Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.

7024002, ISSN 2822-4353

Research Article

Suspicious Object Detection with Alarm Notification for Security Personnel

Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr. *

For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a “suspicious object detection with alarm notification for security
personnel”. The main objective of this study was to track or detect suspicious objects, analyze
whether it was abandoned, and send a notification to the security personnel. A prototype methodology
was used in the development of the system which employed an image processing methodology to
analyze the video captured by the cameras. The image processing applied the background extraction,
foreground detection, thresholding algorithm, noise reduction algorithm, tracking and detecting
algorithm. The system was evaluated by 10 security personnel and 10 I.T. experts using the ISO
25010 criteria in terms of functional suitability, reliability, performance, efficiency, operability,
security, compatibility, maintainability, and portability. The overall result of the evaluation was
excellent which implied that the system met the standard criteria in system development.

Keywords: Suspicious Object Detection, Security Personnel, Alarm Notification

Introduction worldwide in 2017 [5]. The emerging technology that

Security and safety challenges are ranked among the
most pressing issues of modern times. Challenges such
as cyber-crime, terrorism, and environmental disasters
impacted the lives of millions across the globe. These
issues also ranked high on the agenda of politicians,
international organizations, and businesses [1]. They
also featured prominently in the public conscience and
in governmental policies [2]. In the current,
interconnected world, security challenges were
becoming increasingly complex. Facilitated by
developments such as globalization and the spread of
networked and hyper-connected technologies, new
safety and security challenges arose and impacted
local, national, regional, and international levels,
which dramatically increased their complexity and
scale. As such, solutions to contemporary security
challenges required a wide array of actors operating on
multiple levels of governance [3].
Technology was advancing quickly and various
industries were striving to try and keep up with the
pace. Security was one of the highest priorities for
every organization, and the tech world did not seem to
slow down a bit to improve security. The rise of video
analytics and the burst in data volumes generated,
processed, and stored was a clear indication that
there’s more to expect in the surveillance world [4].
The increased demand for powerful CCTV camera
systems across industries was well indicated by the
number of CCTV cameras entering the market – 98
million network surveillance cameras were shipped
the industry trended today was the “Internet of
Things[IoT] for System Integration”. IoT, in
particular, had played a significant role in the
simplification of operations and had made sending and
receiving data over the internet much easier. Another
emerging technology was “Deep learning and machine
learning”. With deep and machine learning, the
development of apps and systems with predictive
features was on the rise [6].
In another aspect of public safety and security was the
detection or tracking of suspicious objects. A major
problem for public safety was abandoned or suspicious
objects. There was still lacking mechanism or system
that could track and detect those suspicious objects.
Some countries faced different kinds of threats that
included bombing without detecting it. Sometimes it
was because of the negligence of personnel or a user
factor not able to check the CCTV system. Not only
that, in other countries, they had problems
implementing rules and regulations regarding “no
parking” in some areas. Some establishments had
security personnel, CCTV cameras, and other
equipment for security measures. They did not have
early detection and alarm system [7].
Computer vision was a component in artificial
intelligence that helped analyze the data given from a
video capturing device. With a system that could track
suspicious objects, people could prevent future
accidents or problems [8], a system that could
coordinate with security personnel for early
notification and detection. Therefore, there was a need

