A scalable architecture for providing real-time multi-camera distributed video processing and visualization. An exemplary system comprises at least one video capture and storage system for capturing and storing a plurality of input videos, at least one vision based alarm system for detecting and reporting alarm situations or events, and at least one video rendering system (e.g., a video flashlight system) for displaying an alarm situation in a context that speeds up comprehension and response. One advantage of the present architecture is that these systems are all scalable, such that additional sensors (e.g., cameras, motion sensors, infrared sensors, chemical sensors, biological sensors, temperature sensors and like) can be added in large numbers without overwhelming the ability of security forces to comprehend the alarm situation.