SBIR Phase I: New Compression Techniques for Surveillance Video

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate and evaluate a new class of video compression algorithms specifically designed for digital CCTV (closed circuit TV) systems. As the market for surveillance video systems has been increasingly becoming digital,"compression has become a critical enabling technology. Current systems employ conservative, standard, and generic compression algorithms that often result in jerky object motion and waste of memory and network bandwidth. This project will investigate a new class of compression algorithm that can significantly improve picture quality at bit-rates lower than or comparable to those in current systems/products. This is done by exploiting the special characteristics of surveillance video and by adopting a segmentation model. The result will be a prototype software module that can be installed in digital CCTV systems as their compression units. This technology can be used in video surveillance systems for monitoring banks, airports, government and corporate buildings