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Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7024002, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
for automatic detection and analysis of suspicious
objects, especially in places that prohibited no parking
for vehicles and those suspicious bystanders. Image
capturing capability had contributed to the recognition
of image knowledge. With a system that could track
suspicious objects, it could prevent future accidents or
problems; a system that could coordinate with security
personnel for early notification and detection.
Research Objectives
Generally, the study aimed to develop suspicious
object detection with alarm notification for security
personnel. Specifically, the study aimed to: (1) manage
live video feed, recorded videos, and archived videos;
(2) detect and track suspicious objects; (3) send
notifications to security personnel once a suspicious
object is detected.
Literature Review
Security
Security is freedom from, or resilience against,
potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change)
caused by others. Beneficiaries (technical referents) of
security may be of persons and social groups, objects
and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or
phenomenon vulnerable to unwanted change. Public
security was the function of governments that ensured
the protection of citizens, persons in their territory,
organizations, and institutions against threats to their
well-being – and to the prosperity of their communities
[19].
The concept of suspicious object detection with alarm
notification for security personnel was based on an
idea of safety and security that people are currently
experiencing. The problem of undetected or suspicious
objects is one of the major problems that people are
facing. With the proposed system, it could have an
opportunity to safeguard establishment owners with
security features.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV)
Video surveillance is the use of video cameras to
transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of
monitors. It differed from broadcast television in that
the signal was not openly transmitted, though it may
employ point-to-point (P2P), point-to-multipoint
(P2MP), or mesh wired or wireless links [20]. The
earliest video surveillance systems involved constant
monitoring because there was no way to record and
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
store information. The development of reel-to-reel
media enabled the recording of surveillance footage.
These systems required magnetic tapes to be changed
manually which was a time-consuming, expensive and
unreliable process, with the operator having to
manually thread the tape from the tape reel through the
recorder onto an empty take-up reel. Closed-circuit
television was used as a form of pay-per-view theatre
television for sports such as professional boxing and
professional wrestling from 1964 through 1970, the
Indianapolis 500 automobile race.
The closed-circuit television concept was very
essential in coming up with this study. It gave an idea
about video cameras transmitting those captured
images across another user or medium. The concept of
that was integrated in this system where it had a digital
camera and could be broadcasted or accessed by
authorized personnel through different networks. It
was very useful concept to improve the current CCTV
system that we had now.
Computer Vision
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that
trained computers to interpret and understand the
visual world. Using digital images from cameras and
videos and deep learning models, machines could
accurately identify and classify objects — and then
react to what they “saw.”
Early experiments in computer vision took place in the
1950s, using some of the first neural networks to
detect the edges of an object and to sort simple objects
into categories like circles and squares. In the 1970s,
the first commercial use of computer vision interpreted
typed or handwritten text using optical character
recognition. This advancement was used to interpret
written text for the blind [21]. As the internet matured
in the 1990s, making large sets of images available
online for analysis, facial recognition programs
flourished. These growing data sets helped make it
possible for machines to identify specific people in
photos and videos.
The effects of these advances on the computer vision
field had been astounding. Accuracy rates for object
identification and classification had gone from 50
percent to 99 percent in less than a decade — and
today’s systems were more accurate than humans at
quickly detecting and reacting to visual inputs. The
study was anchored on this concept of computer
vision, this system had computers and digital cameras.
The system captured images or footages from the
cameras for analysis called image processing
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procedure and then it detected or tracked objects.
Data Mining
Data mining was the process of finding anomalies,
patterns and correlations within large data sets to
predict outcomes. Using a broad range of techniques,
one could use this information to increase revenues,
cut costs, improve customer relationships, reduce risks
and more [22].
The process of digging through data to discover hidden
connections and predict future trends had a long
history. Sometimes referred to as "knowledge
discovery in databases," the term "data mining" was
not coined until the 1990s. But its foundation
comprised of three intertwined scientific disciplines:
statistics (the numeric study of data relationships),
artificial intelligence (human-like intelligence
displayed by software and/or machines) and machine
learning (algorithms that could learn from data to
make predictions). What was old was new again, as
data mining technology kept evolving to kept pace
with the limitless potential of big data and affordable
computing power.
Over the last decade, advances in processing power
and speed had enabled us to move beyond manual,
tedious and time-consuming practices to quick, easy
and automated data analysis. The more complex the
data sets collected were, the more potential there was
to uncover relevant insights. Retailers, banks,
manufacturers, telecommunications providers and
insurers, among others, were using data mining to
discover relationships among everything from price
optimization, promotions and demographics to how
the economy, risk, competition and social media were
affecting their business models, revenues, operations
and customer relationships.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) made it possible for
machines to learn from experience, adjust to new
inputs and perform human-like tasks. Most AI
examples that you heard about today – from chess-
playing computers to self-driving cars – relied heavily
on deep learning and natural language processing.
Using these technologies, computers could be trained
to accomplish specific tasks by processing large
amounts of data and recognizing patterns in the data
[23].
The term artificial intelligence was coined in 1956, but
AI has become more popular today. Thanks to
increased data volumes, advanced algorithms and
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
improvements in computing power and storage.
Early AI research in the 1950s explored topics like
problem solving and symbolic methods. In the 1960s,
the US Department of Defense took interest in this
type of work and began training computers to mimic
basic human reasoning. For example, the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
completed street mapping projects in the 1970s.
DARPA produced intelligent personal assistants in
2003, long before Siri, Alexa or Cortana were
household names.
This early work paved the way for the automation and
formal reasoning that individuals saw in computers
today including decision support systems and smart
search systems that could be designed to complement
and augment human abilities.
This human, AI partnership offered many
opportunities. It could: Bring analytics to industries
and domains where it is currently underutilized,
improve the performance of existing analytic
technologies, like computer vision and time series
