While safe cities have always depended upon a physical security presence, the availability of low-cost technology-based solutions and low latency, high bandwidth networks have increased the viability of security solutions that are both independent and intelligent. Video surveillance provides an expanded footprint for security coverage. In addition, artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and autonomous security devices can respond to events and provide situational awareness for emergency responders.
While AI, autonomous vehicles, and technology-based security solutions may seem like science fiction, it is rapidly becoming science fact in today’s world. The beauty of artificial intelligence is that the operator can brainstorm a scenario, develop a set of criteria and appropriate responses, then allow the solution to manage itself.
Businesses have driven the integration of access control, building management systems, video surveillance, and software to manage the AI decision-making process. In addition, cities are leveraging this technology to improve the management of their city spaces as well. Emergency scenarios, frictionless access, crowd and traffic management, and situational awareness drive many of the newest security technologies.
Milestone Systems open platform video technology works with the access control solutions above to integrate events and associate security cameras with the access control hardware. Milestone XProtect® video management software (VMS) is an open platform that takes access control capabilities and supplements the logged events, tagging video and providing an additional layer of verification for the activity.
For example, when a guard is touring a facility, his keycard swipes are logged in the security software. Associated cameras will provide video evidence of his activity while XProtect tags the video with the associated information provided from the access control event. This cross-check of data and video produces logs of guard activity and verifiable evidence that supports the businesses goals.
Real-time Occupancy Management is essential in a safe city environment because having accurate people counts and understanding the flow and fluctuations of people in an area allows for appropriate responses when these areas become congested. Video surveillance and video management systems can accurately count people in real-time. Beyond simple counting of occupants, AI systems can compare counts, then trigger a notification if the count does not meet expectations. The alerts can help security rapidly identify problems.
Any number of occurrences could be the beginning of a security incident. Here are a few issues the security team looks for:
- Unauthorized Access in Restricted Areas
- Packages or Bags Left Behind
- Restricted Doors Left Open
- Suspicious Activity
- Missing or Malfunctioning Equipment
- Wrong-way Traffic
The responsible security operator will respond quickly to divert any potential incidents when these scenarios occur. When paired with video analytics and artificial intelligence, XProtect VMS can monitor live video streams and interact with disparate systems to trigger notifications to appropriate security personnel with immediate access to the video. XProtect improves your surveillance capabilities and diversifies your system, enhancing your security response to various scenarios.
Expanded video coverage has the net effect of improving the security footprint. However, a more significant coverage area means more data to analyze. AI systems can process vast amounts of data more quickly and accurately than humans. Additionally, alerts can proactively notify appropriate personnel and bring attention to situations they might otherwise miss.
Security enablement is at the core of the safe city. Safe cities are also smart cities. Municipalities are working on expanding their network reach to include 5G mobile service, with its high bandwidth and low latency capabilities. In addition, cities partner with 5G cellular technology companies to ensure that they preserve bandwidth for emergency scenarios and coverage is adequate throughout the city. These efforts mean that video surveillance is a reality in areas that may have previously been impossible. This reach allows for rapid response and the ability to gain critical intelligence of events before the arrival of security forces.
XProtect open platform provides a central user interface that makes managing disparate systems easier, allowing for improved understanding of the data and better decision-making processes. XProtect also provides the system to trigger autonomous functions upon a matching set of criteria. When standard processes are automated, first responders can focus their attention on helping people and solving crimes proactively.
Need information or want a consultation about how to build your city video solution with Milestone’s open platform? We’d love to help. Book a Demo with one of our city security experts today. You can also explore more articles, eBooks, and customer stories by visiting our city insight hub.