closed circuit television (cctv)
MEANING OF CCTV/SURVEILLANCE CAMERA
Closed Circuit Television otherwise known as CCTV or video surveillance is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place or location on a limited set of monitors. Unlike the traditional television or broadcast television, CCTV is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point-to-point (P2P), point-to-multi point (P2MP), wired or wireless links or connections.
USES OF CCTV
HISTORY OF CCTV
The use of CCTV dates back to 1927. It was designed by a Russian physicist, Leon Theremin. It was originally requested by the Soviet Labour and Defense. The system consisted of a manually-operated scanning-transmitting camera and wireless shortwave transmitter and receiver, with a resolution of a hundred lines. Theremin’s CCTV system was installed in the courtyard of the Moscow Kremlin to monitor approaching visitors a means of state surveillance
Another CCTV system, was installed by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemunde Nazi Germany in 1942. The system was designed and built by a German engineer by name Walter Bruch.
The system was built to observe the launch of V-2 rocket test at Test Stand VII in Peenemunde, Germany.
In 1949, CCTV technology was launched for commercial purposes. An American government contractor named Vericon began promoting the new CCTV Technology.
It is interesting to note that the primitive CCTV systems comprised cameras and monitors only. They could not be recorded and hence were used for live streaming only. They did not have components that allowed users to record footage.
In later years, when reel-to-reel media were introduced, CCTV footage recording became possible. These systems required magnetic tapes to be changed manually, which was time consuming, expensive and unreliable process, with the operator having to manually thread the tape from the reel through the recorder onto an empty take-up reel. Owing to these shortcomings, video surveillance was not wide spread.
In 1970s, VCRs (Video Cassette Recorders) became available making it easier to record and erase the information and the use of video surveillance became more common.
When the VCRs were incorporated into CCTV systems, it was no longer necessary to monitor the screens live all throughout since the footage (Video) could be recorded for later view. Users could review the information stored on the VCR as and when necessary. This made CCTV much more popular among businesses.
The technology however had some flaws. The tapes had to be changed on a regular basis or re-written. If users wanted to store information for any length of time, they had to keep a library of tapes.
In the 1990s, there was advancement in the CCTV technology used earlier. This was when multiplexing technology or solutions became available. This technology allowed several cameras to record at once, as well as time lapse and motion-only recording. This brought an increase in the use of CCTV systems as this saved time and money.
It is this technology (multiplexing) that allows several cameras to be recorded on the same tape. For example, if a company has eight cameras, each of these cameras is synchronised by this multiplexer and recorded on the same tape.
Recent CCTV technology has been enhanced with a shift toward internet-based products and systems, and other technological developments. This is owing to the advancement in the digital technology. VCRs have now been replaced by DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) and making CCTV systems simpler and more and user friendly. Digital systems have made it easier to install and operate a CCTV system and also have removed the need to keep a library of tapes in order to store information.
Another feat in CCTV technology is the introduction of NVRs (Network Video Recorders). These systems work by encoding and processing video in cameras and then transmitting the footage to NVRs for storage or remote viewing. This technology is useful in companies with multiple site locations because they allow users to view various departments at any time across a network or internet more easily and in higher quality than remote viewing which a DVR allows.
WORLD CCTV PRESENCE
0ut of the over 350 million CCTV cameras installed worldwide, Asia has about 65% of them, according to a survey conducted in 2016. Different human activities attracted the use of CCTV or surveillance camera systems and services, including but not limited to businesses and related industries, transportation, sports and care for the environment.
The table below shows the top twenty cities with the CCTV cameras worldwide as of 2020.
No. Country City Population (Installed Cam) Camera/1000 Pl.
001 China Chongqing 15 354 067 (2 579 890) 163.03
002 China Shenzhen 12 128 721 (1 929 600) 159.09
003 China Shanghai 26 317 104 (2 985 984) 113.46
004 China Tianjin 13 396 402 (1 244 160) 92.87
005 China Jinan 7 321 200 (540 463) 73.82
006 England London 9 176 530 (627 707) 68.40
007 China Wuhan 8 266 273 (500 000) 60.49
008 China Guangzhou 12 967 862 (684 000) 52.75
009 China Beijing 20 035 455 (800 000) 39.93
010 United States Atlanta, Georgia 501 178 (7 800) 15.56
011 Singapore Singapore 5 638 676 (86 000) 15.25
012 UAE Abu Dhabi 1 452 057 (20 000) 13.77
013 United States Chicago Illinois 2 679 044 (35 000) 13.06
014 China Urumqi 3 500 000 (43 394) 12.40
015 Australia Sydney 4 859 432 (60 000) 12.35
016 Iraq Baghdad 9 760 000(120 000) 12.30
017 UAE Dubai 2 883 079 (35 000) 12.14
018 Russia Moscow 12 476 171 (146 000) 11.70
019 Germany Berlin 3 556 792 (39 765) 11.18
020 India New Delhi 18 600 000 (179 000) 9.62
The list goes on with Sudan’s Khartoum being the first African country to have the highest number of installed CCTV cameras coming at number fifty-two. The next African city on the list is Kampala in Uganda coming at 53rd, Lagos in Nigeria makes it at 62nd in the world and 4th in Africa. The 5th African city on the list is Casablanca in Morocco at 80th position in the world. South Africa’s Cape Town is 6th in Africa and 91st in the world. Johannesburg in South Africa and Cairo in Egypt appear on the list at 7th and 8th position in Africa and 98th and 113th in the world respectfully. Kenya’s Nairobi makes it at 117th in the world and the 9th city in Africa with high number of surveillance cameras.
It is estimated that at least over a billion CCTV cameras will be in operation by 2021.