Our History

Videoovervåkning_Detec_erfaring

Our History

The professional way Detec AS operates today is the result of a long history in the professional video and surveillance industry. The company was established over 40 years ago, and has evolved into becoming a leading company within the surveillance market. Over the years, there has also been an ever-increasing global business, with the company's state-of-the-art video analysis and management software leading the way.

Here are some of the main historic events:

 

1981 - Helgesen enters the market 

In august 1981, the company Ing. Firmaet Helgesen AS was established, named after the company's founder and current Managing Director, Mr. Knut Harald Helgesen. The company started off with sales and service of professional video products to the broadcasting and surveillance industry.

 

Mid 80's - Distribution agreements with Sony and JVC

Over the years, the company has held a number of distribution rights, but perhaps the two most significant ones were signed in the mid 80s with Sony and JVC - partnerships that would have a long-lasting crucial importance. Sony has been for many years, and is today, the brand with the biggest volume share of all brands Detec AS represent.

 

1992 - Detec ASA - a pioneer in video motion detection

Detec ASA was in its infancy a pioneer in the field of video motion detection, and was from the start collaborating with research scientists from Scandinavia's largest independent research centre, SINTEF. The company was established on the Oslo Stock Exchange with powerful end-user partners such as Telenor, Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property (Statsbygg), Statkraft and The Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund (SND) (now part of Innovation Norway)- all companies partly or fully owned by the Norwegian state.

 

1999 - Ing. firmaet Helgesen AS acquires Detec ASA

In 1999, Ing. firmaet Helgesen AS acquired the total block of shares in Detec ASA. That year, the advanced video motion detection technology life-cycle was still very much in its' R&D phase, but with an increasing number of competitive products failing to hold big promises commercially. Ing. firmaet Helgesen AS was determined to increase efficiency and recover costs by making sure the software suite catered for more general purpose video surveillance.

 

2000 - Ing. firmaet Helgesen AS changes its' name to VideoWeb1

In 2000, Ing. firmaet Helgesen AS decided to change its' name to the more international name VideoWeb1 AS. The purpose was to hold on to the great number of global early adopters of the advanced video motion detection technology. At the same time, the name change indicated a new era for the Detec software, and was also intended to signal a wider product range offered by the company, still maintaining sales and service of professional video products to the broadcasting and surveillance industry.

 

2005 - Back to Detec again

By 2005, the broadcast business had changed drastically, and the company decided to focus stronger on the security and video surveillance industry. VideoWeb1 changed its' name (back) to Detec AS to signal its dedication to the Detec software, video surveillance and security. The company felt confident the software suite had leaped in quality, especially in terms of user- and installer-friendliness, and had by then gotten a strong foothold in the security industry. Especially so in the banking market domestically, where the company could build on strong relations dating back to the 80s and 90s created with other hardware products.

 

2006 - 25 year anniversary and strong R&D focus

In 2006, Detec AS celebrated its' 25 year anniversary. The same year, the company was awarded an R&D prize from major telecom player Telenor, for its' development of a mobile solution using video analysis to generate alarms, SMS or MMS for guard notification, and data via 3G for viewing alarm events or live video - revolutionary technology at the time, especially adapted for the type of bandwidths and cell phones that were available. The same year, Detec AS formalized its' co-operation with Hikvision and became one of the first - if not the first - partner in Northern Europe. This relationship is still standing strong, even when Hikvision has grown to be the biggest overall video surveillance equipment manufacturer in the world. The same year Detec also looked into megapixel technology from multiple vendors, and wisely decided to formalize a collaboration with Arecont Vision both as technology partner and for distribution.

 

2007 - R&D project TEKVO started

In 2007, the three year R&D project TEKVO (Technology for Specially Adapted Video Surveillance) started. The project was funded by The Research Council of Norway and the consortium members Detec AS (Project Owner), SINTEF (Project Manager), Hernis Scan Systems AS, Securitas Systems AS (now Stanley Security), Norsk Tipping AS (state-owned gaming company), Posten Norge AS (state-owned postal and logistics services company) and Afrisap (now Axitech) in South-Africa. The goals were to make a set of novel, robust, real-time video detection algorithms, a high level of automatic configuration, an optimized combination of sensor inputs, new hardware solutions based on combining CPU and GPU, and three pilot systems at end-user locations for evaluation and further development.

