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DANIEL LIBERFARB, GLOBAL VIDEO ANALYTICS SERVICE & PRODUCT MANAGER // JUNE 18, 2018 How various Qognify customers from various verticals use Video Analytics applications
EREZ GOLDSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL MARKETING, QOGNIFY // JULY 09, 2018 These days, when we think of safety and security we generally think of catastrophic type incidents, like terrorism, criminal acts, accidents or devastating weather events. They certainly deserve attention given the long-lasting impact and damage they cause – no one is disputing this. But, it’s the mundane, often preventable daily incidents that end up costing rail organizations much more. The reality is, it is much more likely that debris on the tracks or a maintenance issue will cause a costly delay that an accident or criminal act. Yet much of the discussion around disruptions in rail transportation is focused on the less likely, major incidents. Let’s talk about the impact of daily disruptions that cause delays, which result in both revenue and reputation loss, in addition to potential fines. Maintenance issues can cause costly delays
To put this subject into context, according to a UK National Audit Office report, in 2008, infrastructure failures accounted for 40,969 incidents and 3,040,686 minutes of delays. With a cost estimation of €101 per minute, per train, delays due to infrastructure failures cost the UK economy at least €300 million, that number has gone up since then. That same report, also looked at rail fatalities, of which 78% are suicides. In an actual fatal scenario, a Gatwick Express driver reported striking an individual at 18:55 to the Network Rail Signaler. In turn, they notified the Operations Control Center (OCC), who stopped the area train service. From that point, a liaison from the railways interfaced with the Metropolitan Police who assumed initial control. That control was later handed over to the British Transport Police, which upon determining the incident was non-suspicious open some service but not all until 22:40. The total delay in minutes – from all stakeholders – was a considerable 5,758 or £600,000. An Incident unfolding on the tracks in the UK:
The above two examples are very different. The first one, to a large extent, can be avoided. The second is completely unpredictable – other than the predictability of knowing it will unfortunately happen. Rail organizations must first try to prevent incidents from happening at all. But, in the event of the uncontrollable, the response must be optimal to reduce the impact and cost.
Things will happen. Not always as tragic as a suicide, events as mundane as debris covering track signals can cause costly delays. If it’s not a question ‘if’ something happens, but ‘when’, mitigating impact is the next priority. That requires effective situation management – getting the right information to the right people at the right time. A first step is to create a common operating picture via integrating technology. By integrating all systems and sensors, and by collecting all available information, with the capability to correlate all of the data, a clear, precise picture of any given situation can be established. The next step is to effectively communicate the relevant information to the relevant stakeholders. While some may require a complete overview, others may only require certain specifics. In addition, the response should be coordinated and executed according to standard operating procedures and in compliance with all regulations. An automated and escalating guided response should be made available immediately, so that no matter who is sitting at the control or operators station, the response will be the most effective possible. Implementing the right process, enforced and automated, which relies on fully integrated information has been shown to:
Being proactive about maintenance today is the standard. Rail organizations that want to improve the status quo are now using predictive intelligence to get proactive about their proactivity. What does that mean? If that same technology can identify anomalies that are precursors to failures and the railway responds to them prior to any disruption significant reduction in time and cost of failures can be avoided.
As noted, it’s the daily, mundane and sometimes tragic events that account for the real cost of delays and disruptions. While the catastrophic and generally unusual events get all the attention. It’s time to rethink the approach to rail operations and place more of an emphasis and attention on the preventable, predictable and their inevitable response.
OPHIR LEVY, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EMEA // NOVEMBER 27, 2018 Facial recognition isn’t typically the best option for detecting and tracking a known, or unknown person of interest. Qognify’s, Ophir Levy, explains the crucial difference with Qognify Suspect Search, which does not require an ‘identity’ to rapidly search across multiple cameras (either in real-time or post incident). He also explains how, unlike facial recognition, Suspect Search can usually be deployed without the need for costly camera upgrades.
