Metadata in Surveillance: The What and The Why

In a world of continuous, sometimes overwhelming data consumption, much of the information around us is rendered unusable, purely because of its characteristic volume and complexity.

When it comes to CCTV and surveillance, being faced with multiple video streams and the need to extract relevant critical information from a given scenario can feel formidable and elaborate.

That’s where metadata comes in.

Milesight’s latest firmware update makes data and attribute extraction easy.

What is metadata?

Metadata is a descriptive way to display other data. It provides the user with easy-to-understand information in a digestible format. In CCTV, metadata is used as a way to extract and collate intelligence from video and audio streams, communicating key details from a particular video stream, especially when capturing critical incidents and evidence.

Metadata in a surveillance setting can include location, time, colour, size, shape, quantity, direction and duration.

Why is metadata necessary?

As AI evolves in the security industry, the margin for human error diminishes, and metadata further supports more accurate monitoring. Metadata can provide the relevant information needed for scenarios such as forensic analysis, statistical reporting, alarm triggering and motion-based recording.

Metadata is able to transform otherwise unusable, complex data into more identifiable and actionable information, saving valuable time and resource when monitoring and interpreting CCTV footage.