Dubai: There are probably over 100,000 IP-based cameras watching you in the UAE, according to Gilles Ortega, the regional manager of Axis Communications.
IP-based means the cameras are plugged into a computer network which often runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ortega estimates that 95 to 99 per cent of those cameras are in public areas. Axis is a global manufacture of IP-based cameras.
While some may worry about the privacy issues surrounding that kind of surveillance, Ortega said that companies aren't focused on watching you specifically.
"The consultants ... who are hired by the developers make sure the cameras aren't placed inappropriately," he said. "I also think that people are a lot more respectful of privacy here in this region."
While security is the primary concern, a growing number of companies, especially retailers and shopping malls, are using the cameras to monitor foot traffic and sales patterns, which can help them determine the ideal spots for promotions. Malls can also use the information as a factor in determining rents.
Other sectors buying the cameras include transportations, which use it mainly to monitor traffic. Banks and education institutions use them for security purposes.
Demand for the cameras is growing in Dubai due also to the sheer size of many of the ongoing construction projects.
Ortega said companies in the UAE generally use more cameras than American or European companies, due mainly to the size of the projects. In the US, the average number of cameras on a site is about 50, he estimates, but in the UAE, the average is about 300.
"Everything here is huge," he said. "All the scales are amazing."
In general, companies looking to buy IP-based cameras in the UAE are also looking for high-end features, such as higher frame rates and more megapixels, which produce a larger and clearer image.
