Scenescape Integration Guide#

This guide covers the integration of Intel Scenescape with Smart NVR for enhanced traffic monitoring using live data from smart intersection application.

Overview#

Smart NVR system integrates with Intel Scenescape to enable:

  • Real-time object counting and tracking (vehicles, pedestrians)

  • Traffic flow analysis

  • Automated event routing based on count thresholds

  • Enhanced surveillance for smart intersection management

Prerequisites#

  • Smart Intersection Reference Implementation: We will use the Smart Intersection application to showcase the SceneScape integration.

Please follow the below steps to run Smart Intersection Application.

# Clone smart intersection repository inside smart nvr directory if not already done
git clone https://github.com/open-edge-platform/edge-ai-suites.git -b v1.2.0

# From the Smart NVR directory, copy the DLStreamer configuration (enables RTSP streaming)
cp ./resources/si-rtsp-config.json edge-ai-suites/metro-ai-suite/metro-vision-ai-app-recipe/smart-intersection/src/dlstreamer-pipeline-server/config.json

# Copy the SceneScape compose configuration
cp ./resources/compose-scenescape-rtsp.yml edge-ai-suites/metro-ai-suite/metro-vision-ai-app-recipe/compose-scenescape.yml

After copying the files, start the Smart Intersection application:

# Navigate to metro-vision-ai-app-recipe directory
cd edge-ai-suites/metro-ai-suite/metro-vision-ai-app-recipe/

# Start Smart Intersection
./install.sh smart-intersection
docker compose up -d

# Navigate back to Smart NVR
cd ../../../../smart-nvr

These files provide:

  • RTSP streaming support in the DLStreamer pipeline

  • SceneScape-specific Docker Compose settings

Installation and Setup#

Step 1: Get MQTT Credentials#

# Get MQTT credentials from Smart Intersection
cat edge-ai-suites/metro-ai-suite/metro-vision-ai-app-recipe/smart-intersection/src/secrets/browser.auth
# Expected: {"user": "<user>", "password": "<password>"}

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables#

# Enable Scenescape Integration
export NVR_SCENESCAPE=true

# MQTT Configuration (from browser.auth JSON)
export SCENESCAPE_MQTT_USER="<user>"
export SCENESCAPE_MQTT_PASSWORD="<password>"
export SCENESCAPE_THROTTLE_INTERVAL=2.0  # Optional: throttle interval in seconds

Step 3: Start Smart NVR#

# Start the application
./setup.sh start

# Or restart with new configuration
./setup.sh restart

Note: The setup script automatically copies Scenescape certificates from Smart Intersection if available. If certificates are missing, setup will fail with an error message.

Step 4: Verify Integration#

Check logs to confirm Scenescape connection:

docker logs nvr-event-router -f
# Look for: "Scenescape MQTT client started"

User Interface Changes#

With Scenescape Enabled and Scenescape Source Selected#

Scenescape Enabled Interface

When Scenescape is enabled (NVR_SCENESCAPE=true) and scenescape source is selected:

  • Source dropdown shows both “frigate” and “scenescape” options

  • Count field becomes visible and editable

  • Users can set minimum count threshold for rule triggering (e.g., 5, 10, 15)

  • Rules table includes “Count” column for tracking thresholds

  • Count validation ensures non-negative integers only

With Scenescape Enabled but Frigate Source Selected#

Frigate Selected Interface

When Scenescape is enabled but frigate source is selected:

  • Currently frigate object detection is disabled in this mode

  • Source dropdown still shows both “frigate” and “scenescape” options

  • Count field is automatically hidden (not applicable for frigate)

  • Standard frigate rule configuration with detection labels

  • Rules table shows “Count” column but displays “-” for frigate rules

  • Full frigate functionality remains available

Auto-Route Events Configuration#

Creating Rules#

Steps (both sources):

  1. Navigate to Auto-Route Events tab

  2. Select Source: “scenescape” or “frigate”

  3. Set Count: (Scenescape only) Define minimum threshold (e.g., 5)

  4. Select Camera: Choose target camera

  5. Choose Detection Label: Select object type

  6. Select Action: “Summarize” or “Add to Search”

  7. Click Add Rule

Key Differences:

  • Scenescape: Count field visible when selected

  • Frigate: Count field hidden

Rule Behavior Examples#

Scenescape Rule Example:

Source: scenescape
Camera: camera1
Count: 5
Label: vehicle
Action: Summarize

Triggers video summarization when 5+ vehicles detected in camera1

Frigate Rule Example:

Source: frigate
Camera: livingroom
Label: person
Action: Add to Search

Adds person detection events to search index for livingroom camera

Troubleshooting#

Common Issues#

Scenescape features not visible:

# Check and set environment variable
echo $NVR_SCENESCAPE  # Should show 'true'
export NVR_SCENESCAPE=true
./setup.sh restart
# Refresh browser (Ctrl+F5)

No scenescape events received:

# Check MQTT connection
docker logs nvr-event-router | grep -i scenescape

Debug Commands#

# Check environment variables
env | grep NVR_SCENESCAPE
env | grep SCENESCAPE

# Monitor MQTT messages
docker logs nvr-event-router -f | grep "scenescape"

# Check UI logs
docker logs nvr-event-router-ui -f

# Verify Scenescape MQTT connection
docker logs nvr-event-router | grep "Scenescape MQTT client"

Monitoring Commands#

# Check system CPU usage and load
cat /proc/loadavg && docker stats --no-stream --format "table {{.Name}}\t{{.CPUPerc}}\t{{.MemUsage}}"

Support#

For Scenescape integration issues:

  1. Certificate Error: Ensure Smart Intersection application is running and has generated certificates

  2. Environment Variables: Verify NVR_SCENESCAPE=true and MQTT credentials are set

  3. MQTT Connection: Check logs for “Scenescape MQTT client started” message

  4. Smart Intersection: Confirm Smart Intersection application is accessible at expected path

  5. Performance Issues: Run cat /proc/loadavg && docker stats --no-stream to check CPU usage and system load

  6. High Resource Usage: If load average >10 or containers show >500% CPU, restart high-usage containers

  7. Review logs using debug commands above and contact support with relevant excerpts

For general Smart NVR issues, see the main documentation.

Last updated: October 2025