Coming soon to location near you: IP-Surveillance that can really cause a snag in your attempts to recover digital video evidence. IP-Surveillance, often called IP-based video surveillance or network video, uses a wired or wireless network to transport digital video, audio, and other data. While IP-Surveillance can provide a host of benefits to the owner with an “install it and forget it” mentality, for the investigator that needs to recover video evidence it can be more challenging than a recovery from a standard embedded digital video recorder.The Internet is a global connection of networks that provides data connectivity between computers. The IP in IPSurveillance stands for Internet Protocol which is the addressing system for computers on the Internet. Cameras used in IP-Surveillance connect directly to a network and allow for the video captured by these cameras to be monitored and recorded from anywhere. While there is an option to store the video captured by these surveillance systems to a hard drive at the same physical location, many owners are opting to take advantage of off-site storage solutions.
The total cost of installing an IP-Surveillance system can be less than a standard digital video recorder installation. According to Axis Communications, a leading network video solution provider, using the existing network infrastructure decreases the cost of ownership. System costs are also lower because cameras used for IP-Surveillance use industry standards for encoding and can be accessed by a variety of on-site or off-site management applications.
Hosted Video as a Service (HVaaS) is a form of managed services for video surveillance applications. Managed services are the practice of transferring day-to-day related management responsibility to a service provider. For our IP-Surveillance solution, the service provider offers a webbased application that manages networks cameras and stores the video data in a remote location. This service includes the ability to view the video data on any internetconnected computer in the world. According to byRemote, Inc., a leading provider of off-site video hosting and IP camera management solutions, HVaaS is ideal for small business or residential customers who do not have the time, resources or space available to have a recording device at their location. Service not only includes off-site storage of video data but may also include technical support should a camera stop communicating with the off-site storage service.
Recovering video data for investigations from an IP-Surveillance system can be a challenge. Many owners may have forgotten how to access the video for playback or what service provider to contact. While these issues may be the same for a standard digital video recorder, with IPSurveillance there is no system to work with. According to Erik Tufteland, Forensic Multimedia Analyst from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, “I was able to discern that I was dealing with an IP based system from the fact that there existed no local storage, and research/consulting
of the brief manual of the surveillance cameras had no mention of any local playback or local export functions.” After a physical search for equipment and some pointed questions to the owner, Erik received an answer:
“I was directed by the owner to a website IP address and was provided a username and password. My only option was to log into the system, which then allowed me to view video from that specific business.”
For recovering video data, an analyst needs to include a variety of options in their recovery kit. When challenged by an IP-Surveillance system an analyst should have the ability to access the Internet and the means to capture the video data. Consider the following options for recovering video data from an IP-Surveillance system:
It is possible the owner of the system will know how to view the cameras. In that case you should be able to access their IP-Surveillance system from any internet-capable computer by going to the service provider’s website and entering a user name and password. John Flinn of the Fairfax County Police Department, Special Investigations Unit, Forensic Audio and Video Section says “I try to access the video evidence in several different ways. In my recovery kit I have a laptop so at the scene I can use the network to access the system.”
Using the website controls attempt to play back the video that was captured of the incident. Make sure your browser has ActiveX controls enabled as well as Java installed. These components are often used for displaying video over the Internet.
Look for an option to download the video data for each camera for a particular time period. Options that yield a proprietary file format will typically need a proprietary viewer. If downloading a standard file format look to change the compressor to an uncompressed or least compressed option.
Attempt to make contact with the service provider to determine options for receiving video data via a CD or DVD. If you need to make an official request for the video data make sure you request video with a padded time period and from all the cameras views available.
If you can play back the video from a web browser but can find no means to download video data, consider using a scan converter to capture the video as it plays back. A scan converter is a
technique for changing the vertical/horizontal scan frequency of a signal. In this application, the computer display would be converted to an analog video signal. Capturing this converted video signal using an uncompressed capture device would be best. Other methods of recording a video signal (DVD recorder, miniDV, DV25 capture devices) compress the video data further and will further degrade the quality of the image.
IP-Surveillance systems are becoming a more popular choice for installation as the benefits for ownership increase. The total cost of ownership is often less for a network camera system and managed service providers offering HVaaS offer a compelling argument for an owner to relinquish storage of their video data. When recovering video data for investigative purposes remember the video data may be located in an off-site location. Determine how the owner plays back and watches their cameras at the facility and decide on what you need to recover that video data: internet access, website and access information, a scan converter, and a capture device.
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