MEGApix IVA+ Camera General Setup

MEGApix® IVA+™ Camera General Setup

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Affected Roles: Administrator, Owner

Complexity: Medium

Last Edit: August 2, 2024

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MEGApix® IVA+™ Cameras

Digital Watchdog’s MEGApix® IVA™ IP Camera Series features live video analytics that can be utilized through DW Spectrum® IPVMS to create event notifications that can be sent to users for easy surveillance management. While designed with ease-of-use in mind, some setup is still required.

This article will outline recommended installation details and how to calibrate the analytic area for a MEGApix IVA IP Camera.

Supported/Affected Devices:

MEGApix® IVA™ IP Camera Series

IVA™ and IVA+™ Analytics

MEGApix Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) cameras include a base package of IVA capabilities already available on the camera. However, MEGApix IVA+ cameras offer additional analytic options on top of the base package. These additional features can be acquired either with a MEGApix IVA+ camera itself or by applying an IVA+ License to an IVA camera.

MEGApix IVA+ Analytics – Licensing

MEGApix IVA Capabilities

Below are the analytic events available with the MEGApix IVA base package and the IVA+ upgraded package.

Counting Line – when a person or an object crosses a set detection line in the set “forward” direction, the Counting Line analytic option will add to the camera’s Counter tally. When a person or an object crosses in the opposite direction, the Counter will reduce the tally. To properly use the Counting Line option, a Counter must be created as well.
Enter – the alarm will trigger when a person or object crosses the detection zone’s border while moving into the drawn zone.
Exit – the alarm will trigger when a tracked person or object crosses out of the detection zone border and leaves the detection zone.
Intrusion – the alarm will trigger when a tracked person or object crosses into the designated detection zone.
Line Crossing – the alarm will trigger when a tracked person or object crosses the detection line in any direction.
Loitering – the alarm will trigger when a tracked person or object remains present within the detection zone past the set dwell time.
Non-Detect Zone – creating a Non-Detect Zone will designate an area where the camera will ignore tracking object movement to avoid creating unnecessary activities or false-positives. This is especially effective for scenes that include foliage or traffic activity that the camera should not be concerned with.
Tamper – the alarm will trigger when the camera detects ‘bagging’ (when the camera view has been physically obscured), has been defocused, or that the camera has been physically moved/redirected. This is set up in the Tamper menu of the camera.

MEGApix IVA+ Capabilities

Abandoned (object) – the alarm will trigger when an object is left behind in the detection zone by a person that is being tracked by the camera.
Appear – the alarm will trigger when a person or object begins to be tracked by the camera from within the detection zone.
Direction – the alarm will trigger when a person or object crosses the detection line, but only from the specified direction and angle.
Disappear – the alarm will trigger when a person or object is suddenly no longer being tracked (disappears) by the camera from within the detection zone.
Object Removed – the alarm will trigger when an object is moved out of the detection area. This is similar to how the camera tracks the overall scene appearance for tampering.
Stopped – the alarm will trigger when an object or person comes to a complete stop within the detection area and does not move within the set dwell time.
Tailgating – the alarm will trigger when an object or person crosses the detection line within the set lease time immediately after another tracked subject has crossed the detection line beforehand.

**NOTE: Each MEGApix IVA/IVA+ camera can support no more than 40 detection zones at a time for analytics.

IVA/IVA+ Camera Installation Recommendations

When installing the camera, the ambient lighting and shadows of the scene should be considered. The ideal placement would include consistent lighting, minimal shadows, and few reflective surfaces. Moving shadows can trigger the camera’s object tracking function and can lead to false positives.
Create Non-Detect Zones for areas with unwanted ambient motion. The camera’s analytic engine identifies and tracks objects based on the scene’s background, which can be avoided by designating which areas to ignore.

When mounting the camera, the height and positioning must be able to track at least 0.02% of the camera’s FOV (see camera specifications for FOV details). Angle the camera so that the target objects occupy between 2%~10% of the camera’s FOV. This can be done by securely mounting the camera to a surface 12’~14’ high.

Calibrating the Analytic Area

The camera’s video analytics is wholly dependent on accurately tracking moving objects and people that cross in front of the camera. If the camera is not properly calibrated or cannot detect motion, it is unlikely that these features will operate as intended.

By calibrating the camera’s installation height and angle, the analytic engine can more accurately determine its depth perception.

Required Materials

The following materials are recommended for setting up and configuring an IVA camera:

Computer with a reliable web browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) – for setting configuration and analytic area calibration
A Ladder (or a target object of equivalent height to a human) – for analytic area calibration as a sample target
Knowledge of the camera’s VFOV specifications – for analytic area calibration
Knowledge of the camera’s installation height and tilt angle – for analytic area calibration; if you are unsure, use your best estimate

Quick Steps: Analytic Area Calibration

To calibrate the analytic area of the camera:

After installing the camera, place a 6’ ladder (or a target of equivalent height) in the area where the camera will be monitoring.

Use the target object for calibration.

Connect with the camera’s web interface and log in as the Administrator.

Once logged in, click the “Setup” button.

- Default ID: admin
- Default Password: admin

Select the IVA tab in the Configuration menu. For the “Enable Calibration” setting, select “ON”.

Enter the Height, Tilt, and VFOV of the installed camera. If you would like, you may also change the measurement system from Metric to Imperial if you prefer.

In the preview window, use the target object (ladder) as a sizing reference against the mimics and try to configure the settings so that the grid and mimics are as closely comparable to the actual scene as possible. Each mimic is considered representative of a 5’10” person.

After calibrating the analytic area, click the Apply button to save the settings. The camera’s analytics will now be able to perform more accurately. Be sure to reconfigure the camera’s calibration settings if the camera is ever physically moved or reinstalled.

Burnt-In Annotations and Analytic Rules

Next, to view analytic information and activity, the Burnt-In Annotation setting must be enabled.

To enable Burnt-In Annotations:

Select the Burnt-In Annotation menu under the IVA tab.

Set the Activation setting to “ON”.

Set the Display On setting to “Sub Stream”.

**NOTE: The Main Stream cannot be selected for annotations. The stream must be set to a resolution lower than 1920x1080p.

In the BIA Setup area, select the type of analytic information that you would like to display in the sub stream (2nd stream). Once finished, click the Apply button to save the settings.

Once the annotations have been defined and applied, viewing the specific video stream will allow you to view the analytic areas, detection lines, and object tracking.

Create the desired IVA analytic rules as needed. You may create up to 40 detection zones at a time.

For more help with setting up the analytics of a MEGApix IVA/IVA+ camera, check out the DW Knowledge Base.