Efficient and effective communications of high quality visual content with low bandwidth is a fundamental challenge. Still image camera sensors now have resolution up to levels where we see 100 MegaPixel cameras on the market, and 250 MegaPixel in the lab. For video there is 8K available with 16K in the labs.
Many mission-critical communication networks can not provide sufficient bandwidth to carry the precision of these camera sensors in real-time, live operations. These are situations where higher detection probability might save lives and increase our security. Such networks include congested 3G and 4G networks, Tetra and Satellite networks. These challenges are applicable in communication scenarios at sea, in the air and remote terrestrial location, as well as after disasters, natural or man-made, to mention some.
We have a severe bandwidth bottle neck. While memory cards have kept up – communication bandwidth has not.
ASIGN from AnsuR is a software application that solves visual communication challenges for mission-critical operations, using a unique interactive approach for semantic image communication. Users benefit from significantly better quality, lower cost, lower network load and higher speed, improving situational awareness for critical decisions.
ASIGN is optimised for mobile satellite communications networks; working anywhere, anytime, and operates well with any unknown, variable, even unreliable, bandwidth-limited network.
ASIGN supports photos and video in any resolution, geo/time-tagging, tracking, geo-alarms, forms, UAV mode, collections and weather station data associated with images. Able to focus capacity on relevant content for operational impact, providing real-time knowledge of WHAT happens, WHERE and WHEN it happens, ASIGN is more than just efficient compression.
ASIGN uses interactive communication: First observers send a small preview (“a sign”) from the ASIGN Field Client to the ASIGN server.
Via a simple Web interface, analysts do an initial assessment of relevance and, via the ASIGN input management, request any region of interest in any desired quality for further analysis. Next, decisions can immediately be shared via ASIGN output capabilities.
With the ASIGN solution, network resource management and cost control is possible from a central server that can handle multiple remote field clients.
ASIGN can reduce the transmitted data by 99%, compared to sending full resolution photo/video, (e.g. 20 MP photos or HD video). Saving 99% of the time to assess information, ASIGN is fast enough to work interactively, even with slow networks at e.g. 10 kbps.
ASIGN can be applied to photos and video from handheld cameras and smartphones, but also UAVs, satellite images, medical images and more. ASIGN is available for PC, Smartphones and embedded platforms. There are both Professional and Crowd-sourcing version available for iOS and Android. Embedded Linux version are also available.
ASIGN has been awarded several innovation awards and have been deployed with several prominent users within Police, United Nations and Civil Protection.
