HybVOR: A Voronoi-Based 3D GIS Approach for Camera Surveillance Network Placement

As a consequence of increasing safety concerns, camera surveillance has been widely adopted as a way to monitor public spaces. One of the major challenges of camera surveillance is to design an optimal method for camera network placement in order to ensure the greater possible coverage. In addition, this method must consider the landscape of the monitored environment to take into account the existing objects that may influence the deployment of such a network. In this paper, a new Voronoi-based 3D GIS oriented approach named “HybVOR” is proposed for surveillance camera network placement. The “HybVOR” approach aims to achieve a coverage near 100% through three main phases. First, a Voronoi Diagram from buildings’ footprints is generated and cameras are placed on the Voronoi Edges. Second, the level of coverage is assessed by calculating a viewshed based on a raster Digital Surface Model of the region of interest. Finally, the visibility of the main buildings’ entrances is evaluated based on a 3D vector model that contains these features. The effectiveness of the “HybVOR” approach is demonstrated through a case study that corresponds to an area of interest in Jeddah Seaport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.