Xeoma Presents: Biometrics Tools in Surveillance – More Than Just Video Security

What Is Biometrics And Why Is It Important

According to Wikipedia, biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. While, as you can see, the term ‘biometrics’ refers to the complex of such characteristics per se, in the modern world it is used majorly in regards to biometrics authentication, the ability to identify a person by their various biometric parameters – or the process thereof. It’s worth noting that it’s solely human beings that this term originally refers to, nevertheless, it’ll be no wonder if one comes across a case when it’s referring to other animate or even inanimate objects in the metaphorical sense. However, we will stick to people in this article.

Biometric authorization may sound extra technical or futuristic but many of us are actually using it – or have someone around us use it – every day. Think cell phone where all it takes to unlock the phone is to look into your phone camera or put your finger on its scanner spot – that’s a fine example of how biometric security look and work.

Why is biometric security important? It’s a modern-day complex way to confirm a person’s identity, and a solution to many flaws of the old methods like a passport or a password. You see, biometrics is a collective term that can include a combination of characteristics valid in this or that sphere or situation. People are prone to forget their passwords, lose their ID cards – or have it stolen – or leave their passport at home. Let alone scam artists who specialize in prying out the data or the documents from unsuspecting people and use it in their interests. Biometrics are impossible to lose, and they are harder to steal.

Why Surveillance Tools Are Intersected With Biometrics

What does biometrics security have in common with video security? Security! In fact, video cameras that video surveillance systems are unthinkable without, are just another medium to get biometrics data. CCTV cameras can be viewed as specific biometrics gathering equipment standing in one row with a fingerprint scanner or a heartbeat sensor. So naturally, there will be several fields where video surveillance systems and biometrics intersect, one of the largest of them being access control in its broadest sense. In a way, access control is a primordial task for both surveillance and biometrics: one of the largest chunks of video surveillance everyday uses is for intrusion detection – which is nothing else than trying not to let in someone who’s not supposed to be there, so a form of access control. As for biometrics, it came to life as a term exactly in relation to access control because biometrics identification allows to authorize a person to access services, facilities, websites, devices. Biometrics that can be read by video cameras is one of the tools video surveillance uses for access control, or, if you look at it from another angle, video surveillance is one of the ways biometrics data can be gathered. Biometrics Tools in Xeoma Surveillance - More Than Just Video Security

Extending that logic, workforce management is another field where both biometrics and surveillance are actively used in tandem. That might be because in a way workforce management can be viewed as an extension of access control, where it is important not only to recognize whether or not this or that person is allowed on the territory, but also bind that to additional trackers of their productivity and activity.

One more industry where biometrics and surveillance are working side by side is research studies. In many experiments researches use biometrics to distinguish their examinees in the process of gathering data; however, the results are usually depersonalized for it’s the discoveries made that matter. In this field surveillance cameras also act as a biometrics gathering tool, relying on computer vision to read emotions, attention direction, demographic information and more. Thus, in market research this can be used to find out which goods, ads or product placement areas work best – or get a glimpse into what their customers demographics are. In science research the goal is usually to investigate human behavior or psychology. Unlike having to be interviewed by an assigned person who tracks and writes down their findings, interaction with video cameras is felt less intrusive, less personal, and allows people to show their real reactions.

A great advantage of video surveillance is that it is a multi-purpose tool. Most companies’ journey with CCTV starts when a surveillance system is initially installed to collect video footage and alert security personnel upon detection of intrusion, but then a whole new layer of advanced video analytics emerges. After all, if the cameras are already there for video security, why not use them for more?

What Biometrics You Can Find in Surveillance Tools

We have already mentioned that video surveillance cameras use biometrics identification in some scenarios. But what kind of biometrics data can they work with?

