A video analysis tool, which can assist in intelligence-gathering and crime-prevention operations, has been donated to the Joint Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Centre (JARIC) at Waterkloof Air Force Base.
The software, developed by Sharon Technologies, has been tested in both the UK and the US. In the US it was tested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at its headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, and was found to be an easy-to-use, efficient system.
"The system allows for the video to be edited, enhanced and analysed, which means it could be of immense service to military and police operations," says Shaun Unterslak, CEO of Sharon Technologies.
"It offers the user such tools as image adjustment to bring it into proper focus, a convolution filter to make it sharper, a colour and contrast enhancer, a zoom facility and a tracking tool to allow the analyst to focus on a specific object within the frame."
He says another useful feature is the time stamp tool, which provides a reference should the enhanced video have to be used as evidence in court.
Colonel Bill de Pinho, JARIC's officer commanding, says the new system will not only be of enormous use to his unit in terms of its own image analysis operations, but will also prove useful in helping existing and potential clients.
"Our unit does offer support to other government departments, including the South African Police Service, and this analysis tool will provide invaluable support to them by providing them with visible hard evidence that can be used in court."
Unterslak says the beauty of the Sharon Video Station is that it is easy to use - only one window can be opened at a time, so it is virtually impossible to get lost in the system - and it can also incorporate third-party technologies.
"Ease of use was one of the primary concerns for us and we feel that it came through with flying colours after it took us just three hours to train an air force officer in its use, even though he had never done any form of video editing before."
He says that while this system is nothing like the fictitious ones seen on programmes like the X-Files, where pushing a couple of buttons suddenly highlights the important features, with the right source material, the system can be used to zoom in on something as small as a vehicle's number plate.
"Besides the military and crime-fighting potential of this analysis tool, the product has a number of commercial applications that we are looking into, including sport (analysis of a team's performance), the mining industry and most particularly, the private security industry."
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