CCTV Operator Performance Benchmarking

A range of automated video analytics systems (VAS) is increasingly being used to improve efficiency and effectiveness within CCTV control rooms. Their role is to manage the large volumes of surveillance data that are constantly generated and to sift the data in real time to detect incidents or activities of specific interest. The CCTV Operator Performance Benchmarking project investigated, through commissioning operator trials, the performance of human operators on detection and tracking tasks and the factors that affect the performance of human operators. Human performance can then be compared against that obtained from automated systems. Through the development of publicly available guidance documents, CAST hopes to improve the benefits brought by VAS to the control room environment, and to ensure they are deployed in an appropriate manner. The paper will discuss the trials and explore the results obtained. It will discuss the factors that can have both a positive and detrimental effect on operators´ performance and the appropriate environments where the introduction of VAS can bring great benefits.