India's IT capital Bengaluru now has a seamless network of sensors implemented as part of Phase 1 of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Safe City Project. Bengaluru is the first Indian city to implement a city surveillance network for its police force, and eight other Indian cities will follow. Honeywell announced the successful implementation of Phase 1 of the IT hub’s Safe City project in March and is now proceeding with Phase 2.
Phase 1 of the Bengaluru Safe City project costs approximately INR 670 crore, and Honeywell completed the work under budget. Speaking to Mobility Outlook, Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell India and Honeywell Building Technologies, Asia, said the work was completed on time, despite the rains and the many ongoing infrastructure projects in the city. In all, over 7,000 cameras will be installed citywide.
CH Pratap Reddy, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, said Honeywell’s state-of-the-art, advanced technology solutions would strengthen the City Police by improving real-time monitoring capabilities making the city safer and more secure.
Safer Cities
The Safe City project is an MHA initiative to create a safe, secure and empowering environment for women and girls in public spaces. The Empowered Committee under Nirbhaya Fund has approved Safe City projects in eight selected Indian cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow at a total cost of INR 2919.55 crore. The cost of the projects is shared in a 60:40 ratio between the Central Government and the concerned States. However, the project in Delhi is fully funded by the Central Government.
Honeywell will install equipment to cover over 3,000 junctions with over 25,000 Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, covering over 100 million people. Over 100,000 cameras will be installed as part of this project. With its seamless integration of cameras which provide real-time information on incidents in the city, the project also shows the way for future traffic management, with burgeoning vehicular traffic in Indian cities outstripping the physical ability of the police to detect and monitor traffic violations. The AI-based video analytics platform implemented in this initiative could also be used to analyse video feeds from across the city for traffic violations.
Modi said that the technologies and systems proven in the project would be useful in traffic monitoring and forest areas. “There is no reason why it should not transcend just the police department. Because at the end of the day, the use cases are many. Once we establish a network of cameras, which are essentially sensors, we can deploy analytics to do many things with it creating new use cases. For example, our virtual line technology, can aid in monitoring of loitering crowds, traffic, etc.” He said the backbone of the entire offering was cutting-edge AI/ML technology that helped in superior decision-making.
Ideal Solution
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah launched the Safe City Project in Bengaluru on March 3, which uses advanced technology solutions to deliver a tech-enabled police force. According to Honeywell officials, Phase 1 of the project was completed in record time and within committed budgets. As part of Phase 1, Honeywell has installed 4,100 video cameras (fixed, high-res and Pan-Tilt-Zoom), eight drone cameras, 400 body-worn cameras, 30 “Safety Islands,” 96 local viewing centres, one each of temporary command centre, mobile command centre and temporary data centre. The “Safety Islands” are well-lit and easily accessible public areas with uninterrupted surveillance.
All video feeds are shared with the State's Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) offices. The city police stations will receive video feeds and alerts about their jurisdictions. All the sensors are also linked with Karnataka’s 112 emergency response number, and the police have also received new vehicles to respond to calls. Eight forensic vans have also been deployed as part of the initiative.
India’s urban centres are now witnessing rapid growth, which is only expected to grow in the future. Major Indian cities are already bursting at their seams, putting the existing physical resources of local police forces under increasing strain. Bengaluru’s population density has increased by 47% in the last ten years. The city also has a high working population of women, making up 39% of its workforce. With the implementation of Phase 1 of the Safe City project, the city now boasts of some of the latest technology for its police force and one that shows the way forward for the future of policing in India.
Smart Surveillance
The cameras are equipped with AI-enabled systems, and the AI-based video analytics platform will allow the analysis of video feeds from across the city, and this will also be beneficial for future traffic management needs.
Badrinath S, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Karnataka, told Mobility Outlook that under Phase 1 of Bengaluru Smart City, the Vahaan database had yet to be integrated into the system to allow access to vehicle details. This is expected to be done in Phase 2.
Under Phase 2 of the project, an additional 3,400 video cameras (2800 fixed, 400 Pan-Tilt-Zoom and 200 high-res), 155 body-worn cameras, 20 safety islands and two drones will be deployed by the Karnataka Police, with installation and implementation of the systems done by Honeywell. In addition, a permanent command centre and data centre will be created. This project phase will further integrate these systems and technologies to create a more seamless and connected decision-support system for the local police force. Phase 3 will involve the complete operationalisation of the system by the Karnataka Police, with Honeywell assisting in implementation and maintenance support.
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