Abstract
Recent research has begun to address how CCTV operators in the modern control room attempt to search for crime (e.g., Howard et al., 2011). However, an often-neglected element of the CCTV task is that the operators have at their disposal a multiplexed wall of scenes, and a single spot-monitor on which they can select any of these feeds for inspection. Here we examined how 2 trained CCTV operators used these sources of information to search from crime during a morning, afternoon, and night-time shift. We found that they spent surprisingly little time viewing the multiplex wall, instead preferentially spending most of their time searching on the single-scene spot-monitor. Such search must require a sophisticated understanding of the surveilled environment, as the operators must make their selection of which screen to view based on their prediction of where crime is likely to occur. This seems to be reflected in the difference in the screens that they selected to view at different times of the day. For example, night-clubs received close monitoring at night, but were seldom viewed in mid-morning. Such narrowing of search based on a contextual understanding of an environment is not a new idea (e.g., Torralba et al., 2006), and appears to contribute to operator's selection strategy. This research prompts new questions regarding the nature of representation that operators have of their environment, and how they might develop expectation-based search strategies to countermand the demands of the large inffux of visual information. Future research should ensure not to neglect examination of operator behavior "in the wild" (Hutchins, 1995a), as such insights are difficult to gain from laboratory based paradigms alone.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 615 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Volume | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sep 2013 |
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Keywords
- CCTV
- Eye guidance
- Multiplex
- Spatial selection
- Surveillance
- Visual search
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Neurology
- Biological Psychiatry
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Cite this
Looking for trouble : A description of oculomotor search strategies during live CCTV operation. / Stainer, Matthew J.; Scott-Brown, Kenneth C.; Tatler, Benjamin William.
In: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Vol. 7, 615, 30.09.2013, p. 1-9.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Looking for trouble
T2 - A description of oculomotor search strategies during live CCTV operation
AU - Stainer, Matthew J.
AU - Scott-Brown, Kenneth C.
AU - Tatler, Benjamin William
N1 - The authors would like to thank Tayside Police (now Police Scotland) and their CCTV Control Room staff for their collaboration and participation in this research. Thanks also to Sharon Scrafton for comments on the manuscript.
PY - 2013/9/30
Y1 - 2013/9/30
N2 - Recent research has begun to address how CCTV operators in the modern control room attempt to search for crime (e.g., Howard et al., 2011). However, an often-neglected element of the CCTV task is that the operators have at their disposal a multiplexed wall of scenes, and a single spot-monitor on which they can select any of these feeds for inspection. Here we examined how 2 trained CCTV operators used these sources of information to search from crime during a morning, afternoon, and night-time shift. We found that they spent surprisingly little time viewing the multiplex wall, instead preferentially spending most of their time searching on the single-scene spot-monitor. Such search must require a sophisticated understanding of the surveilled environment, as the operators must make their selection of which screen to view based on their prediction of where crime is likely to occur. This seems to be reflected in the difference in the screens that they selected to view at different times of the day. For example, night-clubs received close monitoring at night, but were seldom viewed in mid-morning. Such narrowing of search based on a contextual understanding of an environment is not a new idea (e.g., Torralba et al., 2006), and appears to contribute to operator's selection strategy. This research prompts new questions regarding the nature of representation that operators have of their environment, and how they might develop expectation-based search strategies to countermand the demands of the large inffux of visual information. Future research should ensure not to neglect examination of operator behavior "in the wild" (Hutchins, 1995a), as such insights are difficult to gain from laboratory based paradigms alone.
AB - Recent research has begun to address how CCTV operators in the modern control room attempt to search for crime (e.g., Howard et al., 2011). However, an often-neglected element of the CCTV task is that the operators have at their disposal a multiplexed wall of scenes, and a single spot-monitor on which they can select any of these feeds for inspection. Here we examined how 2 trained CCTV operators used these sources of information to search from crime during a morning, afternoon, and night-time shift. We found that they spent surprisingly little time viewing the multiplex wall, instead preferentially spending most of their time searching on the single-scene spot-monitor. Such search must require a sophisticated understanding of the surveilled environment, as the operators must make their selection of which screen to view based on their prediction of where crime is likely to occur. This seems to be reflected in the difference in the screens that they selected to view at different times of the day. For example, night-clubs received close monitoring at night, but were seldom viewed in mid-morning. Such narrowing of search based on a contextual understanding of an environment is not a new idea (e.g., Torralba et al., 2006), and appears to contribute to operator's selection strategy. This research prompts new questions regarding the nature of representation that operators have of their environment, and how they might develop expectation-based search strategies to countermand the demands of the large inffux of visual information. Future research should ensure not to neglect examination of operator behavior "in the wild" (Hutchins, 1995a), as such insights are difficult to gain from laboratory based paradigms alone.
KW - CCTV
KW - Eye guidance
KW - Multiplex
KW - Spatial selection
KW - Surveillance
KW - Visual search
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84933674280&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00615
DO - 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00615
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
SN - 1662-5161
M1 - 615
ER -