Ensuring civilian and personnel safety with real-time video and intelligence solutions

Whether in conflict zones, border surveillance areas or command centres thousands of miles away from the field, military units face significant challenges in keeping both personnel and civilians safe.

The uncertainty and unpredictability of civilian environments coupled with the perils of armed conflict mean civilian populations are particularly vulnerable in war zones. So, on top of ensuring personnel safety, the protection of civilians is a critical aspect of military operations, requiring precise, real-time information to minimise civilian harm.

However, traditional video monitoring and intelligence systems often fall short, particularly in fast-moving or densely populated areas.

The challenges of maintaining real-time situational awareness in conflict zones

Real-time situational awareness is paramount in the defence and border protection sector. Without effective video intelligence, the gap between the timely identification of threats and the ability to respond rapidly to evolving situations widens dramatically. 

Decision-makers in the command room must quickly interpret vast amounts of information to make informed decisions that protect both personnel and civilians. Personnel on the ground face similar challenges that are further complicated by the expansive and often remote (at least when it comes to communications) nature of conflict zones or border regions.

Real-time video and intelligence solutions offer a way to mitigate civilian harm and reinforce personnel security by streamlining the analysis process, providing actionable insights and enabling faster, more accurate decision-making.

But leveraging real-time video in a conflict zone is easier said than done. These environments often lack reliable power and communications infrastructure, making it difficult to maintain the necessary technology and comms for continuous video surveillance.

Power supplies are frequently unstable or entirely unavailable, and conflict zones typically also lack the network connectivity required to transmit large volumes of data. The lack of connectivity makes establishing reliable links between field units and central command challenging, leading to delays in the transmission of critical video footage and preventing timely response to emerging threats.

Even when video data can be captured and transmitted, the bandwidth in conflict zones is often limited, hindering video streams without significant compression. However, compression can reduce the quality of the video, obscuring crucial information and making it harder to identify threats or assess situations accurately. Additionally, reliance on satellite or other remote communication methods can introduce latency issues, further complicating the real-time analysis and decision-making processes that are crucial in these environments.

Monitor personnel remotely and mitigate civilian harm with real-time video

As warfare evolves, so too must the technologies used for personnel security and the protection of civilians.

Resilient civilian protection technologies and personnel monitoring systems are essential for improving situational awareness and ensuring the safety of civilians and personnel in conflict zones.

These solutions must enhance protection by providing early warnings of potential threats and integrate with other technologies, such as drones and satellite imagery, to provide a comprehensive view of the battlefield. Equally, they must be able to provide detailed analyses of incidents to assist post-conflict civilian harm mitigation and maintain the trust of the civilian population.

However, standards-based codecs — the software or hardware algorithms that compress and decompress video data — aren’t designed for these challenging environments.

To improve situational awareness and provide real-time data, military units need AI-based video codecs. Unlike conventional video codecs, these network-aware codecs can deliver high-quality real-time video over mobile networks, self-optimising compression to deliver accurate, low-latency footage — even in remote environments with minimal infrastructure.

Tried-and-tested intelligence solutions for the protection of civilians

Digital Barriers has provided the defence sector with unique cloud and edge-based video security, analytics and intelligence solutions for over a decade.

Used by the US, UK and European military to protect troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, our patented AI-based video streaming, compression and analytics solutions have already been proven in conflict zones.

Our NPSA-certified technology guarantees secure, high-quality real-time video at ultra-low bandwidth and has been recognised by all member states of NATO.

EdgeVis encompasses advanced, hybrid edge-to-cloud analytics, enabling data to be transmitted to the cloud or processed locally at the network’s edge, closer to its source. As edge analytics requires less bandwidth, it can be deployed in places with limited bandwidth — such as remote conflict zones or border control areas — minimising latency to enable real-time data analysis and decision-making.

Whether for intelligence or reconnaissance, in the field or at the border, our solutions ensure the command centre sees what troops on the ground see.

Looking for advanced civilian protection technologies and personnel monitoring systems to keep civilians and military units safe in conflict zones and border areas? Contact hello@digitalbarriers.com today for more information.