WHAT do you get when you put the age-old problems of traffic and crime into the new age of technology? Three hours stuck in EDSA and a snatched mobile phone.
In the era of technology, age-old issues now have new-age repercussions. As our resources evolve, so do the problems that come with them. Crime and traffic in the 21st century beckon a much-needed update in our outmoded procedures. Ranked as having one of the worst traffics on Earth and one of the highest crime rates in Asia, Metro Manila has become a melting pot of problems.
However, one answer to Metro Manila’s woes is actually quite simple: Intelligent Video Surveillance.
A timely innovation in surveillance and security, IVS combines the adaptability and scrutiny of smart systems and Artificial Intelligence while improving the classic components of CCTV. Through better video resolution and integrated software analytics, the IVS can scan all the elements of a live video stream, differentiate and recognize various objects, detect specific movement, and adapt to track suspicious or familiar instances.
Confounding traffic vs intelligent video
In its core, IVS can detect the instances, compile them, and lay them all out for perusal. This lets operators use it for every process of evaluating problems and finding solutions.
For example, if an accident occurs in EDSA and it causes a pile-up, the video system will immediately recognize this information, and retain the data. This means that people no longer have to scour through hours of footage for video evidence, and security is tightened because surveillance is no longer reliant on a surveyor’s attention span or devotion to detail.
With live data analysis, traffic enforcers will be able to handle situations (like accidents or congestion) more quickly as the system works in real-time and detects the specific location and time of each occurrence.
On top of that, analysts can find what the common causes of traffic are because of the intelligent video solutions that IVS promises. Through layered data security, this information is protected with strict access parameters.
If Metro Manila employs this system, the entire system of traffic enforcement could be sped up and a much-needed decrease in road rage would follow after.
Having an effective eye on the road can also instill road discipline because it effectively captures swerving, illegal parking, accidents, illegal turns and other road violations that aggravate the traffic situation. The same system could be utilized for the no-contact apprehension policy of the Land Transportation Office.
Catching crime intelligently
Besides violent bouts due to traffic woes, the biggest crime problems in Metro Manila include theft, kidnapping, and harboring illegal weaponry (leading to more violent crimes).
IVS processes visual data and can eventually distinguish humans from other objects.
More accurate than the human eye, the intelligent video scans the entire scope of the camera and detects any minimal movement and change in scenery or objects. On top of that, it updates information as it sees it. This paves the way for a safer and more effective surveillance tool that cannot be deceived by simple camouflage techniques or even unrelated instances like a stray cat running across the sidewalk.
Metro Manila’s surveillance overhaul
With the growing traffic problems of the city and its ever-present crimes, it’s time for Metro Manila to get rid of its outdated hardware and utilize the technology of the “smart age.”
Among various Filipino tech companies, Accent Micro Technologies, Inc. has formed a dedicated group, the Advanced Premises Protection System, or APPS, to deliver advanced and intelligent surveillance solution.
The APPS is composed of experienced professionals who worked with leading hardware surveillance and video software and analytics companies. Its holistic problem-solvinwwg approach integrates command and control, monitoring, and emergency response and dispatch. With capabilities like this, the seemingly insurmountable problems we face in the city could potentially be decreased radically, if not eradicated completely.