Security Digest

Equipping IP Cameras with Superpowers: Senstar Developer Wins ONVIF Open Source Spotlight Challenge

Liqiao Ying's winning CAMX advanced video streaming entry for the 2019 ONVIF challenge

Senstar Senior Software Developer, Liqiao Ying, has won the first ever ONVIF Open Source Spotlight Challenge. ONVIF is an open industry forum that provides and promotes standardized interfaces for the effective interoperability of IP-based physical security products. Organized in conjunction with BeMyApp, the challenge tasked developers to create ONVIF-compatible open source mobile or desktop applications for advanced video streaming. Submissions were required to be compatible with the latest release candidate, Profile T, which supports both H.264 and H.265 video compression standards.

Liqiao’s submission, cam X, is a proof of concept iOS project written in Swift that demonstrates how Deep Learning, IPFS and Ethereum Blockchain technologies can be applied together in practice to equip normal IP cameras with superpowers. It offers an artificial intelligence-based object detection system that utilizes blockchain solutions for storing information obtained from ONVIF cameras. With just a cell phone, users are offered a server-less solution that can detect 20 objects in real time and 80 object types for better accuracy. A more detailed description of the project can be found here.

Liqiao learned about the ONVIF challenge through a co-worker and quickly came up with a design that combined deep learning and Blockchain – two of the hottest new technologies. Liqiao has an acute interest in these technologies, recently completing five deep learning courses from renowned expert Andrew Ng. With ONVIF being the standard in the global security market, Liqiao felt it was a good opportunity to practice what he had learned.

Liqiao has a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree and Master of Management Science Degree from the University of Waterloo. He has been working at Senstar (formerly Aimetis) since he graduated 10 years ago. As a full stack developer, he has worked on almost all aspects of Senstar’s video management products. He currently leads the Access Control / Hardware DIO and Mobile teams.