Video surveillance has traditionally been used in retail for loss prevention. With the aid of computer processing and analysis of video, referred to as video analytics, retailers can further enhance loss prevention efforts and better understand customer behaviors, as well as improve the customer experience to increase sales. Today, there are a large number of video analytic software programs that identify specific behaviors and events captured on video, such as people counting, line queueing, package left behind and people entering specific areas. As a new technology, most of these programs use different and proprietary formats that limit interoperatibility and compatibility. The proposed standard for how and in what format video metadata is described by these analytics programs will enable greater interoperability between multiple vendor's products. As a result, a retailer or third party will be able to more easily create and integrate several video analytic products into a customized solution.

As a recognized leader in converged network applications, Cisco was asked by a team of retailers to create a proposal that provides consistency, interoperability, and extensibility for metadata access.

"Application interoperability coupled with the power of IP network infrastructure, which serves as a platform for convergence, are the keys to unlocking the true value of video. A standard method to access video analytic metadata will accelerate innovation in loss prevention and buyer analytic network applications as vendors can more easily and quickly implement new and improved capabilities," says Pete Jankowski, chief technology officer, physical security business unit (PSBU) at Cisco "Cisco believes this open standards approach will increase the use of video analytics and delivers far greater return on the customer's investment"