analysis, break down economic barriers, including
language and translation barriers, augment existing
abilities and make us better at what we did, and give us
better vision, better understanding, better memory and
much more.
The similarity of artificial intelligence with this study
is that the system has its own mechanism to
understand object behavior in such a way it could
predict or have its own decision making although this
system could not be considered as an AI system.
However, the idea and future concept for enhancement
could be implemented to the study.
Image segmentation
In computer vision, image segmentation is the process
of partitioning a digital image into multiple segments
(sets of pixels, also known as image objects). The goal
of segmentation is to simplify and/or change the
representation of an image into something that is more
meaningful and easier to analyze. Image segmentation
is typically used to locate objects and boundaries
(lines, curves, etc.) in images. More precisely, image
segmentation is the process of assigning a label to
every pixel in an image such that pixels with the same
label shared certain characteristics [24].
Several general-purpose algorithms and techniques
were developed for image segmentation. To be useful,
these techniques must typically be combined with a
domain's specific knowledge in order to effectively
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solve the domain's segmentation problems.
The way image segmentation identifies the set of
pixels is very similar to the approach of this study,
wherein it identified the separated segments of images
for tracking and detection purposes.
Image Classification
Given a set of images that are all labelled with a single
category, it is imperative to predict these categories for
a novel set of test images and measure the accuracy of
the predictions. There are a variety of challenges
associated with this task including viewpoint variation,
scale variation, intra-class variation, image
deformation, image occlusion, illumination conditions
and background clutter [25].
The most popular architecture which has been used for
image classification is Convolutional Neural Networks
(CNNs). A typical use case for CNNs was where you
feed the network images and the network classified the
data. CNNs tended to start with an input “scanner”
which was not intended to parse all the training data at
once. For example, to input an image of 100 x 100
pixels, you wouldn’t want a layer with 10,000 nodes.
This input data is then fed through convolutional
layers instead of normal layers. Each node only
concerns itself with close neighboring cells. These
convolutional layers also tends to shrink as they
became deeper, mostly by easily divisible factors of
the input. Besides these convolutional layers, they also
often featured pooling layers. Pooling is a way to filter
out details. A commonly found pooling technique is
max pooling, where, 2x2 pixels are taken and passed
on the pixel with the most amount of a certain
attribute.
The image classification process which has a similar
implementation towards this study, both of these
process analyze images by identifying certain
differences in a given data. With that, the classification
and identification to exploit the necessary data for
further analysis were also applied in this study.
Thresholding (image processing)
Thresholding is the simplest method of segmenting
image. From a grayscale image, thresholding could be
used to create binary images. The simplest
thresholding methods replace each pixel in an image
with a black pixel. If the image intensity or a white
pixel is greater than that constant. In the example
image on the right, these results in the dark tree
becoming completely black, and the white snow
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
becoming completely white [26].
Automatic thresholding is a great way to extract useful
information encoded into pixels while minimizing
background noise. This is accomplished by utilizing a
feedback loop to optimize the threshold value before
converting the original grayscale image to binary. The
idea is to separate the image into two parts: the
background and foreground. The thresholding for
image processing helped extract data useful for
analyzing.
The idea and the algorithm process had a major role in
creation of this study because it was implemented
purely to achieve the objectives of the study. By the
help of thresholding segmentation process, the system
was able to extract the entire background to be
compared to the foreground of the image. It helped in
analyzing the different objects that had been added to
the foreground for detection and tracking purposes.
Otsu's method
In computer vision and image processing, Otsu's
method, named after Nobuyuki Otsu (Ōtsu Nobuyuki)
is used to perform automatic image thresholding. In
the simplest form, the algorithm returns a single
intensity threshold that separates pixels into two
classes, foreground and background [27]. This
threshold is determined by minimizing intra-class
intensity variance, or equivalently, by maximizing
inter-class variance. Otsu's method- a one-dimensional
discrete analog of Fisher's Discriminant Analysis is
related to Jenk’s optimization method and is
equivalent to a globally optimal k-means.
The algorithm exhaustively searches for the threshold
that minimizes the intra-class variance defined as a
weighted sum of variances of the two classes.
Clustering Methods
The K-means algorithm is an iterative technique used
to partition an image into K clusters. The basic
algorithm are as follows: 1. Pick K cluster centers,
either randomly or based on some heuristic method,
for example K-means++. 2. Assign each pixel in the
image to the cluster that minimized the distance
between the pixel and the cluster center. 3. Re-
compute the cluster centers by averaging all of the
pixels in the cluster. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until
convergence was attained (i.e. no pixels change
clusters). K-means clustering was a method of vector
quantization, originally from signal processing,
popular for cluster analysis in data mining. K-means
clustering aimed to partition in observations into k
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clusters in which each observation belonged to the
cluster with the nearest mean, serving as a prototype of
the cluster. This resulted in a partitioning of the data
space into Voronoi cells.
This idea of Otsu's method or clustering method has a
similarity to this study through the concept of
identifying the foreground and the background by
applying segmentation and thresholding to one image.
However, the current study applied this kind of
approach by analyzing a separate image for the
foreground and the background image.
Edge Detection
Edge detection includes a variety of mathematical
methods that aimed at identifying points in a digital
image at which the image brightness changed sharply
or, more formally have discontinuities. The points at
which image brightness change sharply are typically
organized into a set of curved line segments termed
edges [28].
The same problem of finding discontinuities in one-
dimensional signals was known as step detection and
the problem of finding signal discontinuities over time
was known as change detection. Edge detection was a
fundamental tool in image processing, machine vision
and computer vision, particularly in the areas of
feature detection and feature extraction.
In finding the object and identifying the object shape
accurately, it is needed to have a definite data
representation of that object. The edge detection
approach is similar to this study. It needs to identify
the object from the background image and by that it
needed to determine the precise shape of the object for
separation and analysis similar to this study.
Object detection
Object detection is a computer technology related to
computer vision and image processing that dealt with
detecting instances of semantic objects of a certain
class (such as humans, buildings, or cars) in digital
images and videos [29].
It traditionally has applications in video and real-world
interactions where observations are made following
