Video analytics system for automated teller machine

1. An analytics system comprising:

a first database for storing searchable time-stamped system metadata relating a monitored system;

a second database for storing time-stamped video metadata relating to a predetermined region associated with the monitored system;

a correlation server for processing the time-stamped system metadata and the time-stamped video metadata to identify correlation events indicating potential activity of interest in dependence upon a predetermined set of configurable rules, each configurable rule relating to detection of a predefined activity; and

an output subsystem for storing within a third database any correlation events identified by the correlation server, wherein the output subsystem generates for each correlation event a web page comprising information relating to the correlation event and a message for transmittal to a predetermined user comprising at least a link to the web page; wherein

the predetermined user is established in dependence upon the identified correlation event and an aspect of the identified correlation event; the correlation server processes the time-stamped video metadata as searchable attributes associated with a raw video data stream which have been generated by analyzing the raw video stream in accordance with a stored set of rules;

the output subsystem stores in association with a correlation event one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video is stored with a correlation event;

information relating to the correlation event within the generated webpage includes the one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video stored with the correlation event;

the time-stamped system metadata relating to the monitored system for storage within the first database is provided by a first time-sensitive data server at a first remote location; and

the time-stamped video metadata relating to a predetermined region associated with the monitored system for storage within the second database is provided from a second time-sensitive data server at a second remote location.

2. The analytics system according to claim 1 , wherein

the correlation server at least one of:

extracts from the time-stamped video metadata data indicative of the presence of a person at a monitored location;

processes the time-stamped video metadata data to determine whether an instance of a person being present at the monitored location has occurred;

performs a search backwards in time from a time-stamp associated with the presence of a person to establish an approximate arrival time of the person within the region monitored;

performs a search forwards in time from a time-stamp associated with the presence of a person to establish an approximate departure time of the person within the region monitored; and

requests additional at least one of time-stamped system metadata and time-stamped video metadata in response to an indeterminate correlation event.

3. The analytics system according to claim 1 , wherein

the correlation server exploits a plurality of correlation modules, each correlation module for establishing a correlation event selected from the group comprising a financial instrument skimming installation, a financial instrument harvesting activity, a transportation capacity failure, presence of a crime perpetrator, and a physical location determination.

4. A method comprising:

providing a trigger generator for generating a trigger in dependence upon a physical event relating to a monitored system;

generating first searchable time-sensitive metadata relating to the monitored system in dependence upon the trigger from the trigger generator;

generating second searchable time-sensitive metadata relating to multimedia image content generated by monitoring a predetermined region associated with the monitored system in dependence upon the trigger from the trigger generator;

determining with a correlation server in dependence upon a predetermined set of configurable rules whether a correlation event exists by processing the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and second searchable time-sensitive metadata for processing the time-stamped system metadata to identify correlation events indicating potential activity of interest;

storing upon determination of a correlation event within a database correlation data, the correlation data comprising at least a predetermined portion of the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a predetermined portion of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata;

generating for each correlation event a web page comprising information relating to the correlation event; and

transmitting to a predetermined user a message comprising at least a link to the web page; wherein

the predetermined user is established in dependence upon the identified correlation event and an aspect of the identified correlation event; and

each configurable rule within the predetermined set of configurable rules relates to detection of a predefined activity; the correlation server processes the second searchable time-sensitive metadata as searchable attributes associated with a raw multimedia data stream which have been generated by analyzing the raw multimedia stream in accordance with a stored set of rules relating to at least one of the potential activity of interest and the trigger generator;

the output subsystem stores in association with a correlation event one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video is stored with a correlation event;

information relating to the correlation event within the generated webpage includes the one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video stored with the correlation event; and

the first searchable time-sensitive metadata relates to a system within a predetermined location accessible by a user and the second searchable time-sensitive metadata relates to multimedia content acquired within a predetermined region associated with the predetermined location.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein

the correlation server at least one of:

extracts data indicative of the presence of a person at a monitored location from at least a predetermined portion of the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a predetermined portion of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata;

processes the at least a predetermined portion of the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a predetermined portion of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata to determine whether an instance of a person being present at the monitored location has occurred;

performs a search backwards in time from a time-stamp associated with the presence of a person to establish an approximate arrival time of the person within the region monitored;

performs a search forwards in time from a time-stamp associated with the presence of a person to establish an approximate departure time of the person within the region monitored; and

requests additional at least one of the at least a predetermined portion of the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a predetermined portion of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata in response to an indeterminate correlation event.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein

the correlation server exploits a plurality of correlation modules, each correlation module for establishing a correlation event selected from the group comprising a financial instrument skimming installation, a financial instrument harvesting activity, a transportation capacity failure, presence of a crime perpetrator, and a physical location determination.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein

the correlation event is determined to occur based upon at least one of:

the processing of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata absent a trigger from the trigger generator; and

processing of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata together with other second searchable time-sensitive metadata from other monitored systems absent triggers from a predetermined portion of the trigger generators associated with the other monitored systems.