Learn more about Suspect Search here.
OPHIR LEVY, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EMEA // NOVEMBER 27, 2018 The longer it takes to locate a person of interest the slimmer the chance of finding them, observes Ophir Levy from Qognify, in this short video. He explains how in a critical situation Qognify Suspect Search is the ideal system to not only pinpoint a person’s current location, but also re-tread their steps in order to ascertain where they have been, what that have been doing, and who they have been in contact with. Ophir also highlights the unique circumstances in which facial recognition should the preferred method. Learn more about Suspect Search here.
OPHIR LEVY, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EMEA // NOVEMBER 27, 2018 Situation management systems such as Qognify Situator are increasingly relied upon by rail operators around the world. In this video, Ophir Levy, of Qognify, explains how the siloed approach operators working in command and control have traditionally used, is rapidly being replaced with systems that enable them to manage the entire process relating to any incident, with optimal efficiency and effectiveness. Learn more about Situator here.
OPHIR LEVY, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EMEA // NOVEMBER 27, 2018 Today, large enterprises ranging from railways, airports, utilities and safe/ smart cities, are looking beyond security when deploying technology systems. They are realizing that power and potential of situation management extends far beyond the command and control room. In this new video, Ophir Levy from Qognify explains how a major rail operator in Europe is using Qognify Situator to manage and streamline its operations across the network. Learn more about Situator here.
Pearl River, NY (December 22, 2018) – Qognify – the trusted advisor and technology solution provider for Physical Security and Enterprise Incident Management – today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (OnSSI) and the OnSSI company – SeeTec GmbH. In bringing these award-winning technology solution portfolios together under one roof – including Qognify VisionHub, OnSSI Ocularis and SeeTec Cayuga – Qognify becomes one of the largest VMS, Video Analytics, PSIM and critical incident management companies in the world. Qognify is backed by global investment firm Battery Ventures.
Also located in Pearl River, New York, OnSSI was founded in 2002 with the goal of developing comprehensive and intelligent IP video management software (VMS). Today, the company has an established presence in more than 100 countries, where its Ocularis and Cayuga VMS solutions are relied upon by education, gaming, government, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, public safety, transportation and utilities organizations. With Qognify’s proven pedigree in delivering successful projects for financial services companies, mass-transit infrastructure, large international airports and seaports, as well as smart and safe city projects around the world, the acquisition sees the company establish a dominant global position in both the mid-market and enterprise sectors.
SeeTec GmbH is a pioneer of IP video technology and today a leading provider of VMS software in Europe. The Germany-based company was acquired by OnSSI in 2015 and boasts 100 employees, working out of offices across mainland Europe, Dubai, Scandinavia and the UK.
Steve Shine, CEO and President of Qognify states: “OnSSI and SeeTec solutions have a deservedly excellent reputation throughout the security sector. This is the perfect time to bring together our collective pool of physical security talent and technologies, to increase the range of target markets we are able to serve. The partnership also greatly increases the number of customers and partners for the combined business. This is a very exciting agreement for all of us.”
Gadi Piran, Co-Founder, President and CTO of OnSSI comments: “This coming together of two of the security sector’s most innovative companies, unleashes unrivalled opportunities for collaboration and brings to market a proposition that meets all security and operational management requirements, from powerful VMS to full scale intelligent situational awareness.” Piran adds: “Our collective market reach is truly global, with a strong presence in Europe, the US and Asia that will continue to grow.”
Jesse Feldman, General Partner at Battery Ventures, which acquired Qognify from NICE Systems in 2015 states: “Qognify has rapidly established itself as a trusted and progressive brand in the physical security sector. The acquisition of the OnSSI Group – a high-profile brand in the security market in its own right – is a major achievement in its history, but most importantly lays down a marker regarding its intent to grow faster and bigger.”
The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2018, subject to certain conditions and satisfaction of terms.
For more information on OnSSI, call 845-732-7900, e-mail info@onssi.com or visit www.onssi.com.