Auditable Camera Event Segmentation for Battery Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for collecting digital video data from wearable cameras in law enforcement contexts face challenges in maintaining battery life while ensuring a reliable chain of custody and intermittent connectivity to evidence management systems.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of auditable devices, such as cameras, that store and transmit video data with digital signatures, using a coordinator computing device to create ad-hoc communication paths and upload urgent events to an evidence management system, even with intermittent connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wearable cameras continuously record and store video data throughout an entire shift, then the chain of custody can be established and all activities are captured, but the battery life is depleted too quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous video recording into discrete event-based recordings. Instead of recording all activities continuously, the system identifies and records only specific events (e.g., suspicious activities, crimes, accidents) that are flagged by the computer-aided dispatch system. This segmentation allows the camera to preserve battery life by recording only when necessary while still maintaining reliable chain of custody for significant events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic checking and uploading of recorded data rather than continuous transmission. The wearable camera periodically connects to upload marked video segments and audit trail data to the evidence management system when connectivity is available, rather than continuously transmitting data. This periodic action conserves battery life while ensuring data is eventually secured.
2Loss of information
If the wearable camera transmits all recorded video data continuously to the evidence management system, then complete data is captured, but the battery is drained and connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential components of the recorded data - specifically, the audit trail data and marked video segments that correspond to significant events. Rather than transmitting all video data continuously, the camera extracts only the portions that need to be preserved for chain of custody purposes. This extraction approach ensures data completeness for critical events while dramatically reducing energy consumption and connectivity requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial action by uploading only the necessary subset of recorded data (marked segments and audit trails) rather than all video data. This partial transmission approach is sufficient to maintain chain of custody for significant events while conserving battery life and reducing the burden on connectivity infrastructure.
3Reliability
If the wearable camera maintains constant connectivity to upload video data, then data can be immediately secured, but power consumption increases and operational flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable camera performs preliminary action by continuously generating and storing audit trail data locally, marking video segments with event identifiers, and preparing data for upload. This preliminary processing ensures that when connectivity becomes available, the data is already organized and ready for immediate secure transmission. This approach maintains data security readiness without requiring constant active connectivity, thus reducing power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism - the local audit trail and event marking system - that bridges the gap between continuous recording and intermittent upload. The audit trail acts as an intermediary record that captures essential information locally, allowing the camera to maintain data security through local verification while deferring actual data transmission to moments when connectivity is available, thereby reducing power consumption.
4Loss of information
If the system records and uploads all video data without selective marking, then complete documentation is achieved, but data management efficiency decreases and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by marking specific portions of video data with event identifiers and significance levels. Rather than treating all video data uniformly, the camera identifies and marks only those segments that correspond to significant events (crimes, accidents, suspicious activities). This local differentiation allows efficient data management by enabling quick retrieval of relevant footage while reducing the burden of managing and reviewing entire hours of unmarked video data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the video data into marked and unmarked portions based on event significance. By dividing the continuous video stream into discrete marked segments that correspond to specific events, the system achieves both complete documentation of significant events and improved data management efficiency. The segmentation allows reviewers to focus only on marked segments rather than reviewing all video data, significantly improving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Computer-implemented methods and systems for processing recorded data for storage is provided. An auditable device, such as a digital video camera, stores a set of recorded data. The auditable device also stores auditable event entries that represent auditable events detected by the auditable device. One type of auditable event is the receipt of information from a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system that indicates an event. The auditable device marks at least one subset of the set of recorded data based on the auditable event entries, and uploads the marked at least one subset of the set of recorded data to an evidence management system.