8. A correlation server comprising:

a first interface for receiving first searchable time-sensitive metadata relating to the monitored system;

a second interface for receiving second searchable time-sensitive metadata relating to multimedia image content generated by monitoring a predetermined region associated with the monitored system;

one or more rule-based correlation modules for processing the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and second searchable time-sensitive metadata to identify correlation events indicating a potential activity of interest, each rule-based correlation module applying a predetermined set of configurable rules; and

an output interface for generating for each identified correlation event a web page comprising information relating to the correlation event and a message for transmittal to a predetermined user comprising at least a link to the web page; wherein

the predetermined user is established in dependence upon the identified correlation event by rule-based correlation module and an aspect of the identified correlation; and

each configurable rule within the predetermined set of configurable rules relates to detection of a predefined activity; the one or more rule-based correlation modules process the time-stamped video metadata as searchable attributes associated with a raw video data stream which have been generated by analyzing the raw video stream in accordance with a stored set of rules;

the output interface stores in association with a correlation event one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video is stored with a correlation event;

information relating to the correlation event within the generated webpage includes the one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video stored with the correlation event;

the time-stamped system metadata relating to the monitored system for storage within the first database is provided by a first time-sensitive data server at a first remote location; and

the time-stamped video metadata relating to a predetermined region associated with the monitored system for storage within the second database is provided from a second time-sensitive data server at a second remote location.

9. The correlation server according to claim 8 , wherein

the one or more correlation modules relate to establishing a correlation event selected from the group comprising a financial instrument skimming installation, a financial instrument harvesting activity, a transportation capacity failure, a presence of a crime perpetrator, and a physical location determination.

10. The correlation server according to claim 8 , wherein

the correlation event is determined to occur based upon at least one of:

the processing of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata absent a trigger from the trigger generator; and

processing of the second searchable time-sensitive metadata together with other second searchable time-sensitive metadata from other monitored systems absent triggers from a predetermined portion of the trigger generators associated with the other monitored systems.

11. A method comprising:

applying a plurality of rule-based correlation modules to identify correlation events in dependence upon a predetermined set of configurable rules indicating a potential activity of interest relating to the rule-based correlation module, each rule-based correlation module processing a first predetermined portion of at least one of a first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a second searchable time-sensitive metadata;

generating for each identified correlation event a web page comprising information relating to the identified correlation event; and

transmitting a message for transmittal to a predetermined user comprising at least a link to the web page; wherein

the predetermined user is established in dependence upon the identified correlation event and an aspect of the identified correlation event; and

each configurable rule within the predetermined set of configurable rules relates to detection of a predefined activity; the plurality of rule-based correlation modules process the time-stamped video metadata as searchable attributes associated with a raw video data stream which have been generated by analyzing the raw video stream in accordance with a stored set of rules;

an output subsystem stores in association with a correlation event one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video is stored with a correlation event;

information relating to the correlation event within the generated webpage includes the one or more corresponding video frames or corresponding raw video stored with the correlation event;

the time-stamped system metadata relating to the monitored system for storage within the first database is provided by a first time-sensitive data server at a first remote location; and

the time-stamped video metadata relating to a predetermined region associated with the monitored system for storage within the second database is provided from a second time-sensitive data server at a second remote location.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

the first predetermined portion of at least one of a first searchable time-sensitive metadata and a second searchable time-sensitive metadata were generated by a process comprising:

generating at each location of a plurality of locations first time-sensitive data, the first time-sensitive data relating to a monitored system at that location of the plurality of locations;

generating at each location of the plurality of locations second time-sensitive data relating to multimedia image content, the multimedia content generated by monitoring a predetermined region associated with the monitored system at that location of the plurality of locations;

processing the first time-sensitive data to generate first searchable time-sensitive metadata in dependence upon the monitored system at a particular location of the plurality of locations;

processing the second time-sensitive data to generate the second searchable time-sensitive metadata.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

the first searchable time-sensitive metadata and second searchable time-sensitive metadata were previously generated and archived based upon absence of a correlation event being identified by the previous application of another rule-based correlation module.