initial object detection. Now, it is crucial to
autonomous driving systems such as self-driving
vehicles from companies like Uber and Tesla.
Well-researched domains of object detection includes
face detection and pedestrian detection. Object
detection has applications in many areas of computer
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
vision including image retrieval and video
surveillance.
The concept of object detection is to analyze images or
objects present in the image. After the analysis, it
compares that kind of object to the data set in the
system. That system could then mark or track the
particular object that has been added to the scene or
the object. The idea of this approach is very much
similar to this study, it could mark an object that has
been added and detect an object similar to object
detection. However, the difference between the two is
that the object detection is more likely to be a machine
learning approach compared to this study. It is more on
image processing approach and tracking. But the idea
of machine learning using object detection approach
could also be applied to this study. That is why it
would be considered as an enhancement or
recommendation for this study.
Survey on Abandoned Object Detection using
Image Processing
Survey on Abandoned Object detection using Image
Processing by Dhanashri Adalinge (2007). The
scenario for the proposed system used Foreground
detection for image processing as a method in
identifying abandoned object: then, it used blob
algorithm that track moving entity. With that proposed
or design of the system, it could detect an object by
separating the foreground and focusing on the moving
objects [30].
Foreground Detection
Foreground detection is a technique of image
processing used to separate objects and people from
the overall background. In case of crowded places, the
background is the infrastructure of the area, while the
foreground would be the people or independent
structures. With this approach, it is important to clear
the data from the objects. It only detected objects on
the foreground layer once it separates and identifies
the background layer information [34]; then after that
process has taken place, it would start tracking the
object.
Blob Detection
In computer vision, blob detection methods aim at
detecting regions in a digital image that differed in
properties such as brightness or color compared to
surrounding regions. Informally, a blob is a region of
an image in which some properties are constant or
approximately constant. All the points in a blob could
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be considered in some sense to be similar to each
other. The most common method for blob detection is
convolution [31]. The survey on abandoned object
detection using image processing was similar to the
study in terms of tracking and detection of object. The
system however, needed to apply thresholding to
extract the background while this study did not
mention it. Both of the system applied foreground
analysis in order to track object and send notification
for security purposes. Those kinds of approaches were
very useful to come up with this study.
A Survey on Visual Surveillance of Object Motion
and Behaviors
A Survey on Visual Surveillance of Object Motion and
Behaviors by Weiming Hu (2004). The scenario for
the proposed system was for object detection and
behaviors, it used environment modeling - an active
construction and updating of the environmental model
as a method. Then it applied motion segmentation that
aimed to detect regions corresponding to moving
objects such as vehicles and humans. It included
background subtraction, a popular method for motion
segmentation, especially under those situations with a
relatively static background and temporal differencing
that used pixel-wise differences between two or three
consecutive frames in an image sequence to extract
moving regions. Temporal differencing was very
adaptive to dynamic environments, but generally does
a poor job of extracting all the relevant pixels, e.g.,
there may be holes left inside moving entities.
Nearly every visual surveillance system starts with
motion detection. Motion detection aims at segmenting
regions corresponding to moving objects from the rest
of an image. Subsequent processes such as tracking
and behavior recognition are greatly dependent on it.
The process of motion detection usually involves
environment modelling, motion segmentation, and
object classification, which intersect with each other
during processing.
Model-based tracking algorithms track objects by
matching projected object models produced with prior
knowledge to image data. The models are usually
constructed off-line with manual measurement, CAD
tools or computer vision techniques. As model-based
rigid object tracking and model-based non rigid object
tracking are quite different, we reviewed separately
model-based human body tracking (non-rigid object
tracking) and model-based vehicle tracking(rigid
object tracking) [32].
The approach of detecting object and using digital
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
camera for detection is similar to this study. The study
aimed to detect and track objects. However, in this
study it only tracked an object if there was motion or
movement in the footage. While the proposed study
was able to detect and track objects added to the scene
and it was not merely focused on the movement alone.
Active Video-Based Surveillance System
Foresti (2005) [33] proposed a method that included
change method detection for fixed cameras. A variety
of change detection methods were developed for fixed
cameras. The system also has background updating.
To minimize errors in the background change
detection process due to noise effects, illumination,
and/or environmental changes, advanced visual-based
surveillance systems applied background updating
procedures. The system had changed detection
methods for mobile cameras. Since the camera
movement induces an apparent motion in all of the
image pixels, the application of standard CD
techniques resulted in poor motion detection and
therefore could not be used.
The concept and approaches of this study was similar
to this study. It used a fixed or stable camera so that
the system would compare the new objects added to
the scene then it would start tracking the object. It has
the capability as well to update the background to
avoid errors in detecting objects. In this study, the
page had to refresh manually to have a new
background reference; however, it was not capable of
recording such scenes and it did not have a security
features yet.
Automatic Video Based Surveillance System for
Abnormal Behavior Detection
Automatic Video Based Surveillance System for
Abnormal Behavior Detection by G. H. Raisoni (2013)
[34]. It presented the scenario for the proposed system
as it scanned the video input devices attached to the
system. Further, these devices were made available for
selection by the user; so that the most appropriate area
to be captured for a given instance of time can be
chosen. It also included Background Image
Acquisition. This section basically consisted of
capturing a frame as the reference image or the desired
ideal background condition which was considered as
the reference for any further processing. Once the
background was set, the camera was then programmed
for capturing live video footage of the monitored area.
Then Pre-processing was performed on the acquired
images for enhancing the quality of the frames. The
video frames had a lot of noise due to camera,
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illumination, reflections and others.
This could be removed and quality of images was
enhanced with the help of pre-processing stages. The
captured video was to be processed for detecting any
change with the reference frame taken and processed
in the previous step, as the reference condition. The
Image Acquisition Toolbox available within Matlab
was used, for camera controlling connected to the
personal computer, then it applied Foreground
Extraction. This was one of the significant sections of
the project. Here, the foreground object was
reconstructed by removing the background elements.
To accomplish this, the background image obtained
