Novità

29/01/2007 - French Legislation On Surveillance Cameras

Kaiserslautern, January 29, 2007. Mobotix AG, a manufacturer of network cameras based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, criticizes the state of public video surveillance in Germany. The majority of systems currently in use are outdated. They generally exhibit very poor image quality and any enlargements made of existing images prove virtually useless in helping to find the offender. “The people responsible for public video surveillance should be accused of gross negligence,” commented Dr. Ralf Hinkel, founder and CEO of Mobotix AG. “In France, appropriate legislation has already been introduced to eliminate this problem. But in Germany, public tenders continue to specify out-of-date systems. Using new technologies, however, would not only improve public safety, but the tax payer would profit as well.”

In the discussion on expanding video surveillance in train stations, airports and other public buildings, quality is one of the aspects that is often overlooked, continued Ralf Hinkel. “It just doesn’t make sense to simply increase the number of surveillance cameras if, at the same time, the quality of the systems is not improved to produce useful images.”

Corresponding legislation was already enacted in France last fall to stipulate what technological requirements cameras for video surveillance must meet before they can be used in public places. Depending on how the camera systems are used, this legislation specifies that they must have a minimum resolution of 704 x 576 pixels (approx. 0.4 megapixels) to guarantee detail enlargements of a person's face, for example, with a minimum resolution of 90 x 60 pixels. A frame rate of at least 12 frames per second in the recorded video stream is also required. 95 percent of all systems currently installed in public places in Germany fail to meet these specifications because they are based on an outdated standard for television technology that is some 50 years old. “We would like to see the people in charge in Germany initiate a discussion similar to the one in France,” Ralf Hinkel said. “This type of legislation would make public safety much more modern and effective.”

The entire press release in PDF format.