Automated surveillance of intruders at US borders

Abstract

There is a growing need to block the illegal immigrants into US-Mexico border as part of 'war on drugs' and for 'national security', especially after September 11, 2001 [1]. In this research, an efficient border surveillance system using video cameras and video processing units connected to a base station using a wireless network is proposed. A novel image enhancement technique is incorporated to get a quality image of the intruder even at low lighting conditions or during night. This system will send an interrupt signal to the nearby base station when an intruder is detected along with intruder's image for immediate law enforcement activities. A light source is also provided with automatic 'ON/OFF' capability to capture the image when it is completely dark. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008.