A unique digital 3D model that combines all city crime data on one single platform. The platform allows police and law enforcement to keep an eye on the city and intervene quickly in the event of any incidents or crime. This is the outcome of the ITEA project PS-CRIMSON.
The project is a collaboration between six academic and industrial partners from the Netherlands and Canada. PS-CRIMSON won the ITEA Award for Excellence on September 10 in the category Exploitation and Unique Business Partnerships.
This platform will ensure that public safety and disaster management is improved. This is evident from the pilot projects carried out in Eindhoven and Vancouver.
Geo-localization and human re-identification
Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have adopted two different applications of artificial intelligence image technology for the platform. Geo-localization and human re-identification. The combination of these techniques means that it is now possible to detect locations where incidents are occurring. These techniques can also locate and track people in the city.
“By using geo-localization, the system can automatically pinpoint the location of an incident within an accuracy of ten meters. The system does this based on a photo that is sent to the police. And by searching through a photo database of the city,” Peter de With explains in the TU/e press release. De With is a professor at the Video Coding and Architectures (VCA) group and led the project based at TU/e.
Human re-identification allows the system to detect people in particular areas. Cameras in the city can then connect walking routes that are taken with each other.
One screen instead of sixty
The Smart City platform saves police and law enforcement officers a great deal of time and money. Currently, a public safety team for video surveillance is able to watch over up to sixty monitors. They also receive dozens of phone calls during the day from citizens and officers concerning suspicious situations.
These sixty screens have been replaced by one single screen thanks to this PS-CRIMSON system. You can even walk through a 3D model of the city virtually. Cameras let you see what is going on. There are also microphones in place that enable you to listen in on-site in order to get an overall picture of a situation.
A high level of privacy protection is built into the system. De With: “The faces of people are blurred while we operate it. Current regulations do not allow video files to be stored for more than 72 hours and we have a very strict GDPR General Data Protection Regulation) policy in place in the Netherlands.” The administration of the system is currently in the hands of the police and municipality.
