NOVA99x classification and rules
On this page
What this covers
This document explains what NOVA99x does with your alarms, what you can influence, and how you check which alarms were filtered.
Who it is for
Admins and shift supervisors.
1. What NOVA99x does
Watch:
NOVA99x checks every alarm that GC Surge receives, using the pictures of the alarm. It gives each alarm one of two results:
Result | Meaning | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
Real alarm | The pictures show a person or a moving vehicle. | The alarm goes to the queue and then to an operator. |
False alarm | The pictures show no person and no moving vehicle, for example moving plants, rain, light changes or animals. | The alarm is filtered. It is stored, but no operator sees it and it is not forwarded as a confirmed alarm. |
Rules that always apply
- NOVA99x checks alarms before the operator. The operator only sees real alarms.
- NOVA99x does not replace the operator. For every site event that reaches an operator, the operator takes the decision.
- When no operator is available, NOVA99x still filters. Real alarms are then forwarded automatically to your alarm system.
- Every result is stored with the alarm. Nothing is deleted by the filter.
- No automatic filter is right every time. Review the filtered alarms regularly. See section 3.
2. What you can influence
NOVA99x works without settings from your side. There is nothing to train and nothing to switch on per camera. You influence the result with the following.
What | Where | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Picture quality | On the camera | NOVA99x and the operator decide from the pictures. Clean lens, enough light at night, a sensible camera angle and pictures attached to every alarm give better results. |
Detection on the camera | On the camera | The detection area, sensitivity and schedule on the camera decide how many alarms are sent at all. Fewer useless alarms mean less usage against your fair-use quota. |
Which devices send alarms | Sites & Cameras > device Actions > Disable device | A disabled device is not received, not filtered and not billed. |
What your alarm system receives | Forward Alarms dialog, tick box Forward Only True Alarms | With the tick, false alarms are not sent to that destination. |
What happens without an operator | Settings > Alarm routing > Forward after (NOA) | How long GC Surge waits before it forwards a real alarm automatically. |
Find the cameras that cause the most false alarms
- Open Home and set the time range, for example Last week.
- Use the site and device filters to look at one site or one device.
- Compare Filtered and Real in the chart Alarm flow trend.
- Open Billing and use the filter Over fair use to see cameras with very many alarms.
- Improve the detection settings on these cameras.
3. Check what was filtered
On the dashboard
- Open Home.
- Read the card Alarms filtered by NOVA99x for the chosen time range.
- Read the chart Alarm flow trend: Total, Filtered and Real per hour.
Alarm by alarm
- Open Recordings and choose List view.
- Click More filters.
- In NOVA99x, choose False alarms.
- Open an alarm. Look at the pictures (Pre-alarm, Alarm, Post-alarm) and at NOVA99x filter under Alarm workflow.
- To send a colleague or NXGEN support to the same alarm, click Copy link.
Good to know
- Make this review a routine, for example once a week per site and after every new site goes live.
- Also review the other direction: filter NOVA99x by True alarms and Operator decision by False alarm. These are alarms that passed the filter and that the operator closed as Not an alarm.
If something goes wrong
Symptom | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
An alarm with a person or a vehicle was filtered | The filter was wrong for this alarm. Typical reasons: the person is very small or far away, the picture is dark or blurred, or the object is only partly in the picture. | Copy the link of the alarm and send it to NXGEN support. Check the camera: light, focus, angle, detection area. |
Operators get many alarms that are not real | The filter passed alarms that are not relevant for you, for example staff or vehicles that are allowed on the site. NOVA99x checks for persons and vehicles, not for permission. | Use the schedule and detection area on the camera, so that it does not send alarms during working hours or from public areas. |
Almost every alarm of one camera is filtered | The camera triggers on something that is not a person or vehicle. | This is the filter working. Improve the detection on the camera to reduce usage. |
Alarms filtered by NOVA99x shows 0 | No alarms arrived in the time range, or all were real. | Check the time range and the filters. Check Recordings. |
Nothing is filtered and nothing reaches operators | The trial has ended or the subscription is inactive. | Open Billing. |
An alarm has no pictures | The device did not send any. | Configure the device to attach pictures. |
FAQ
Can I switch NOVA99x off for one camera? There is no switch per camera in this release. If you want every alarm in your alarm system, use a forwarding destination without the tick Forward Only True Alarms.
Can I define my own rules, zones or schedules in GC Surge? Not in this release. Set zones and schedules on the camera.
Does NOVA99x work with thermal cameras? Alarms are marked as Thermal or Optical in Recordings (Modality). You can filter by it to review the results for each type.
Does a filtered alarm count for billing? See "Trial, subscription and billing". The Billing page shows the alarm count per camera.
Who can see filtered alarms? Admins, in Recordings. Operators only see real alarms on the wall.
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