Amped
User Days
2024 Agenda
February 27-29
The agenda includes technical sessions on the technology used in Amped products, discussions about new features, market insights, concepts and principles for the use of video evidence, and future development plans.
To cater to our users across different time zones, we will be conducting two sets of live sessions.
Day 1 - February 27
Raising Awareness About Video Evidence in the Criminal Justice System
Forensic video analysts know the challenges posed by working on video evidence. However, most of the other stakeholders of the criminal justice system, such as policymakers, organization chiefs, first responders, judges, prosecutors, and attorneys, are often unaware of these challenges and don't seek expert assistance. This lack of awareness is problematic because video evidence is frequently and incorrectly perceived as "easy" to handle. To help users better communicate with other stakeholders, Amped Software prepared a document titled “Essential Concepts and Principles for the Use of Video Evidence for Public Safety and Criminal Justice” and presented it at the European Parliament in 2023. In this presentation, Martino Jerian will recap the main points of the document and discuss how to better exploit it to improve our industry and the safety of our communities.
DeepPlate: the New AI-powered License Plate Reader for Investigations (only!)
Reading license plates from noisy and poor-resolution videos is one of the main challenges for video forensic experts. Integrating many frames into a single denoised or super-resolution image is sometimes effective, but sometimes that's not enough. To help users crack this limit, Amped Software is proud to announce DeepPlate, an AI-based license plate reading system. DeepPlate is designed to handle the major defects introduced by CCTV systems, and it already supports license plates from several countries and states. Being AI-powered, we provide this tool as an aid for investigators and as a decision-support system, not for evidentiary use. This keynote shows how the tool works, how to access and use it, and the performance it obtained in our experimental evaluation.
Dive into the Amped Ecosystem, Training, Certification, and Beyond!
Being Amped users, many of you already have at least one tool from the Amped Software toolbox. This session will look at some changes we have rolled out recently and how these can help you manage your caseload effectively. We will also look at the new training sessions for when you want to dive deeper into your favorite tools or get some basic instruction on video evidence to help others in your agency. Lastly, we will examine the new certification program and how that can help "prove" you know your stuff. We might even give you a free answer or two.
A Case Study: Accuracy of Bruise Identification from Digital Imagery Using Image Enhancement
This session will examine the challenges with the application of image/video enhancement methodology for the identification of bruises within digital imagery. We will examine the results produced from a tool that was used to identify sub-dermal bruising from compressed images. Lastly, we will examine how Amped FIVE aided in understanding what the enhancement methodology was in preparation for a Daubert challenge.
Day 2 - February 28
Behind the Scenes of Video Evidence Conversion: Discover Amped Engine and the Latest Updates Within Amped Replay and DVRConv
In 2023 we released Amped Engine, the command-line-based application that can be integrated into third-party systems to support CCTV/DVR propriety video formats. In this presentation, you will learn how proprietary data is cleaned before conversion and the importance of this process for users and the Amped ecosystem. We will also discuss the command line structure of Amped Engine, which allows for full integration with existing in-force video triaging and storing solutions. Join us also for a recap of the latest features we have added to Amped Replay and Amped DVRConv. We will show you how easy and safe it now is to redact sound in Amped Replay and to hash input and output files in Amped DVRConv, amongst many other new exciting improvements.
Decode & Conquer: Mastering File Formats, Conversion, and Extraction of Proprietary Videos and Timestamps for Analysis and Speed Estimation
The simplicity of the interface is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the conversion of video. Hidden underneath are years of continuous codec development in the lossless extraction of data from proprietary formats.
Why is this stream extraction process so important before formatting? What happens if it's not completed correctly? Please join us during this short presentation to have those questions, and maybe a few more, answered.
Amped FIVE Updates: A Year of Innovation in Your Complete Solution
We roll out new updates to all the tools in the Amped Software toolbox several times a year. This session will touch on all the updates we implemented into Amped FIVE in the last 12 months. Whether it's on import with batch convert DVR, during file analysis with our improved macroblocks filter, Smart Adjust to clarify your imagery, or the ability to list all file info and hashes for your project media in the Amped FIVE Report, these new features contribute to Amped FIVE being the only tool you need to propel your video evidence from the crime scene through to the courtroom.
Streamlining Evidence Processing and Empowering First Responders: How Amped Replay Transformed Avon & Somerset Police Investigations
This presentation examines how Amped Replay empowered First Responders, Investigators, and Police Staff in Avon & Somerset to take control of their CCTV evidence processing and redaction. Replacing inefficient workflows and off-the-shelf tools, Replay equipped Police personnel with an intuitive, pre-configured capability, dramatically reducing reliance on an overburdened video forensics lab.
Day 3 - February 29
Looking Ahead: the Amped Roadmap for 2024 and Beyond!
Given the increasing number of users, challenges posed by video evidence, and ongoing technological advancements, our research and development team must remain continuously active. One of our key focuses is prioritizing the development of new features, improvements of the existing ones, and the evolution of the software architecture.
In this presentation, we’ll provide an overview of Amped Software's plans for the next 12-18 months. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share your suggestions.
Amped Authenticate Video: Exciting New Features to Tackle Today's Video Challenges!
Nowadays, the volume of videos we watch is increasing. Moreover, the advent of manipulated and synthetic footage yields more and more doubt in what we see, and the relative tools available are cheaper and easier to use than ever before. Amped Authenticate is a product designed to identify signs of inconsistencies and manipulations in images. Recently, we have introduced an additional video mode that serves the same purpose for video files. The image and video modes are part of the same product to enhance media analysis and tampering capabilities. Please join us to attend the overview of its features and how we propose tackling this threat.
How to Detect Synthetic Images with Shadows and Reflections Analysis within Amped Authenticate
The availability of advanced tools for generating photorealistic synthetic images poses serious challenges to image authentication: these technologies are based on complex generation processes that keep evolving and are generally hard to model. For this reason, the analysis of synthetic media at the pixel level with state-of-the-art filters may lead to inconclusive results. Furthermore, when the media under analysis is found on a social network, the compression level can be strong enough to launder the residual signal-based clues.
However, available methods for synthetic image generation are (still) unable to create pictures that properly respect the physical rules introduced by linear projection occurring during the image acquisition pipeline. In this case, analyzing physical-based clues can be decisive in identifying such fake content.
In this presentation, we'll see how Amped Authenticate's filters can be effectively used to check shadows and vanishing points consistency within image content.
The Search for the Truth in Open Source Image-Based Evidence: Challenges, Limitations, and Opportunities
Open-source image-based evidence emanates from a broad variety of sources and has proven to be of potential value in international and domestic criminal investigations and prosecutions. Some of these images are trustworthy while many are not. This presentation will examine the importance of technical image interrogation, evaluating reliability, assessing authentication, and the need for expert analysis. These foundational topics will be approached from a legal perspective. Brief mention will also be made of Image-Based Evidence in International Criminal Prosecutions: Charting a Path Forward, published by Oxford University Press and available this month.