From Rockets to AI – The Evolution of CCTV

From Rockets to AI – The Evolution of CCTV

Did you know? CCTV wasn’t born in malls, banks, or offices.
It was first used in August 1942, when Siemens engineer Walter Bruch set up a closed-circuit system in Peenemünde, Germany to monitor V-2 rocket launches.

From that moment, the journey of CCTV has been nothing short of transformational:
• 1949 – First commercial CCTV system “Vericon” introduced in the USA.
• 1968 – Olean, New York became the first U.S. city to install CCTV for public surveillance.
• 1996 – The world’s first IP camera (AXIS NetEye 200) is launched, marking the shift from analog to digital.
• 2000s – DVRs replaced VHS tapes, and later, cloud storage made surveillance accessible anywhere.
• 2010s – AI & video analytics enabled smart features: motion detection, license plate recognition, face matching.
• 2020s – The focus shifted to data security, chipset compliance, and regulations (like STQC & NDAA in India/US), ensuring CCTV is not just a watchdog, but a trusted guardian of national security.

From rockets → retail → regulation, CCTV has evolved into a critical pillar of physical security.

As system integrators, we must not just look at CCTV as “cameras”, but as part of a secure ecosystem — integrated with access control, data protection, and AI analytics.

Question for you:
Where do you think the next big leap in CCTV will come from — AI, IoT, or compliance standards?

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Source: LinkedIn

Credits: Mr. Jilesh Zaveri