 

January 2009 - E-Commerce begins

In January 2009, Detec AS launch their first version of their web-shop with login for registered dealers. The company realized that to improve information and logistics flow, with a wider selection of products with shorter life-cycles, a web-shop would be essential to stay competitive. Detec AS was one of the first video surveillance distributors in Norway to launch its own webshop for dealers. By now, it is a must-have in the industry.

 

August 2009 - Participation in EU-project ADABTS

The four year €3.5m project, called ADABTS or Automatic Detection of Abnormal Behaviour and Threats in crowded Spaces, was launched in August 2009. The project was jointly funded by the European Commission and the partners involved who formed an international consortium consisted of FOI (SE), BAE Systems (UK), Detec (NO), Home Office - Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) (UK), Institute of Psychology – Ministry of the Interior (BG), SINTEF (NO), University of Amsterdam (NL) and TNO (NL). Detec was one of the industrial partners in the consortium and lead the work of exploiting research results. A key contribution was that the Detec Next software platform launched later would serve as the demonstration environment for research results. Read more here.

 

November 2010 - Detec Fire solution broadcast on national TV

In November 2010, the Detec Fire solution appeared in an episode of TV science show "Schrødingers katt" on NRK. The Detec Fire solution was developed by Detec in close co-operation with Trøndelag brann- og redningstjeneste (TBRT - Trøndelag Fire & Rescue Service in Trondheim) and security installer Bravida Norge AS. The solution make use of radiometric thermal cameras for fire detection and pan, tilt, zoom cameras to verify alarm notifications. The Detec software is integrated with software used by central operators and the response teams so they can view alarm details before deciding on what actions to make. Combining radiometric thermal cameras with Detec's advanced video analysis gives a very low false-alarm rate.

 

12.12.2012 - Detec Next officially launched

On 12.12.2012, Detec officially presented Detec Next, the new generation video management software platform that is the core of the company's business today. The presentation and demonstration was held at SINTEF's premises in Oslo, and attracted numerous installers, end-users, consultants and integrators. Step-by-step, research results from R&D projects such as TEKVO and ADABTS have been implemented.

 

June 2013 - ADABTS demonstration

The FP7 EU-project ADABTS culminated in a final demonstration of a modular networked system at Kyocera Stadium at ADO Den Haag football club in the Netherlands on June 25th 2013. ADABTS successfully demonstrated that the situational awareness of a human operator can be improved by extending the video analysis across 3D space (multiple views/cameras), using tracking and multiple types of sensors (both video and audio). Most of the research results were demonstrated on the Detec Next software platform. Read more here.

 

February 2014 - Detec QUEUE solution broadcast on national TV

Detec AS worked with researchers at SINTEF to develop a passenger counter using radiometric thermal cameras and strategically located optical sensors to provide an estimate of how long the queue will take to pass the security control at Værnes Airport (Trondheim, Norway). The solution was broadcast on science TV show "Schrödingers katt" on NRK, marking the success of the project. The project has been developed in close co-operation with Avinor at Værnes Airport and security installation company Bravida Norge AS.

 

April 2016 - Detec launch their own camera portfolio

In April 2016, Detec decided to launch their own camera range. Overwhelmed by the myriad of available models, many of Detec's customers felt comfortable about Detec defining a few varieties covering most of the installation scenarios. Detec decided to launch one bullet-camera model and one vandal-proof fixed minidome model, with more models on the sketch board ready for relevant projects. Private-branded cameras gave Detec the capability to offer end-to-end solutions globally without being concerned about distribution restrictions for branded cameras. At the same time, the company streamlined their production of recorders used with Detec Next software, launching a serie of what the company refers to as PC-NVRs.

 

Be Part Of Our Story!

Detec AS is a video surveillance specialist. The core of Detec AS' business is our own in-house developed Detec Next Video Management Software (Detec Next VMS). Along with our software we naturally offer a range of PC-based recorders (PC-NVRs) and high-end servers. We also offer a selection of all-round IP cameras that can be used in most video surveillance applications. Although being a software developer with private-branded CCTV hardware, we are also a distributor of CCTV equipment from industry-leading brands. We can offer the full IP-camera and product range from vendors such as Sony, Dahua, Hikvision and Arecont Vision. We can also offer all other specialty cameras, accessories and hardware peripherals needed from vendors such as FLIR, Silent Sentinel, Fujinon, Computar, Ganz, Videotec, Veracity, ZyXel, Intel and more. You can find most available products in our catalog. If there are products you cannot find in our catalog, please contact us! We aim to be a one-stop shop for all your video surveillance needs!