“Man or a Gorilla?” Performance Issues with CCTV Technology In Security Control Rooms

iea 2006 Maastricht, The

Netherlands: 10-14th July.

University College London Human Centered SystemsHina Keval

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Overview of Talk

• Introduce: HCI/Ergonomics in context of CCTV control rooms

• Describe: Research problems with digital CCTV and control room operations

• Discuss: Pitfalls with previous control room Research

• Research findings from field work at 5 CCTV control rooms

• Future work• Q & A

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Research Arena: CCTV & HCI/Ergonomics

• CCTV first used in London Underground 1961

• Estimated excess of 14 million cameras in UK today

• Several changes in security have occurred:– Crime rates gone up– Terrorist attacks

• Perceived fear of crime risen • Advances in CCTV technology• Usage scenarios changing• Increased funding

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Research Questions: CCTV Control Rooms

• More applications are being integrated into existing systems

• No assessment on operator task performance within CCTV control rooms

(1) How are operators coping with information demands in busy control rooms?

(2) Are control rooms physically designed to support cognitive tasks?

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Previous Research: CCTV Control Rooms

• Several ethnographic studies have studied workplace interactions– Air traffic control centres (1)– Ambulance control rooms (2) – Transport control rooms (3)

• Findings descriptive not prescriptive• Very little analysis on HCI issues & design changes for tasks & technology set-up.

• Home Office evaluations (4 & 5)- Use of technology in control rooms not examined- CCTV technology changing at the time of the study

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Previous Research: Cont…

• Luff and Heath (1992)

London Underground

Control Room Study (3)

• Some design issues given

• Ergonomics practice & HCI barriers to task performance ignored

• Purchasing expensive equipment

• Radically re-designing control room environment processes

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CCTV Control Room Research

• Understand the organisational & general practices of CCTV control rooms within large cities.

• Identify types of technology used by operators & how they were used.

• Identify limitations concerning tasks and system design.

GOALS…

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Control Rooms Visited

ControlRoom

OperatorCamera

Ratio

TechnologyEmployed

Security CentreManager’s Goal(s)

Most Crime Observedin Control Room

A 19:160

Digital &Analogue

Trafficenforcement &

surveillance

Shoplifting, assault,noise, ASBO (AntiSocial Behavioural

Orders) violated(50%:50%)

B 6:110 AnalogueMonitor incidents

and crime

Teenage ‘hoody’ bikegangs – mobile phone

theft, assault

C 3:90 DigitalPrevent crime andprotect the public

Theft, club/pub latenight knife incidents

& drug taking in car

parks

D 6:111 DigitalReview images on

behalf of police

Hard drug use &supply, late night

drinking and violence

E 23:200Digital & Analogue Provide council

support &surveillance

Violence, illegalrubbish/car dumping

& theft(70%:30%)

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Operator Tasks Identified

(1) REACTIVE TASKS- Responding

(2) PROACTIVE TASKS - Monitoring

(3) ADMINISTRATION TASKS– Tape labelling and preparing copies for police– Creating incident reports

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Problems Identified(1) CAN’T SEE

“You don’t get us watching TV anymore”

(2) TOO MUCH INFO

“They just keep adding cameras.”“I can hardly concentrate in hear, it’s so noisy”

(3) WORK ORGANISATION ISSUES

“We’re too busy for lunch breaks”

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(4) Ineffective Search & Select Task• Majority of operators don’t live in surv. area• All control rooms visited – no maps linked to cams• Staff drew their own maps for newcomers• Need to memorise camera locations, numbers/screens• Paper maps can go astray and need updating

1. Cameras Database

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4

3

5 76

111

10

12

813

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Search for Camera/Street Location

2. Map of Area i.e Camden with Cameras No.

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Camera Number 10 – Gower Street

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(5) Bad Ergonomics• Operator complained that old equipment left lying about.• Work area cluttered• Controls to equipment were poorly located, preventing operator in

using camera controls properly

8 Different pieces of equipment!!

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Field Work Conclusions

• Technology changing – need for assessment

• Lack of system and tool integration in CCTV control rooms

• Design should focus on operator tasks not just technology

• Workspace layout & expansion should consider impact on operator comfort, performance and health & safety.

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Future Work

• 7 further ethnographic field studies carried out in control rooms in and out of London

• Police control rooms also studied• Recommendations validated via reports to :

– Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Command & Control Airport

– 1 London Borough Control Room (South London)

Findings will be used to form usability framework for CCTV control rooms – where ergonomics and HCI factors are central to framework

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References(1) Bentley, R., Hughes, L.A., Randall, D., Rodden, T., Sawyer, P., Shapiro, D and

Sommerville, I. (1992). Ethnographically informed systems design for air traffic control, in: Proceedings of CSCW'92 Toronto, Ontario, ACM Press, pp. 123-129.

(2) McCarthy, J., Wright P.C., Healey, P., Dearden, A and Harrison, M.D. (1997), Locating The Scene: The Particular and The General in Contexts for Ambulance Control, in: Proceedings of ACM97’ Phoenix, Arizona, ACM Pres, pp. 101-110.

(3) Heath, C. C. and Luff, P.K. (1992), Collaboration and Control: Crisis management and multimedia technology in London Underground Line Control Rooms. Journal of Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Vol. 1, Nos. 1-2. pp. 69-94.

(1) Gill, M., Allen, A., Jessiman, J., Swain, D.,Hemming, M., Kara, D and Little, R. (2005), Control room operation: findings from control room observations, Home Office report, No. 17.

(2) Gill, M., Allen, A., Jessiman, J., Swain, D., Hemming, M., Kara, D and Little R. (2005), Methods in assessing the impact of CCTV, Home Office report, No 17.

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Q & A…

Thank you for your attention.

Any questions ?