previously was taken as a perfect reference image for
the processing of image segmentation. To achieve this,
it had algorithm for change detection in case an object
was detected in an abandoned object detection. The
timer was initiated and continuously incremented until
found that the object was static. The incremented timer
was consistently compared against a pre-defined
threshold timer value.
They had similar idea or concept when it came to
detecting and tracking object. It used thresholding
approach to separate the background and the
foreground image similar to this system. The only
difference between the two studies was that, it could
detect or identify abnormal human behavior because
its system had a data set of pre-defined normal human
behavior or activity.
Suspicious Object Detection Using Back-Tracing
Technique
Suspicious Object Detection Using Back-Tracing
Technique by Aniket Bhondave (2016) [35]. The
scenario for the proposed system used OpenCV (Open
Source Computer Vision Library). It is an open source
computer idea and machine learning software public
library. OpenCV is manufactured to provide a
common structure for computer image applications
and to hasten the use of machine view in the
commercial products. Being a BSD-licensed product,
OpenCV makes it easy for productions to operate and
modify the code. It incorporates Java Virtual Machine
(JVM).
It is customary of computer software programs and
data structures that use a virtual machine exemplary
for the execution of supplementary computer programs
and scripts. The model used by a JVM admitted a
form of computer transitional language commonly
referred to as Java byte code.
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
The process of Suspicious Object Detection Using
Back-Tracing Technique study is similar to this study.
It captured videos from the camera then started
analyzing the images provided by the camera to the
system where the image processing came in.
Afterwards, it would start tracking and detecting the
object. The system would analyze the monitoring of a
particular time and would send it to the system for
report and alarm. While the proposed study had the
real time notification to the security personnel and
through the server side, it would also alarm the server
side by making a sound notification to the
administrator. A report or activity log was present on
the server side for the system administrator to be
updated or informed.
Suspicious Object Detection System
Suspicious Object Detection System by Mrunalinee
Patole, Abhishek Charwad, Akshay Mengade, Naresh
Choudhary and Vrushali Chondhe (2017). The system
contained the following modules: 1. Background
segmentation. In this module, a live feed of the camera
was processed in which if it detected any abandoned
object, then the system would set it as a background
object for further processing. 2. Change detection. A
suspicious change was observed and noted down, then
an alert was generated and the notification was sent to
the authority. 3. Tracking. In this module, the systems
focused on area selected in detection and tracked the
persons which were close to that abandoned object
[36]. Lastly, Alarm and Display. In this module, if a
person did not come back within a specified time
period then the alarm event get triggered and this
showed an abandoned object was detected.
The concept of background extraction and foreground
extraction was present in this study, which was a
similar approach made to accomplish this study. It
used background segmentation then after that if there
was a difference between the first frame, the
background to the following frames which was the
foreground, then it would start analyzing and tracking
the movement. It also used an alarm notification
towards a given time when the object was left or
abandoned. However, it was not fully developed but
the idea and concept was there. Also, it did not have
security features or video recording. This made a
difference between the two studies.
Suspicious Object Detection
This paper on Suspicious Object Detection by
Tarushikha Joshi (2014), a method for automatic
detection of a suspicious object in public places. The
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suspicious object would be carried by a person in the
scene. An object area was extracted using background
subtraction. For selecting an object of interest, a
unique label had been assigned to all objects. For
labelling of objects, connected component labelling
algorithm was used.
A suspicious object was any object unattended for a
specific time period. An object could be declared as
suspicious on the basis of the distance of the object
from its owner for a specific time period. Matlab was
used to develop this system [37].
First, it starts with counting the number of objects. If
the number of objects is equal to two then it is checked
in the array of areas that the area of the object has been
decreased with respect to the previous frame or not. If
an area is decreased that means a split has occurred,
i.e. the owner left his bag. If a split is detected, then
the distance of that object from the person is
calculated. The distance is calculated using the
distance formula. If the distance between the static
object and moving person was greater than the
specified threshold value, we would declare the object
is declared as suspicious and an alarm is triggered.
The concept of tracking or detection using background
extraction approach is the same and applied with the
current study. This concept also incorporated a
notification system which is similar with the proposed
system. However, the analysis is different. This system
analyzed the size or the area of the object detected.
Once it splits into two objects, it could start the
calculation for distance and abandonment. Unlike with
this system which could automatically detect that it
was suspicious or abandoned if it was not moving in
the current location for a given time.
Suspicious Object Detection in Surveillance Videos
for Security Applications
This paper on Suspicious Object Detection in
Surveillance Videos For Security Applications by
Trupti M. Pandit (2015) presents a system for video
surveillance - based applications that automatically
detected the suspicious activity [38]. Static object
detection is an initial step in video surveillance. There
are enormous algorithms used for detecting static
objects. The input video is taken from the static
camera. The main strength of the approach lied in the
ability to separate background and foreground in
accurate way from the video. The speed of the
proposed system was directly proportional to the
HD/Full HD/4K surveillance system.
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
The concept of background extraction and foreground
extraction is present in this study which is the same
approach made to accomplish the Suspicious Object
Detection with Alarm Notification for Security
Personnel study. It used background segmentation.
However, the system did not track the object, it only
detected suspicious activity. In this study, it has a data
set given for a particular activity scenario that a system
could detect. Once the system compares the current
activity to the data set, it would have its results. This
idea needs more improvements in terms of accuracy
and efficiency.
A Framework for Suspicious Object Detection from
Surveillance Video
This paper about A Framework for Suspicious Object
Detection from Surveillance Video by Rajesh Kumar
Tripathi (2014) presents a method to detect a
suspicious object from surveillance video [39]. It
consists of three main steps. In the first step,
background subtraction was performed through
background modeling using a running average method
which made the system efficient to detect foreground
objects. In the second step, static objects were detected
from foreground frames through contour features and
geometric histogram of an object. In the third step,
static objects were classified into human and non-
human objects using skin color region detection and
edge-based object recognition method. Edge-based
object recognition method was efficient to recognize
full and partially visible object. If static object is a non-
