We are living in a World with cameras everywhere. Most are used for surveillance – it is thereby about security and safety. However, the very same cameras can be used for business development on a large scale, if the AI-technology, Computer Vision, is added to the game. Your computer gets its own eyes – and then it will be possible to optimize almost everything. But what about data – especially when talking images? With your own AI, places in your own, private cloud-solution you will be in control.
A World of images
How can Computer Vision make a difference? “In everything related to counting!”, says Leif Elgaard Høj, AI-specialist and Director, Innovation &Emerging Technologies in Danoffice IT. “Every company that has cameras monitoring people or objects on a production line can create all new scenarios for optimization and growth with Computer Vision. The cameras are already there, and, thus, the data is too. So, with a Computer Vision-system you will get a whole new level of insight in your own operations and business”, he adds.
What about security?
AI relies on cloud-solutions. “Computer Vision is also a question of security and data-responsibility”, says Leif Elgaard Høj and adds: “From a starting point, when using an AI, you upload your material to a public cloud-solution. Der will always be a risk connected to that. Data can be exposed – you do not have full control. In Danoffice IT, this is a scenario, we always wish to avoid. Therefore, we offer our clients a Private Cloud for AI-solution, PCAI. Here, all the client’s data are secure and stored on-premises and with full control”. For this very reason, Computer Vision and PCAI are a logical match, Leif claims: “In many modern computer Vision-solutions the inference happens directly on edge-devices close to the camera. This reduces latency and protects sensitive image-data and eliminates the need for moving large amounts of data. Here, we use PCAI as a central platform for control, training and governance”.
Hvad er en Private Cloud AI?
Most are familiar with the concept of a cloud-solution: We have some data which we save in what we just call the cloud. Where our data are, however, we do not really know, but we can access them, and it is efficient. This the characteristics of a so-called, public cloud. It is easy, but security is somewhat “up in the air”. No joke. Add to that the challenges of controlling the costs. The closest we get to the opposite of a public cloud, is a so-called on-premises datacenter. A local, physical datacenter. Until recently some would label this “the old model”, but due to the new World-order, the old on-premises-solution is as hot as ever – due to concerns over our data.
The reason: With an on-prem-solution we can build a private cloud-solution. With this your organization will have all the benefits known from a public cloud, but now the cloud is yours alone.
The newest addition to that is AI. And since AI builds on cloud-solutions then the approach is the same: If you use public AI in your operation, then you are vulnerable. Therefore, we are offering the strongest possible Private Cloud for AI-solution to our clients.
Computer Vision x PCAI – a sovereign solution
“We want a scenario, where we are secure and in full control. This is the case with PCAI”, states Leif. He adds the point that the cost for a PCAI is not solely linked to the use of a Computer Vision-solution. “A private Cloud for AI covers the company’s entire AI-needs. From the use of self-developed GPT’s to booking systems (link to article on Booking Systems Insight)”, says Leif and continues: “You just dedicate a corner of your AI to deal with the Computer Vision-part – the rest just operates as usual”.
Another point on cost-efficiently running a Computer Vision-model is that of hardware. “You can buy a huge computer and place it in the basement, dedicated to the cause. But when we are to train our AI – which is a frequent scenario – then it happens in so-called bursts. One single burst will take a heavy-spec’ed GPU ten days to process. This will be a very expensive and ineffective way to spend money”, he says. “We are talking large workloads with a high demand for security. It takes control of access and rights and in combination with these bursts, a PCAI is the best, most secure and most cost-efficient answer”.
Sikker havn – og ensartet bagværk
In Danoffice IT we develop strong and secure Computer Vision-solutions for clients globally. Here we present two very different solutions. One on safe harbor-traffic, and one on buns and pastry on a product line. For the Harbor of Aarhus we developed a Computer Vision-solution, which is compliant with GDPR and people’s right to stay private. Instead of using regular cameras, the monitoring of the traffic takes place through thermic cameras, which we ongoingly train and optimize. Normally this monitoring would be a heavy, manual task, which has now optimized the harbor’s operations significantly.
From an industrial perspective we have built a Computer Vision-solution for Denmark’s largest industry bakery, Kobergh. The Bakery wished to lower waste and to secure the highest level of uniformity on the products. Earlier the company used expensive scanners – which are now replace with camera-technology and a Computer Vision-solution, directly influencing cost and earnings positively.
Sovereign relevancy
The relevancy speaks for itself. Whether you are a logistics company, a production company, a farm or a retail shop, the possibilities with Computer Vision on a PCAI lie right at your feet. “There many Computer Vision-systems out there today. But many are trained from public and generic data- and this affects relevancy. With a PCAI we adapt the AI by adding our own data and our own images. Thus, it is not only security that is high-level. The results and the value are too”, concludes Leif Elgaard Høj, Director, Innovation & Emerging Technologies in Danoffice IT.
