Demonstration of a High Definition Low Light Sensor (Starlight) for use in the Surveillance and Protection of Urban Soft Targets and Critical Infrastructures.

Project Information

Starlight

Grant agreement ID: 663680

DOI

10.3030/663680

Project closed

EC signature date 21 May 2015

Start date 1 June 2015

End date 30 November 2015

Funded under

• Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

OVERVIEW LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Starlight (Demonstration of a High Definition Low Light Sensor (Starlight) for use in the Surveillance andProtection of Urban Soft Targets and Critical Infrastructures.)

Reporting period: 2015-06-01 to 2015-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The need: In a climate of increased security, criminal and terrorist threats, owners of urban soft targets and critical infrastructures require high definition surveillance to monitor the safety and security of their property at night and in low light conditions. Traditional CCTV solutions operate in the visual spectrum and rely on supplemental lighting to support low light/night operations. Such supplemental lighting approach has many drawbacks including:
• High power requirement, increasing energy consumption and cost
• Limited illumination range
• Illumination detracts from image quality
• Targets are alerted to the presence of the surveillance solution
• Significant light pollution

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Our solution: The innovative Starlight project sets out to address these needs without the need for supplemental lighting. Instead, we use unique and cost effective Starlight organic sensors. These sensors are sensitive to background sky radiation at wavelengths of 1.5 microns. Equivalent to the illumination of a full moon on a clear night. Background sky radiation is present at consistent energy levels 24 hours a day.

The market: Under Phase 1 of the Starlight programme we gained a strong understanding of the market size, trends and drivers and used these to form a summary business plan. Using Voice of the Customer we confirmed the market need, details of the demand and the benefits. A proposed programme of work for a proof of concept technical demonstrator has been created and costed which will form the basis of Phase 2 of the programme. Finally, an IP search has been undertaken identifying freedom to operate with the partners established and a detailed risk review undertaken.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The benefits: The key conclusions from the study were that Starlight is a realisable concept. The technology is at a state of maturity that would enable a Proof of Concept demonstrator to be established and then be rapidly followed by production CCTV cameras. The study shows that society can benefit from the availability of a value-for-money high definition CCTV camera with significantly improved low light and night time performance. Such a camera would result in a significant reduction in energy consumption, the ability to monitor areas which can’t be illuminated due to light pollution/planning restrictions, and the ability to deploy covert solutions with low light operation and reduced light pollution.

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