human, an alarm was raised after a specified time.
The similarity of this study to the proposed system
emphasizes that the first process it performed was the
background extraction and analysis which were both
present in the proposed system. Another similarity is
that it would track and detect objects. However, on the
following procedures, it had a different approach
although it could detect objects and send an alarm
notification after it had a valid detection similar to the
proposed system. It also used contour features and
geometric histograms for detecting objects. Another
difference between them is that could compare or
identify human to non-human objects which was not
present in the proposed study. But, this idea can also
be implemented in the proposed system for further
improvement and more effective approach in detecting
objects.
Methodology
The study was developed using a prototyping software
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development methodology. Software prototyping is the
activity of creating prototypes of software
applications. They are incomplete versions of the
software program being developed. The prototyping
methodology has several benefits. It is a part of
software development wherein, the software designer
and implementer could get valuable feedback from the
users early in the project. The client and the contractor
could compare if the software made matched with the
software specifications according to which the
software program was built. It also allowed the
software initial project estimates and whether the
deadlines and milestones proposed could be
successfully met [40]. Figure 1 illustrates the
prototyping software life cycle model.
Figure 1. The Prototyping Software Life Cycle Model
Image Processing Methodology
This research focused on the images or footage
acquired by the digital cameras. Each frame was
recorded and once an object was detected, it would be
captured by the system. Figure 2 illustrates the
recorded video sequence.
Figure 2. Recorded video sequence
The moving objects were tracked in every video
sequence captured by the camera and once an object
was detected, it would capture the image of object.
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
From the video input, the system performed a
background extraction for the first frame of the live
feed then it would do the foreground image acquisition
to compare the first frame to the updated foreground
data. After which, it would perform the comparison
with noise and thresholding algorithm for a smoother
and more precise data presentation or analysis.
If a non-moving object was detected, it would start
applying the contour to the detected objects in the
foreground for tracking purposes.
The administrator managed the accounts and viewed
the recordings, notifications, and logged-ins while the
security personnel would receive a notification once
the system detected a non-moving object from the
surveillance camera. The main server would be
notified as well if the system detected a static object in
the camera.
When the system started, it would run the server for
the management of data. It would also detect if the
camera was present and start the recording once all the
cameras were activated. The system would get the
input data from the cameras, record and save the video
file captured. Once the system detected an object, it
would track it until such time that it was no longer
moving for a given time. The system would capture
and save the suspicious object’s video recording. After
that, it would inform the administrator via notification
and the security personnel that there was a suspicious
object detected.
Only the authorized administrator could log in and
manage the account. The administrator could manage
the following functions: records, camera page,
notifications and recordings.
The security personnel should connect the smartphone
to the internet and open the application browser to set
the connection to the server. After that, the smartphone
could receive a notification from the system when it
detected a suspicious object.
The admin controlled the application using a computer
desktop or laptop. The admin could also manage the
record. The admin could view the cameras and view
the video recordings. On the web-server, the admin
could also view the different activity logs recorded by
the system. This would check the history log that had
taken place in different time events. It would also
notify the admin with a sound alarm every time an
object was detected. The application was responsible
for the connection to the camera and analysis of the
data from it. The system would send notification to the
administrator and to the security personnel.
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Requirement Analysis
The requirement analysis showed the minimum
requirements of the hardware and software needed in
the development and implementation of the system.
Table 1 shows the minimum hardware requirements of
the system.
Table 1. Hardware Specification
Table 2 shows the minimum software requirements for
the system.
Table 2. Software Specification
The following is the list of the hardware and software
requirements identified: Laptop or Desktop (Processor:
Corei3-6006U CPU 2.00GHz, RAM:4.00GB, 64-bit
Operating System), the computer laptop was essential
to install and implement the program. OpenCV (Open
Source Computer Vision), Python Software, Jetbrains
PyCharm Software, Notepad++ software, Flask web
framework, Browser application (Google Chrome),
two(2) Digital Cameras (640x480 standard camera,
1240x720 HD Camera), Smartphone Device(Android
or iPhone)
OpenCV (Open source Computer Vision) Software
would run on anything even on Raspberry Pi 1(700Mz
single core CPU, 256Mb memory). This was where the
researcher got the entire algorithm to solve the
program in the system because it consisted of different
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
sets of libraries used to solve a program.
The major solution for the system was entirely built
using python language since python was an
interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming
language. The system was fully developed using this
language since it had tons of libraries. With the help of
opencv libraries, it expanded and incorporated more
algorithm available for the system. The minimum
requirements for python software was at least Intel
Atom processor, Disk space of 1GB, Operating
System of Windows 7 or later.
To achieve the implementation in terms of detecting
the moving objects using a digital camera, it would
start in the development using the PyCharm, an IDE
(Integrated Development Environment), by Jetbrains
for the essential coding process. It was fully coded in
this program for the detection of objects and recording
of live footage of the system in this integrated
development environment. This IDE was used for the
development in Python and frameworks Flask and
Django.
Since the program was developed in a desktop
application approach using the PyCharm IDE, another
feature for this system should be available online
because none of the previous studies were online-
based. The system was then migrated to a web
framework using Flask written in Python. It was
classified as a micro framework because it did not
require particular tools or libraries.
In the development of the website, Notepad++ was
used as a text and source code editor for use with
Microsoft Windows. The login interface of the
website, through the management of the records and
viewing of the live footage, was coded using this
application software.
The minimum requirement for machine computer
vision is 640 pixels. The camera resolution could now
be selected. In today’s world, we could select a VGA
(640x480) camera for the application.
The security personnel would receive a notification
through their smartphone. There are two ways security
personnel could receive the alarm. First, they needed
to turn on their notification in their browser and
connect to the internet using the notify library of
python. Secondly, the system could send messages or
notifications through a third-party connection for free.
Data Gathering Instruments
Data set
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Research Article

