco, the well-known security hardware manufacturers.
Now Eocortex supports two-factor authentication on the equipment of these companies. The intelligent modules developed by Eocortex work perfectly with Sigur and Perco access control systems, opening up potential for the experts in access control. For example, it is possible to save much on both hardware and software. Tighter security – fewer unauthorized people on site.
- No restart
This small but important upgrade was introduced in Eocortex 2.7 as if it were asked for by numerous ordinary guards. Before, an unprepared security system operator could become confused by the restart of the workstation after making changes to the configuration, now he or she will not even notice the changes in the system’s operation.
The automatic restart of the clients’ workstations has been optimized in such a way that the monitoring of the system happens without interruption, meaning that a possibility of even such a difficult-to-detect crime as stealing of a bottle by an employee during the CCTV system restart going unnoticed is greatly minimized. The system works more – there are fewer losses.
- Mobile client import
A powerful and unparalleled tool for a security specialist doing field work called “Mobile Client” has always been popular, but it looked as if it were a separate version of Eocortex. In version 2.7 almost no difference remains, and now even the popular Views can be easily imported to iOS and Android mobile clients. What does it offer to the user? The Eocortex settings are automatically transferred to the mobile apps, meaning that it is not necessary to set up every client individually. Easier import – less fuss.
- Multigrid + 11
Web client’s multigrid of Eocortex 2.7 increased by 220%! That means that instead of 5 cameras you can display images from up to 16 cameras simultaneously. And it’s far from being all. The changes to the web client’s multigrid were made on the base code level. The display is now smoother on any operation system: Linux, MacOS, and even Android or iOS. So, now it is not necessary to spend money on the expensive equipment: you can use the computers that are already available. Moreover, it is possible to connect to the system online from any computer. And even if a security guard has a Windows 95 dinosaur, and his boss connects to the system via a latest-model MacBook, neither of them will notice any difference. The wider the grid - the bigger the saving.
- The shelves and their fullness
The centerpiece of Eocortex 2.7 is, deservedly, the Shelf Fullness Check – a high-end tool available before exclusively to the selected market participants as part of the pilot projects and in the special versions of the software.
The module is a tool whose interface allows users to specify the shelf boundaries and even the limits of separate zones of a shelf to be controlled, set critical shelf fulness threshold, set triggering threshold – shelf fulness percentage, renewal interval, etc. Thus, the user – a store owner of other responsible person – will receive an alert message to his or her phone in case of the emptying of the shelf, and will be able to react accordingly.
The Shelf Fullness Check module works in the online mode, and the user is able to see the percentage of a shelf’s fullness with the required goods. It goes without saying that it positively affects the merchandizer’s performance and the volume of sales. At the very least, it means less effort and more revenue.
In conclusion, a reminder. Eocortex scrupulously analyses all the feedback and suggestions concerning the functionality of the software as a whole and the intelligent modules in particular. If you have any comments on the matter, please send them to support@eocortex.com, and maybe you will be the one whose influence on the next software version is the greatest. Because it is always easy to work with Eocortex.