A video surveillance and analytics system for Costco, leveraging IBM Power11 servers and Equitus Video Sentinel (EVS), could work for a national system by creating a powerful, scalable, and secure AI-driven solution for both warehouse theft control and injury compliance. This combination uses IBM's enterprise-grade hardware to run Equitus's specialized video analytics software at each warehouse, and scales it across the entire enterprise.
How the System Works: Secure Cloud Edge
Equitus Video Sentinel is designed for distributed, on-premises deployment, which is ideal for a national chain like Costco. Each warehouse would have an IBM Power11 server acting as an "edge" device, processing video feeds locally from the store's existing cameras. This prevents the need to send massive amounts of video data over the network to a central location for analysis, reducing bandwidth strain and providing near-real-time results.
The IBM Power11 server is a key component due to its built-in AI acceleration capabilities. The processors are designed with on-chip Matrix Math Accelerators (MMA) and support for the IBM Spyre Accelerator, which handle the computationally intensive AI workloads of video analytics efficiently without requiring additional, expensive GPUs. This makes the system more energy-efficient and cost-effective.
The Equitus Video Sentinel (EVS) software, which is optimized to run on the Power architecture, would be the brain of the system. It ingests video feeds and uses deep learning and computer vision to analyze and classify objects, people, and behaviors. EVS can also seamlessly integrate with existing camera networks and video management systems (VMS), protecting Costco's current infrastructure investment.
For a national system, the individual store servers would be networked to a central management hub, likely running on a larger IBM Power11 system at a corporate data center. This central hub would aggregate the metadata and alerts from all stores, providing a holistic view of security and compliance metrics across the entire country.
Warehouse Theft Control: Security - Auditing
For theft control, the system would work by identifying and flagging suspicious behaviors and patterns in real-time.
Behavioral Recognition: The EVS platform can be trained to recognize and flag behaviors associated with theft, such as loitering in high-value areas, employees taking items without scanning them, or people trying to exit through non-checkout areas with unbagged items. It can also detect anomalies like someone spending an unusual amount of time near a restricted zone.
Item Recognition: The system can be configured to detect when certain items are removed from shelves or pallets and not processed at a point of sale. This is especially useful for high-theft items or for tracking product shrinkage.
Alerts and Forensics: When a suspicious event is detected, the system sends an instant alert to loss prevention staff's mobile devices or central monitoring dashboards. It also creates a detailed record, including timestamps, images, and video clips, which can be used for forensic analysis and to build a case against a suspect. This capability turns passive surveillance into proactive security.
Injury Compliance: Monitoring Work Safety/ Fire
For injury compliance, the system would monitor for safety hazards and violations, helping Costco move from a reactive to a proactive safety management approach.
Hazard Detection: The EVS platform can be trained to identify hazards such as spills, misplaced pallets blocking walkways, or improperly stored merchandise. It can also monitor for unsafe forklift operation or other machine-related risks.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Compliance: The system can detect if employees are in restricted areas without proper PPE, like safety vests in the tire center or hard hats in the receiving area.
Violation Alerts: If a compliance violation is detected, such as a spill in Aisle 5 or an employee working in a restricted area without a safety vest, the system can send an immediate alert to a manager or safety officer. This allows for rapid response to mitigate the risk of an injury before it occurs.
Data for Audits and Training: The video data and associated metadata can be used to generate reports on safety trends, highlight areas with frequent compliance issues, and provide video examples for use in safety training programs. This helps Costco audit its safety protocols and target training to specific areas of concern.
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