First and foremost, it’s the facial biometrics that video surveillance systems gather with a special tool called Facial Recognition. Video cameras feed live streams to smart software with advanced video analytics that finds people in the scenery, scans a person’s face and memorizes its unique features so that it can be recognized when cameras spot it again. Technically, it’s almost exactly the same as face identification used in smartphones, except video surveillance can actually work with hundreds and thousands faces rather than just one. A person’s face is a universal biometrics parameter that can be used in any sphere requiring identification. And while we’re at it, it might be a great idea to add an eye scanner that specializes in retina or iris recognition – a part of a human body that is also one-in-the-whole-world type of unique.

Now, while facial biometrics seems like a self-sufficient identification tool, advanced systems use it in combination with more biometric traits to provide better anti-fraud protection. For example, liveness detection is aimed at debunking situations where scam artists try to put a photo or a video clip of a person in front of a camera that they could have taken from a social media account or even generated with neural networks services. In surveillance, the most basic liveness detection tool is the motion detector designed to only react if there is movement in camera view. Also, apart from this and other ‘external’ tools in video surveillance that can double for liveness detection (like, for example, Loitering Detector), there are also embedded anti-fraud optimization techniques in tools that are used for access control (for example, Face ID that we will talk about later).

Age Verification is also an artificial-intelligence-powered tool that can be used alongside facial biometrics for double protection against access fraud. Comparing the age of the person trying to access a service with the age that their account says they are can help drive away scammers who happen to not have this information or don’t have the tools to make their fraud go along with it. Contemporary video surveillance solutions like Xeoma offer various tools for demographics analysis, including gender and age verification that can used separately or as a combo for various purposes.

Voice Biometrics is yet another way to facilitate enforced protection against fraudsters trying to gain access to a person’s account. Voice control starts to gain unprecedented popularity – be it commanding home smart stations like Alexa on routine chores or accessing your banking products. While sounds are usually not exactly within the scope of expertise of the all-seeing eye of video surveillance, state-of-the-art solutions like Xeoma offer tools for working with audio streams, too, including but not limited to Sound Events Recognition that can recognize the type of the sound; or Voice-to-Text that can transcribe the words spoken around the camera – or even recordings of calls that happened somewhere else – into text.

When it comes to a complex of anti-fraud measures in dealing with biometrics, Behavioral Biometrics are also a viable option. The existence of behavioral biometrics means that a person can be identified by the way they act, move or even feel. This encompasses a wide range of unique traits from gait to predominant mood disposition. Video surveillance solutions with smart video analytics usually have a specialized tool called Emotions Detector for that purpose that can establish which mood is expressed on the face or a person in sight. For example, Xeoma’s Face Detector (Emotions) module is trained to recognize a spectrum of 7 emotions and mixes of them on faces it sees in camera sight.

These are the major ‘players’ in biometrics identification systems but certainly, there are more biometrics parameters that can be used for identification purposes – alone or in a complex with the ones listed above.
Biometrics Tools in Xeoma Surveillance - More Than Just Video Security

Real-World Biometrics Plus Surveillance: Healthcare

Healthcare is a vast term that encompasses a wide range of establishments, including clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, diagnostic laboratories, and more. Each of these facilities faces unique challenges that demand tailored solutions. This applies to biometric authentication as well. Biometric authorization technologies are revolutionizing the way healthcare facilities manage access, monitor staff and patients, and maintain compliance with regulations.

If you ask someone what human features they know that are unique for any person, most will name DNA, dentist records, or fingerprints. Fingerprint recognition, for instance, is a go-to authorization method in digital healthcare services like websites for telemedicine simply because it allows to re-use the scanners and technology that contemporary smartphones already have. In offline, fingerprint authentication would require special scanners, installation and maintenance thereof, but other than that, they can be used in healthcare for granting access to restricted areas or confidential patient files, offering a contemporary twist on traditional ID cards, which provides a higher level of security with a much lower risk of forgery or loss. However, as awareness of hygiene and infection control grows, contactless biometric methods are gaining traction as a safer alternative, especially in sterile environments such as surgical units or laboratories or when hands are simply busy.

