We are very pleased to announce the formation of three new working groups that are tackling standardization work in cloud connectivity, audio and advanced metadata. These key areas of rapid technological advancement are in need of standardized approaches to help the industry adopt these technologies and adapt to the growing prevalence of cloud solutions and the use of metadata for analytics in the physical security and video surveillance markets. 

With a total of five active working groups – made up of more than 60 representatives from various ONVIF member companies – industry participation within ONVIF is at a historic high. That does not mean, however, that we don’t need more input! Any member company (at the full or contributing level) are welcome to join any working group to help shape future profiles in cloud, metadata, audio and more:

Cloud Profile Working Group: This group is focusing on the development of an ONVIF cloud profile that will allow interoperability of security devices and video management software in the cloud. The profile work is focused on creating test suites to address key use cases around streaming video to the cloud as well as recording to cloud storage. 

Semantic Metadata Working Group: This team’s purpose is to define an ONVIF standard for semantic analytics metadata,  which will provide a common framework for richly describing the context in which objects of interest appear in captured video across applications and devices. This work will enable the physical security industry to easily share and make use of data generated by analytics applications running on IoT devices, such as cameras, for security and analytical purposes.

Audio Streaming Profile Working Group: The focus of this working group is to define an ONVIF profile for the interfaces and communications mechanisms for configuring and integrating audio speakers and other intercom devices. 

Video Enhancement Working Group: This working group develops technical specifications for video surveillance devices and applications, and addresses necessary topics for the ongoing development and maintenance of ONVIF specifications. This group also assists with technical requirements to support the profile development efforts of other working groups. 

Testing Working Group: This working group is dedicated to the ONVIF conformance and testing processes, and works directly with the software development team responsible for the ONVIF Device and Client Test Tools. 

Want to learn more? ONVIF member companies are encouraged to sign in to the ONVIF Member Portal for more details. Interested companies that are not members of ONVIF can contact ONVIF at https://help.onvif.org/.