Event Logs

VIS Event Logs

A decision based on a detection is called an event and every event is logged by default. An event can be treated as an incident or violation based on values obtained from input channels and rules and conditions implemented in the interpreter.

The system separates different events according to their types and records them with video images. Video logs can be watched via web based user interface. Video logging is optional and can be switched off.

The recording process makes sure that each video starts several frames before the event and ends again several frames after the event concludes. These are called pre-and post-event frames and can be configured. Length of the video is configurable and in case a video takes longer than the recording limit, a new video starts where the previous one ends and keeps recording.

Video logs can optionally be sent with notification alerts via email to specified recipients. Sending can be limited based on input values, such as alerts of events occurring only when the machine is operating.

Each video log contains an information section on it consisting of the name of the camera, real time IO states, VIS system date and time and running VIS version.

A housekeeping function makes sure that storage is not overflowing with logs by deleting older records and associated video files when necessary.

Video Log

Under normal conditions VIS records a video for every log record.

Information on log videos

Several information is recorded on log videos for certain purposes. Same information is also visible during monitoring at Visor.

Information on video

List of information and explanation as of VIS Version 26:

• Date (dd/mm/yyyy) and time (HH:mm:ss.mmm) (time in 24h mode)
• Name of the camera as set in VIS configuration
• Current values of 8 IPIO outputs
• Current values of 4 IPIO inputs
• VIS version in major.minor.built format

Time displayed on the video originates from VIS. Timestamp is put on the image during processing, even before recording. Same also applies to IPIO output. The information put on the video reflects output values sent from VIS to IPIO in real time. This allows viewer to monitor changes in state.

Output values range from 0 to 3 and has following meaning:

• 0 and 1 for closed and open
• 2 put IPIO output into a pulse state with fixed interval
• 3 means this Vislet has no authority on that specific output and tells IPIO not to change it. Other Vislet may change its value in the meantime.

Order of the outputs and inputs are from left to right, 1 to 8 and 1 to 4 respectively. Information section resides on the left upper corner of the video. It is laid on top of an overlay to keep text readable. The position and attributes of the text is not customizable.

File name

Before V26 SP1, video files are named with two separate parts; datetime and a six character random hex string, looking like 20240916151547_10a1ea_camera-1.mp4. With V26 SP1, sanitized name of the camera is also added to the end of the file name to become like 20250108135559_0ee64a-Cam1.mp4.

Event video buffers

Evidence video starts before the event and ends after it. This feature helps viewers understand how an event began and what followed by providing valuable context before and after the moment of detection. Without these additional frames, the video would show only the moment the event was triggered—offering no insight into why it occurred or what happened next. By including both pre- and post-event footage, the system enables a clearer, more complete understanding of each incident.

• The frames saved before the event are called pre-event frames.
• The number of pre- and post-event frames is defined in vis.yaml using the event_buffer_size parameter (available as of version 26). This parameter determines how many frames are recorded before and after each event.

If an event lasts longer than the maximum video length specified, it will be automatically split into multiple video files and log records.

Video length

There is no strict technical limit on video length when videos are saved locally. However, very long videos can be difficult to watch or download, especially over slow or constrained networks.

To ensure videos remain manageable in size and easy to share—particularly via email—the system enforces a default video length limit of approximately 45 to 75 seconds (resulting in files typically under 15 MB). This balance helps prevent issues with large attachments and ensures smoother playback.

This practical limit applies both to videos sent by email and those saved locally, improving overall accessibility and user experience. The video length limit can be adjusted through system settings as needed.

Notification Emails

Selected events can be sent to predefined recipients by email with the video log attached. Details such as which events will be sent and who the recipients are are defined in configuration. One or more input can be used as prerequisites for email notifications such as a load cell input indicating the crane is already on load.

Notification emails can be configured to be sent when one or more conditions are met, such as an input changing to on or off. In this case, the attached video starts with the event itself—not the trigger—and ends when the event concludes, rather than when the trigger occurs. Therefore, the logged video may be longer than the duration of the trigger.