GC SurgeDocsNOVA99x AI Filtering
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NOVA99x AI Filtering

NOVA99x is GC Surge's alarm filtering layer. It classifies incoming alarms at the cloud ingest level before they reach ZenMode. Events classified as non-actionable are filtered out — operators see only events that are more likely to represent genuine security-relevant activity. Covers: What NOVA99x Does, How It Works, NOVA99x on Edge Deployments.

What NOVA99x Does

NOVA99x on a high-volume site can reduce the number of events operators see by up to 99%. At monitoring centres already running the market’s leading alarm filter, NOVA99x reduced alarm processing time by an additional 83% — on top of the filter already in place. GC Surge does not require replacing existing filters; it works alongside them.

How It Works

For every connected camera:

  1. Each alarm is received and counted normally.
  2. NOVA99x analyzes the alarm and its attached images — visual signal, camera and site context, configured thresholds, ignored zones, and suppression windows.
  3. Events classified as non-actionable are filtered — they do not appear in ZenMode but remain accessible in Video Search for audit.
  4. Events classified as actionable continue to operator-facing views.

NOVA99x is Always Active

NOVA99x has no separate charge — it is included in the subscription. It is active on every camera from day one and cannot be disabled. No setup, confirmation, or activation steps are required.

Monitoring NOVA99x Performance

To review NOVA99x’s impact on your operation:

  • Home Dashboard — the Filtered by NOVA99x KPI shows how many alarms NOVA99x removed before they reached operators. The trend indicator shows whether the filter rate is stable or shifting.
  • Analytics — the alarm volume breakdown shows the filter rate per site and per camera over any selected time period. Use this to identify cameras with unusually high false-alarm rates.
  • Video Search — every filtered alarm is stored and fully searchable for audit and review. Filtering only affects what operators see in ZenMode; it does not delete events.

A high filter rate (80% or above) is normal and desirable on high-volume sites. If the filter rate is unexpectedly low (below 50%), confirm that cameras are attaching an image to each alarm event — NOVA99x requires a snapshot to classify. Cameras sending alarms without images pass all events through unfiltered.

Alarm Counting and Billing

All alarms — filtered and unfiltered — count toward the monthly alarm allowance of 3,000 per camera. NOVA99x affects what operators see, not what is ingested or billed.

If a camera is frequently approaching or exceeding the monthly alarm limit, the volume is usually caused by overly sensitive detection zones or poor camera placement. Adjusting the camera’s motion or intrusion sensitivity on the device side is the most effective way to reduce total alarm volume without affecting detection quality.

NOVA99x on Edge Deployments

Sites using Edge deployment run NOVA99x locally on the edge device before alarms reach the cloud. The Edge Agent analyzes the RTSP stream on-device, applies alarm classification, and forwards only the classified events to GC Surge. This means:

  • Alarm volume arriving from Edge sites is already pre-filtered — you will see fewer raw events from Edge cameras compared to SMTP/FTP cameras at the same scene activity level.
  • Analytics still shows the total alarm count and filter rate for Edge cameras, reported from the edge device.
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