System and method for characterizing and passively monitoring a property to identify events affecting occupants of the property

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for monitoring a property, comprising instructions for:

• coupling each of a plurality of sensor units to elements in a property, the sensor units configured to generate sensor data indicative of variable characteristics of the elements, to directly monitor behavior of the property based on the sensed characteristics of the elements and independently of activities of the occupants of the property;
• obtaining, by a monitoring system, historical sensor data for the property generated by the plurality of sensor units;
• analyzing, by the monitoring system, the historical sensor data obtained from the plurality of sensor units to detect at least one pattern in the variable characteristics of the elements in the property and generate a unique signature of the behavior of the property based on the at least one pattern, the signature providing a baseline from which to determine when normal or abnormal activities associated with the property are detected from the sensor data to enable subsequent monitoring based on comparisons with the signature and without exposing the sensor data;
• obtaining, by the monitoring system, current sensor data acquired by the plurality of sensors;
• analyzing, by the monitoring system, the current sensor data against the signature for the property to detect a current behavior of the property and assign metadata specifying whether the current behavior of the property corresponds to normal activity, abnormal activity, a lack of activity, or an actionable event for the property;
• and
• sending, by the monitoring system, an alert or notification comprising the metadata without including the current sensor data acquired by the sensors to at least one entity monitoring the property to avoid directly discernible information of the property being made available to entities monitoring the property through the alert or notification.

A monitoring system comprising a processor, memory, and an interface for receiving data from sensor systems deployed in monitored properties, the system comprising computer executable instructions for monitoring a property, comprising instructions for:

• coupling each of a plurality of sensor units to elements in a property, the sensor units configured to generate sensor data indicative of variable characteristics of the elements, to directly monitor behavior of the property based on the sensed characteristics of the elements and independently of activities of the occupants of the property;
• obtaining, by a monitoring system, historical sensor data for the property generated by the plurality of sensor units;
• analyzing, by the monitoring system, the historical sensor data obtained from the plurality of sensor units to detect at least one pattern in the variable characteristics of the elements in the property and generate a unique signature of the behavior of the property based on the at least one pattern, the signature providing a baseline from which to determine when normal or abnormal activities associated with the property are detected from the sensor data to enable subsequent monitoring based on comparisons with the signature and without exposing the sensor data;
• obtaining, by the monitoring system, current sensor data acquired by the plurality of sensors;
• analyzing, by the monitoring system, the current sensor data against the signature for the property to detect a current behavior of the property and assign metadata indicative of specifying whether the current behavior of the property corresponds to normal activity, abnormal activity, a lack of activity, or an actionable event for the property;
• and
• sending, by the monitoring system, an alert or notification comprising the metadata without including the current sensor data acquired by the sensors to at least one entity monitoring the property to avoid directly discernible information of the property being made available to entities monitoring the property through the alert or notification.

A method of monitoring a property, the method comprising:

• coupling each of a plurality of sensor units to elements in a property, the sensor units configured to generate sensor data indicative of variable characteristics of the elements, to directly monitor behavior of the property based on the sensed characteristics of the elements and independently of activities of the occupants of the property;
• obtaining, by a local system, historical sensor data for the property generated by the plurality of sensor units;
• analyzing, by the local system, the historical sensor data obtained from the plurality of sensor units to detect at least one pattern in the variable characteristics of the elements in the property and generate a unique signature of the behavior of the property based on the at least one pattern, the signature providing a baseline from which to determine when normal or abnormal activities associated with the property are detected from the sensor data to enable subsequent monitoring based on comparisons with the signature and without exposing the sensor data;
• providing the signature, by the local system, to a cloud-based system used to monitor the property;
• obtaining, by the local system, current sensor data acquired by the plurality of sensors;
• and
• sending the current sensor data, by the local system, to the cloud-based system to have the cloud-based system analyze the current sensor data against the signature for the property to detect a current behavior of the property and assign metadata specifying whether the current behavior of the property corresponds to normal activity, abnormal activity, a lack of activity, or an actionable event for the property;
• and to send an alert or notification comprising the metadata without including the current sensor data acquired by the sensors to at least one entity monitoring the property to avoid directly discernible information of the property being made available to entities monitoring the property through the alert or notification.