IntrusionTrace: the World’s Biggest Selling Visual Intrusion Detection Technology

Intrusion detection based on video analytics has long been a frustratingly elusive goal despite decades of research into image and video processing. Forever promising perfect detection and no false alarms, the truth has often fallen well short of the hype.

Until now. Xtralis, with its innovative IntrusionTrace product, leads the world with video analytics intrusion detection that actually works, and works well. Why is this? What makes Xtralis IntrusionTrace different? Why is it that thousands of installations world-wide look to Xtralis to deliver video analytics for the protection of their high value and critical infrastructure?

Many factors contribute to the success of this product. The deep history of the company, the narrow focus on perimeter protection, the ongoing investment in R&D, and the emphasis on customer support and feedback have all played a part, but ultimately it comes down to the quality of detection. The high detection rate and low false alarm rate allow it to meet expectations where others fail.

Xtralis has been in the video analytics industry since its early Adpro products in the 1980’s. IntrusionTrace is the fifth generation product for perimeter protection under the Adpro brand name. Preceded by the Adpro Pro series in the 1980’s, followed by VMD-1, Axiom, and Presidium; IntrusionTrace has the huge benefit of accumulated knowledge and experience in perimeter protection.

The focus on this one application area over three decades, the ongoing investment into improving the product through five generations, and applying customer feedback and resolving real issues from thousands of installations around the world, brings a depth of knowledge in this niche market that is unparalleled in the industry today.

Add to this the extensive video library of real site footage that the company has amassed from its vast install base, and you can see that Xtralis is in a unique position to deliver.

Algorithm development has always focussed on outdoor intrusion detection where the challenges of widely varying environmental, seasonal, weather, and lighting conditions need to be met for reliable 24/7/365 operation. IntrusionTrace outstrips the motion detection of early products, and takes outdoor conditions in its stride. It detects a wide range of intruders from people through to vehicles, and combats many known attempts to foil motion detection systems.

Default settings are well researched, and provide the best performance for a wide range of applications, while intuitive settings in familiar terms of metres and feet can be adjusted to tailor the system for unusual requirements.

Directional areas (patent pending) can help constrain detections to those that really matter and internal filters help ensure that only valid targets are tracked. Crucially, IntrusionTrace detects people even if they are crawling or running, which many of the “human tuned” competitor products miss.

Furthermore it detects intrusions anywhere in a defined area of the scene, not just where an intruder might cross a “trip-wire”. This makes detection more robust when conditions are poor and target tracking  is unreliable. Features such as these firmly establish IntrusionTrace as a video analytic designed for high security.

In the United Kingdom, the Home Office developed a comprehensive blind test for video based perimeter detection in sterile areas – areas where visible movement is uncommon. Presidium was one of the first systems to pass this test, and IntrusionTrace followed soon after. IntrusionTrace version 1.26 is now an i-LIDS approved primary detection system for operational alert use in sterile zone monitoring applications. The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure in the UK uses this test in assessing video analytics systems, which clearly shows the high regard held for this certification, and its suitability internationally, even if not officially recognised.

i-LIDS certification is a significant achievement, but customers need more than assurance that the product has low false alarm rates and high detection reliability for sterile scenes. IntrusionTrace provides a wealth of intuitive adjustments to allow it to be tailored to a wide variety of applications and runs on a platform that provides sophisticated and reliable event handling, video recording and transmission.

Features such as PTZ following and double or triple-knock with other events are easily achieved, and the product has had success in a range of non-sterile applications through careful use of event logic.

The platform provides integration with other products such as Adpro intelligent PIRs for a complete detection solution, and with monitoring station software to ensure efficient alarm handling. Aside from superior performance, these features further that differentiate it from the less capable edge devices that are tempting the industry.

Beyond the product itself, Xtralis prides itself in its superior technical support. Since early days, the team at Xtralis has been assisting with designs, configurations, and installations to ensure customers get the best from the products.

The support team can connect to the site, view live and recorded footage, and recommend changes to settings based on their accumulated years of experience. Training courses are available to help designers optimise their site plans for best performance and installer courses show how to configure the product and make the most of its features. Xtralis cares about security and those that depend on it.

With its solid foundation in ongoing research and development, concern for the customer, and deep-set experience of security requirements, Xtralis has taken video analytics to where it needs to be. IntrusionTrace is the high performance solution that customers need to meet their security needs. Xtralis is the company that provides the support and infrastructure to ensure that it does. Xtralis, the sooner you know…

List of marketable points:

• History of company on Adpro side
  • 5 generations of video analytics for outdoor perimeter security since Adpro VMD in the mid 1980s
  • Analytics focus has always been on perimeter security – sticking to and developing our strength
  • Accumulated experience from thousands of installations around the world
  • Extensive video library of real sites for regression testing every enhancement
• Advanced technology
  • Progressed a long way from the early days of video motion detection
  • 24/7/365 outdoor detection has always been the application, with innovative filters to reduce the effects of bad weather and lighting changes
  • Area detection quickly established as the most reliable method for detecting targets
  • Developed better target detection techniques as we progressed from PRO-4 to VMD to Axiom to Presidium to IntrusionTrace.
  • Perspective compensation evolved into full calibration enabling the use of real world dimensions (feet/metres)
  • Now with directional areas (patent pending) and running on multiple platforms
• Security experience
  • IntrsusionTrace deliberately ignores pose to ensure reliable detection of all intruders (eg walking, crawling, running)
  • IntrusionTrace is not foiled by common tactics to defeat video motion detection (eg walking slowly)
• False alarm reduction
  • Many systems rely on trigger lines to reduce false alarms. This limits detection to the immediate proximity of the line and helps offset high false alarm rates from less capable systems.
  • Xtralis uses its experience in detection areas to eliminate the need for trigger lines. Compensation for changes in lighting, seasons, time of day, frequent background movement and other causes of false alarms means that false alarm rates are low, across the whole detection areas, even without trigger lines.
• Dedicated support team
  • Extensive knowledge of the product range
  • Extensive knowledge of connecting to third party equipment
  • In the early days they were often called on for better support of 3^rd party add-ons than the manufacturers themselves
  • Support visits to customers and monitoring stations
  • Extensive training courses to help people get the best from the product
• Trends
  • Intrusion detection dominates the security video analytics market
  • Edge vs on-site-server vs cloud
  • Thermal vs visible
  • IP vs analogue
  • Rising resolution
• i-LIDS
  • What it achieved
  • Where companies stand with it now
  • Primary vs secondary vs none
• Beyond i-LIDS
  • Detection other than perimeter only
  • Detecting near busy streets
  • Logic
  • Direction
  • Target discrimination
  • Reliable CMS link
  • Rapid verification
• Other analytics
  • Many companies offer a range of analytics in their portfolios. Although this looks good on paper, many fall short of expectation.
  • For example, left object detection will never detect bombs left in rubbish bins or hidden behind pillars, and nor will it be able to tell the difference between a bomb in a suitcase and regular luggage.