Seeing clearly
The days of grainy security footage are all but over as intelligent systems, HD cameras and IP-based networks revolutionise surveillance. ASM rounds up the latest news and developments from CCTV’s movers and shakers.
2009 was a significant year for the CCTV industry, and 2010 promises to build on the foundations of innovation and progress.
Not least among the events of 2009 was the launch of CCTV certification at Security 2009 in Sydney in August.
The CCTV Certification Committee, comprising representatives from ASIAL, ASIS, the Media Industry Technologist Certification (MITC) program, Les Simmonds and Associates, and CCTV Labs, first met in 2008 to work on developing a certification program for the CCTV industry.
The committee cited complaints from installation and maintenance technicians, who could only train formally in electronics rather than CCTV, and security consultants whose formal training tended more to risk analysis than CCTV technology, as drivers for the development of the certification program.
The program was intended to include CCTV installation technicians, maintenance technicians, system designers, consultants, and IT personnel involved in these areas of CCTV.
ASM asked CCTV Certification Committee member Les Simmonds about the status of the project at the end of 2009.
“Since the CCTV Certification launch at Security 2009, benchmarks have been considered for the establishment of agreed skills, knowledge, and quality benchmarks in consultation with industry.
“We have strengthened our resolve that CCTV certification is recognition of skills and professional ability, not a licensing requirement.”
Mr Simmonds said the industry response to the introduction of CCTV certification had been positive.
“[In 2008] ASIAL conducted an online survey which found 92 per cent of the respondents were in support of CCTV certification.
“We find that the main areas of positive comment are from end users and employers, because they can see that CCTV certification will show them that consultants, designers, installers, technicians and maintenance technicians with CCTV certification will have ‘shown what they know’ and been rewarded with formal CCTV certification as proof of such. Individuals in the industry have also been positive as they can see that CCTV certification will give them a career path, industry recognition, and appropriate letters after their name.”
Mr Simmonds said the CCTV Certification Committee expected to announce training organisations, both online and ‘face-to-face’, with a syllabus suitable for CCTV certification, in the first quarter of 2010.
Questions and answers for CCTV installer certification were being finalised at the end of 2009, and processes and timings for CCTV certification examination questions and answers had been set. The online examination process is expected to commence in the first half of this year.