Is Facial Recognition software just hype?  Is Facial Recognition software real?  Does facial recognition really work?  That is where I stood on the subject 5 years ago when the technology was first introduced to me.  We were developing a mobile surveillance application (Kapturenet with H.264 video compression) for government and law enforcement applications and ran across a small company trying to sell some applications.

Here is what we found:

Facial Recognition software (AKA Facial Biometric software) for surveillance and security applications was only OK a few years ago.  The stereoscopic cameras required to do 3D recognition (the stuff that really worked) was too expensive and required the right lighting, distance and focus of the cameras to function.  The 2D product was not as accurate but not nearly as clumsy to install and didn’t require the strict setting like 3D, and performed only ”fairly well.”  Remember, this was almost 5 years ago.  I will admit this, even then, the technology was fascinating.

Where is the Technology Today?

This is a great question and I’m glad you asked.  We have made 3 paramount leaps in computer processors in the last 5 years and have clearly made the transition from Analog to Digital in everything from telephony to handheld Cameras as well as changed the industry standards for video compression 3 significant times.  The ISO and the IEC have both ratified new standards for video compression and the old MPEG2 and MPEG4 decoders on your TIVO and Digital Camcorder were obsolete the day they shipped to your home.  So why am I going on about other technologies?  Because the transition on all of these technologies has directly impacted the accuracy and efficiency of Facial Recognition software for both Security and Surveillance including the use analytics directly on inexpensive tools that can be used by any business and anyone capable of using a simple PC.  I recently viewed the latest Facial Recognition software at a Hilton Hotel in Atlanta that is being used as a BETA site for a product soon to be released.  My comment is, “WOW.”  Facial Recognition works, it is easy to use and it is affordable.  I would suggest looking at a company called IDBiometrics wholly owned by Global Security Engineering.  They will be unveilling the product at the ASIS show September 14th through September 18th and again at the ISC show in Vegas next March. 

More Postings to Come

I will be posting new information as I watch this technology change and develop.  The uses are endless (think about them) banking, credit card authorization, timeline of events, employee time and attendance, social website verification and the list goes on…Feel free to ask any questions as I will be updating this on a daily basis.