Talking about open systems in security is "une gageure" but as convergence overwhelms everybody, from manufacturers to customers, it becomes clear that big fish will not get trapped in closed solutions nets.
Among the paths to interoperability, it seems obvious to the specialist that not only codecs and telemetry need to be standardized, there is a whole new range of video analytics application waiting to be developped on the ground layed by open and shared event detection APIs.
The ONVIF consortium, launched by majors SONY, BOSCH and AXIS has been very active and begins to expect results from its ongoing work sessions :
28-05-2009 ONVIF is ready for global interoperability
ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) releases its test tool and conformance process, strengthening its position as the leading standardization initiative for network video products. The release makes it possible for product manufacturers who have joined ONVIF to declare conformance to the ONVIF specification.
"It is now only a question of time before we see the first ONVIF conformant products on the market," says Stefan Alfredsson at Axis Communications, chairman of ONVIF's communication committee. "The core specification and test specification, which were published at the end of 2008, enabled interested parties to prepare their products for the common interface. Today's release of test tool and conformance process makes it easy to verify interoperability and allows companies to market ONVIF conformant products."
"This is a significant milestone for the industry and for the more than 55 members of ONVIF," says Simon Harris at IMS Research. "With the rapid market growth of network video products, the need for a standardized interface has become more and more evident. The release of standards by industry groups such as ONVIF will undoubtedly accelerate the migration to network video. The real benefits will show when there are several ONVIF conformant products on the market, facilitating the implementation and use of various vendors' equipment in the same surveillance system," Simon Harris says.
Interoperability has been a cornerstone of ONVIF since the organization was founded by Axis, Bosch and Sony in 2008. "It is quite clear that the security market wishes for a single global interface standard," says Stefan Alfredsson. "And it takes more than a specification to achieve true interoperability. Therefore we have put a lot of effort into making it easy for integrators, manufacturers and software vendors to implement the ONVIF interface and verify conformance to the specification. Today we see the result of these efforts."Source : http://www.securityworldhotel.com/int/news.asp?tp=1&id=45273&nm=1&NewsDate=28-05-2009
