Video Surveillance

                   Philippines is remarkable for its different tourist destinations such as white-sanded beaches and underwater caves; delectable cuisine like adobo, kare kare, dinuguan, balot, isaw, and the like; its wonderful history and culture as we have been colonized by different countries, our people for being very welcoming and hospitable; and of course, our busy streets which you might be caught up in for hours just to get to where you need to be. Traffic is almost always synonymous to Philippines. Whenever tourists or foreigners come to our country, they will name everything remarkable in our land, including the heavy traffic. Traffic has always been one of the problems of our country. More and more Filipinos use cars as their mode of transportation. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) even had the number coding scheme to reduce the number of vehicles on the road to minimize the traffic, but it seems that it is not resolved Filipinos are becoming unproductive just because of the time they consume on the road.

Last January 8, 2014, in partnership with the Spanish IT company Indra, in a consortium with Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation (MIESCOR), the MMDA launched its latest traffic signalization system called “Hermes”. The P300 million project will be used to monitor traffic in real-time and will “analyze and consolidate information” (traffictechnologytoday.com) to ensure the monitoring and quick response in addressing problems in relation to traffic and orderliness; and this is made possible with the use of video surveillance cameras.

            In 1880, the first movie camera was invented which also gave rise to surveillance cameras. In 1939, miniature portable cameras were developed and the use of surveillance cameras was inconspicuous.  Later in 1951, the video tape recorder was invented which recorded live images using a magnetic recording strip. This was then used in surveillance cameras for documentations and later viewing. In 1965, the use of these cameras became more common and it was used in public places. In the 1970s, it became popular with the locals and it was used in banks and stores for added security against theft. In 1976, charge-coupled devices (CCD) were invented which produces cameras that are functional in dim areas. In 1993, the attack on the World Trade Center caused an increased awareness of possible terrorist attacks. This led to the increased use of surveillance camera especially in events places and other potential targets. In 1996, the first internet protocol camera was released which enabled viewing, sending, and receiving information through the use of internet. In 2001, the second attack on the World Trade Center results to the development of facial recognition programs and other digital advancements.

            Today, surveillance cameras are widely used and are readily available to us. It is not just used in government establishments, banks, and businesses, but it is also used in homes and public institutions and places. It has really helped and solved a lot of problems and cases in robbery and theft, illegal transactions, accidents and crime in general. This shows us that technological advancements are already part of the everyday lives of the people and that it is a big help to us.

Reference:

“Indra Hermes traffic management system goes live.” <traffictechnologytoday.com>. Date accessed: 26 January 2014.

 

            “From Edison to Internet: A History of Video Surveillance.” <http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/edison-internet-history-video-surveillance-105000047.html> Date Accessed: 26 January 2014.