A Panoramic World 
By David Engebretson
Although standard image CCTV cameras - both IP and analog - are commonly used in all types of video surveillance applications, two issues are constant concerns. Unless a large quantity of individual cameras are deployed with overlapping fields of view, "blind" spots occur when no camera has an image in the target area. The second problem is that box- and dome-style camera housings are readily apparent to anyone who looks for them, and crimes are often committed within the areas that aren't covered by a camera.
A new breed of camera is now available that can address these two primary issues, and offer great options for the viewing and recording of surveillance images: The 360-degree camera has arrived. With up to five separate images, four of them full pan, tilt and zoom, these devices can be five surveillance cameras in one.
An important distinction to be aware of is that the 360-degree camera has a "cousin" camera that can provide a 360-degree pan-tilt-zoom capability; however, only a portion of the overall perspective of the camera is available at a specific instant. A select few manufacturers produce cameras that provide a complete 360-degree viewable image at one time.
As a new way of looking at things, 360-degree cameras provide an "umbrella" of video coverage, according to Bob Gitre, vice president of Grandeye Inc., Columbia, Md. Complete coverage of a particular area or scene is now available using only one camera, greatly reducing the costs of installation. With additional viewing options and video analytics, 360-degree cameras are a powerful tool for comprehensive video surveillance systems.
What makes these cameras unique is the type of images that are provided to the viewer and/or recording mechanism. When ceiling-mounted, the basic image of the camera is an oval, as pictured at left.
There is little possibility that a person passing within the field-of-view of the camera will not be viewed and recorded. Tom Carnevale, CEO of Sentry 360 Security Inc., Naperville, Ill., says that this "immersive video technology eliminates blind spots" for areas that require high-end video surveillance and recording.
While the oval image provides a 360-degree field-of-view, most products also provide multiple separate images that can be viewed simultaneously, providing up to four flat-screen digital video feeds that can be viewed and recorded separately. With digital pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ), there are no moving parts to wear out or fail.
Standard PTZ cameras are great, provided there is a live person at the joystick aiming the camera at interesting events in real time. However, an unmanned PTZ camera is just a very expensive fixed video surveillance device. The real power of the built-in PTZ viewing in 360-degree cameras is that the video can be reviewed forensically from recorded 360-degree images. The whole 360-degree picture has been recorded, and now every view and angle can be reviewed using pan, tilt, and up to 10X digital zooming.
Understand that this is dramatically different than just enlarging a picture; the millions of pixels available can provide very clear zoomed-in images, with sharp and defined details. The movements and actions of a suspect can be reviewed via PTZ investigation in real time or after the fact.
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