The immediate area outside sensitive access points can be a rich area for information-gathering - when the facility is equipped with an intelligent video surveillance system. Such a system will deliver answers to questions such as:

Does the behavior of people outside an access point (such as loitering, studying video cameras, wearing large hats that conceal the face) give cause for concern?

Can surveillance cameras compose a valid identity and seek a match, working from a sequence of fleeting image?

Can tailgating activity at access points be easily identified and reported?

Access points such as doors and gates can be compromised by a multitude of tactics. Identity theft involves using stolen access cards or codes to break into a facility. Identity 'tailgating' involves following an authorized and credentialed individual through an access control point without having or using a separate valid credential.

Video content analysis is used to prevent or detect such tactics.  Tailgating detection compares the number of access grants with the number of entries and generates alarm upon mismatch.

A scalable access point monitoring solution can be constructed with Access Watch units. This includes embedded video detection and transmission devices for tailgating detection, combined with the Cortex central video analytics management system. 

With additional camera inputs, Access Watch can enhance accuracy with multi-view analysis, provide an additional viewing angle for alarm verification and optionally alert upon certain behaviors near the access point.