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Video Surveillance in Metro Networks for Enhanced Passenger Safety and Convenience

CCTV camera or surveillance operating in air port

High-quality urban transportation is a critical need for any major city. Alongside cabs and buses, metro trains have become a mainstay of passenger movement in most metro cities in India, and many other top cities will soon adopt the same. Metro networks not only offer a faster, smoother and cleaner mode of transportation but also play a crucial role in decongesting the roads as a large number of road commuters switch to the trains. Alongside providing a faster commute, metro trains are also expected to ensure a safe and delightful passenger experience.  However, that’s an area where the rising crime and lack of efficient crowd monitoring and management have become a major deterrent.

On average, nearly 3 dozen people are affected by theft/robbery within metro stations/trains on the Delhi network itself. With ridership and network coverage expanding, the risks continue to grow. In fact, if we look at metro networks in other major cities globally, terror attacks, public stabbings, and other forms of violence and vandalism have also taken place. In such a scenario, the role of technology especially video AI surveillance has emerged as a key force multiplier and potential deterrent when it comes to security and passenger safety in the metros.

 

AI video analytics for metro surveillance and security

AI video analytics solutions have already proven effective at airports and bus stations and major thoroughfares etc. In the context of the metro networks, these solutions are of great utility as they can holistically cover the entire network including trains, platforms, concourse areas, entry/exit points and even parking lots. Thus, technology enables the creation of a holistic surveillance ring starting from the perimeter itself.

Let’s take a look at some ways in which video analytics technology can help transform the operational efficiency and passenger convenience aspects of a large metro network.

Optimizing operations – Through smart video AI solutions, the number of people entering and exiting metro stations can be tracked. This in turn helps in the identification of peak hours when maximum people enter the network, and also of days when footfall is higher. Studying these patterns enables the metro authorities to schedule the number of trains, frequency of trains, number of security personnel to be deployed, and various other crowd management related matters. Thus, there is better preparedness to handle the rush and more convenience for the commuters as they are not inconvenienced even if the footfall is higher.

Monitoring and tracking suspicious people – Facial recognition tools are one of the best features of good video AI surveillance systems. They can identify people displaying suspicious behaviour or committing a crime through facial recognition and scan footage from other cameras in the vicinity to track people as they move around the network. Further, the systems can also be linked with crime databases to enable the identification and reporting of a ‘wanted’ person or a ‘VIP’ or ‘celebrities’ within the premises. In addition to the facial recognition ability, advanced video AI solutions can also identify and track people through their clothing styles, colour, pattern and sleeve style etc. Thus, even if at some points, the face of the person is not clearly visible, they can be tracked accurately through such clothing attributes.

Preventive action through behavioural identification – Smart AI algorithms integrated with the systems are usually capable of identifying emotions and flagging potential security risks or alerting the authorities about distressed people. For instance, a camera might detect anger and agitation, crying or stress through facial expressions, and based on the person’s movements, it could alert the security teams about someone likely to commit a theft, violence or self-harm etc. Similarly, the technology can also be helpful in detecting medical emergencies through ‘fall detection and identifying lost children etc.

In places where such video AI solutions are deployed, the security teams have been successfully augmented in preventive or prompt action to intervene while a crime is taking place or shortly afterwards, resulting in the nabbing of the accused. Further, the systems can identify loitering, wrongly parked or haphazardly driven vehicles, unclaimed objects and various other such things and events which might go unnoticed or unreported otherwise.

With threat perceptions, unfortunately, rising by the day, the best option for the civil society is to proactively leverage accessible technology and tools. These can deter as well as resolve crime effectively and make commuters feel safe and comfortable on their metro journeys!

(The author is Mr. Abhijit Shanbhag, President,CEO, Graymatics and the views expressed in this article are his own)

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