The company ACIC, from Mons, is a spin-off from Multitel (Faculty of Mons) and UCL, specialised in intelligent vision systems. This includes a series of applications ranging from security to television and control systems. The number of companies affected by these systems is growing, given how video is integrating our daily lives a little more each day.

How did the adventure start for ACIC? Everything revolves around image analysis. We see more and more screens and since more and more activities are based on images, it was time to produce help tools for analysis and image management. Introducing intelligence to this domain is not an easy task. Even if we are still far from artificial intelligence and special effects straight out of spy films, it is clear that video is stepping away from simple recording – reproducing.
More than sixty companies in the world work in this field, competing with or complementary to ACIC. One of their trademarks is to place a software programme behind the camera. So every video system, already installed or to-be-installed, can benefit from the ACIC application. To give you an overview of these applications, we follow the subdivisions established by the company. First, there is video surveillance. The aim there is to move past simple detection: the system generates alarm notifications when an anomaly occurs, determined according to specific scenarios for every context. The learning and adaptation algorithms are however resistant to perturbations caused by natural phenomenons, specific to outside conditions. In the same range of applications, the detection of anomalies (blurry images, decline of luminosity, etc.), also linked to an alarm system, are a precious help with securing. Finally, a good example can be found in Kuwait, where a complete coast surveillance system was recently installed, an answer to the need of the authorities to have a system capable of surveying the surroundings.
Next are the people counting services. The ACIC models make it possible to follow the evolution of customer, visitors and passengers numbers in real-time. The collection of such counting statistics in different contexts then makes it possible to improve flow management, profitability and commercial strategies. The configuration is automated and integration into existing systems is easy.
There is also road traffic analysis. Today, preoccupied by ecological and sustainable development questions, this aspect of the social and economical life must be more and more accurately managed. Without forgetting about road safety, it is undeniable that a perfect knowledge of road network use can and should be a priority for the government. The video analysis systems play a role in this approach.
We mentioned that the ACIC software affects countless companies and domains. Television is part of the future markets for ACIC. Via the APIDIS project, ACIC embarks on the development of the complete installation of fixed cameras (simple level) in a given environment (f.e. a sports hall). The automatically generated images will be analysed (penalty, fall, game stop) and the obtained information can be used to create a montage for semi-automated coverage. Small television chains, associations via their internet site, etc. will be able to take advantage of this system, in a more or less close future. To be continued!