Facial biometrics, another key biometric tool, has found widespread application in healthcare due to its efficiency and adaptability. Whether verifying patient identities during check-in (or even when logging in to a website!) or restricting access to secure zones, facial recognition offers a seamless, contactless solution. Xeoma’s Face Recognition module makes this process fast, reliable and independent of other equipment: a video camera will do.

It might seem that another tool – eye recognition, which is based on iris or retina scanning – could become a logical extension to facial biometrics identification, but retina/iris scanners remain quite an expensive tool that only top-notch security systems can afford, all the while facial recognition does roughly the same.

Similarly, voice biometrics, which analyzes speech patterns to identify individuals, behavior biometrics that relies on how they act instead, or age verification can be used as a second protection layer for digital authentication. Age verification through biometric analysis also ensures appropriate treatment plans and compliance with age-specific regulations. In surveillance, you can find tools like Age Recognition – often a part of complex demographics solution – tailored for such tasks. Besides, one more advantage of Xeoma video surveillance software is that it has a Voice-to-Text module that can be set to react to specific words or phrases – like “Yes” or “No”, or a password – that can be applied as a second authorization step with biometrics security, especially in scenarios involving patient interactions or call-center verifications.

Sometimes healthcare facilities need to identify a person without these tools – especially in urgent cases of patients brought in by an ambulance. When a person is unconscious, disoriented or simply unable to speak or move, voice or behavior recognition cannot be engaged. Progressive healthcare organizations can use vein scanners to access such patient’s medical history, for example, to immediately find out if they are allergic to a drug that must be administered. One more exciting aspect of video surveillance systems like Xeoma is their ability to integrate with third-party technologies and devices – like vein scanners – for ultra-secure, non-intrusive and sometimes even life-saving patient identification. Integration with wearable biometric devices, for instance, allows real-time monitoring of patient health metrics like heart rate or oxygen levels, which can be visualized directly in the surveillance interface for swift action. By seamlessly working with other technologies, video surveillance systems can serve as centralized platforms that combine physical security, health monitoring, and operational insights, creating a more cohesive and efficient healthcare environment.

We live in a dynamic world where there might be no time no wait for an appointment or drive to a clinic to see a doctor. That’s why biometrics are increasingly integrated into healthcare websites and online telehealth services. Tools like facial recognition and fingerprint scanning enhance the security of patient portals, ensuring secure login and access to sensitive medical data. Voice biometrics streamline interactions in virtual consultations or call-center support systems, offering a hands-free option ideal for patients with limited mobility and a transcription of complaints and advice for later review. Behavioral biometrics, analyzing patterns such as typing rhythm or mouse movements, provide continuous, unobtrusive authentication and liveness confirmation during online sessions. These technologies make digital healthcare services more secure, efficient, and accessible, further underscoring the importance of biometrics in modern healthcare.

Xeoma’s diverse set of modules goes beyond biometrics to enhance safety, operational efficiency, and patient care in healthcare settings. The Slip and Fall Detector identifies falls in real-time, enabling immediate intervention in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to prevent serious injuries. The Mask Detection module ensures compliance with mask mandates during infectious disease outbreaks, protecting both patients and staff in hospitals and clinics. With the help of Thermal Camera Data you can get automated alerts when there’s a fever detected in residents or staff. Xeoma’s various Visitors Counter measures can help monitor the flow of visitors and staff to ensure that patients receive adequate attention and resources, improving accountability and care quality. Additionally, Xeoma’s innovative Heart Rate Detector, currently in development, is poised to revolutionize patient monitoring by non-invasively tracking stress levels and potential emergencies. These tools, combined with Xeoma’s advanced video analytics capabilities, make it a comprehensive solution tailored to meet the unique challenges of healthcare facilities.

We used the healthcare industry to demonstrate how biometrics and surveillance can be combined into a symbiosis ecosystem, but surely this is also applicable in other scenarios and niches – from private or security to scientific or market research. Innovations of surveillance systems can greatly enhance a physical security system, while at the same time enabling optimization of business operations with its cutting-edge smart video analytics solutions, all in all making them indispensable tools in modern business and private environments.

February, 19 2025