In order to test the performance of the proposed

system, the researcher used more than 10 video
sequences from recorded datasets and live captured
datasets. There were different scenarios captured by
two cameras from different views in standard datasets.
The dataset consisted of left books or objects in
scenarios with increasing scene complexity which
consisted of real scenes with an illumination effect,
crowd, occlusion, and very small to large scale left
luggage.

Data Processing and Statistical Treatment Figure 3. Applying thresholding

Mean was used as the statistical formula and the result
was tabulated using the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS) Software. The result of the
evaluation was tabulated and interpreted.
Results
This process generated 3 layers or results: the
foreground, the background and the live footage. The
foreground data could be used to start tracking and
identify the object’s location to and to analyze its
movement to confirm whether it is stationary or not.
Figure 4 shows the tracking of objects.

This section includes the presentation, analysis, and

interpretation of data obtained from this study. The
suspicious object detection with alarm notification for
security personnel was designed and built to address
the problem regarding object tracking with notification
via a web-based system. The design of the system
allowed security personnel to receive notifications
when the server identified suspicious objects.
Figure 4. Object Tracking
Tracking and Detecting of Suspicious Objects
It was then run and tested through the website
The main function of the system was for the camera to platform. The accuracy in tracking the object in real
accept images then the system would interpret those time was the same and it was able to detect a
images and analyzed the objects in the camera. The suspicious object once it was in a stationary place. The
researcher conducted a test of the coded algorithm test interpretation and analyses started when the camera
for the camera in the Pycharm IDE. This is where the page was opened in the website. It had two buttons
most important part of the study began. available: a refresh button and the stop button. The
purpose of the refresh button was to refresh the camera
In order to achieve the tracking of objects, it should if it detected or tracked unnecessary objects.
have the image processing approach. First a
background segmentation and foreground While the stop button allowed the camera to stop
segmentation algorithm were applied. Then without affecting the entire system or page. Once the
thresholding algorithm and noise reduction were camera detected and tracked an object that stayed for a
integrated to separate the background to the given time, it would show activity logs beside the
foregrounds, then the tracking algorithm was applied camera in the same page. Figure 5 shows the detection
once an object was seen in the camera and stayed for a of an object.
particular time. Figure 3 shows the results of applying
the thresholding algorithm.

