Cognition and Security Surveillance

Project
Cognitive Solutions for Security Surveillance (CSSS)

Summary
While the development of intelligent security monitoring technologies can increase human capabilities, they do not entirely replace the role of human operators. When developing surveillance support, it is essential to consider the limitations of the cognitive system (e.g. visual search and cognitive/perceptual overload, attentional failures, vulnerability to distraction and decision-making in a dynamically changing environment). A lot of liability is placed on CCTV operators to detect potential incidents and maintain public safety and security, but effectiveness is far from optimal. While there are constantly new advancements in video surveillance technology, such systems (e.g., facial recognition software, people and vehicle counters, object detection software) still require at least a human operator in a supervisory capacity, thereby remaining somewhat vulnerable to cognitive limitations. Automated systems developed for other supervision and monitoring tasks demonstrate that even when critical events are detected automatically by the system, the human operator is still vulnerable to detection failures. Therefore, the introduction of an automated detection system does not eliminate errors, which is why the limitations of the human cognitive system must be considered during the design process. The aim of this project is to identify the cognitive limitations of the human operator, in order to gain a better understanding of the cognitive functioning related to surveillance. It highlights the need to consider the human element at the design stage when developing technological solutions for security monitoring.