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Research Article

Figure 5. Detected Object

The system also updated the activity logs when an

object stayed for 30 seconds. Once the system had
detected a suspicious object, it would change the
contour to red to signify that an abandoned object was
left. Figure 6 shows the detecting and tracking of
objects after 30 seconds.
Figure 7. System Notification
The second way was via SMS. Using a third party text
like twilio. Twilio was a cloud communications
platform, a service company based in San Francisco,
California.

Twi lio a l l o w e d s o f t wa r e d e v e l o p e r s to
programmatically make and receive phone calls, send
and receive text messages and perform other
communication functions using its web service APIs.
Figure 8 shows the successful text message from twilio
services.

Figure 6. Object Detection after 30 Seconds

System Notification

During the time when an object was tracked and

detected as a suspicious object, the system would also
notify the administrator through the website by the
activity logs and sound notification of the server.

The system would send a notification to the security

personnel through their mobile devices. The system Figure 8. SMS Notification
had two ways of notifying the security personnel:
The following result summarizes the IT expert and
The first option was by using the notify.run website, secuirty personnel evaluation of the system based on
the security personnel should connect to the internet ISO 25010 criteria.
and it should be connected to the same channel using
their smartphone. Once it was connected to the same
channel, it would send a notification through google
chrome browser. This notification was free of charge.
Figure 7 shows the sample notification received via
notify run.

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 Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7024002, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Table 3 shows the summary of the evaluation results about the
system’s quality in terms of ISO 25010 standards.
Results shows that the IT experts’ overall evaluation
on the software quality characteristic of the system
based on ISO 25010 criteria was excellent with an
overall mean of 4.73. Specifically the rating for
functional suitability was 4.63, performance efficiency
was 4.73, compatibility was 4.80, usability was 4.78,
reliability was 4.73, security was 4.79, maintainability
was 4.66, and portability was 4.73. The IT experts
commended the performance and the functionality of
the system that it was capable of tracking and
detecting objects. Although the overall rating was
excellent, they highlighted that it could be upgraded by
adding more complex and secure algorithms to
improve the system.
The results show that the security personnel’s overall
evaluation on the software quality characteristic of the
system based on ISO 25010 criteria was also excellent
with an overall mean of 4.78. The security personnel’s
rating on functional suitability was 4.70, performance
efficiency was 4.77, compatibility was 4.85, usability
was 4.82, reliability was 4.80, security was 4.80,
maintainability was 4.72 and portability was 4.77.
The evaluation results in all aspects of the software
quality characteristic rated by the security personnel
were much higher compared to the IT experts. The
evaluators put emphasis and appreciation on the
compatibility, reliability, security and most especially
on the usability of the system. Since it was secured and
easy to use, the security personnel evaluators agreed
that it was a useful system for them.
Conclusion
Based on the summary of finding of the study, (1) The
system can be managed live, recorded and could
archive videos based on the excellent evaluation result
of its functional suitability. However, this
characteristic got the lowest rating from the IT and
domain experts. It was attributed to the low quality of
the plug and play camera which was not connected
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
over the network. (2) The camera could detect and
track suspicious objects based on the excellent
evaluation of its performance efficiency and reliability.
The tracking and detection were dependent on the
position and angle of the camera which could be
affected by poor weather condition. Although it could
track and detect objects, it had no capability to identify
the objects detected. (3) The system could send text
notifications and alarms once a suspicious object was
detected and could be accessed on any type of mobile
phones. It had an excellent evaluation result in its
portability. The system could identify which camera
had detected an object. However, the location
contained only the numeric code that needed to be
memorized to identify which area it was located. (4)
The over-all result of the system’s evaluation based on
the ISO 25010 criteria was excellent.
The following conclusions were drawn after the
conduct of the study: (1) The quality of the camera
contribute to the functional suitability of the system
and connectivity via the network would improve its
accessibility. (2) The tracking and detection of objects
is dependent on the positioning of the camera.
Increasing the number of cameras would provide a
more efficient tracking. (3) The system is capable of
identifying the camera which detected the object and
identified the location using the numeric code.
Converting the numeric code into an actual name of
the location would provide easy identification on the
location of the suspicious object. (4) The system
passed the ISO quality standards for software
development.
The following recommendations have been forwarded:
(1) An IP Camera was recommended to be used and to
be connected over the network for faster access. (2)
The system should be tested using multiple cameras
located in different locations to improve the tracking
and detection processes. A high definition camera was
recommended to efficiently work in a poor weather
condition. Moreover, a future study using machine
learning may be conducted to add features of object
identification. (3) Numeric location code should be
converted into the actual location name of the area for
easy identification. (4) Lastly, it was recommended
that the system may be implemented to establishments
due to its excellent performance and reliable features.
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Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Benjamin L. Cornelio Jr.
West Visayas State University, Janiuay Campus
Iloilo City, Philippines
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