Only 51% of Americans would consider themselves comfortable living in a “smart city” according to a recent study, but “smart” is not a yes/no or an on/off absolute. “Smart” is an infinite spectrum. So of the remaining 49% of Americans uncomfortable living in a smart city, most would be surprised to learn that to some degree they likely already do. Skepticism of the ways in which municipalities may leverage technology as burgeoning populations stress infrastructure, create new challenges relating to congestion and to public safety, and as community resilience is threatened by both natural and m ..read more

The availability and authenticity of video data is playing an increasingly important role in legal proceedings, providing a clearer and more accurate representation of actual events. However, security teams and law enforcement officers must be equipped with video technology that can accurately provide video evidence that can hold in court. This key requirement has driven innovation in video technology. The first stage of evolution was the optimisation of image quality, then, as the use of cameras proliferated, advances in metadata helped to quickly identify relevant scenes. These criteria rema ..read more

One of the benefits of living in a modern city is the access and proximity to resources, work opportunities and entertainment. Efficient transportation plays a key role and in every city, as residents use different modes of transport to get around including walking, cycling, eScooters, cars and buses. Each mode will differ in price, convenience and speed but ultimately all must be efficient and as safe as possible. Residents tend to have a preference and different demographics use modes of transport differently. For example, you’ll find that students will prefer to use public transport, wherea ..read more

Although there was a brief exodus from cities over the last few years, evidence suggests that residents are returning to urban centers. In fact, it’s been predicted that by 2050 the current urban population will double in size. The convenience of city life has proven to be important, but city authorities need to work hard to meet new demanding expectations of a liveable city. Mobility is a key part of this, as city-dwellers want to move comfortably and safely through the city in as little time as possible. It’s also important for you to note that the mobility options are changing.  For ex ..read more

In the earlier stages of the pandemic, after lockdowns worldwide found people spending most if not all of their time inside their own homes, there was a lot of talk about a mass exodus from cities. With remote working becoming the norm, people were taking advantage and relocating to greener parts of the country, swapping small apartments for houses with gardens and a rural outlook. More recently, however. There has been evidence that this trend is reversing, with people returning to urban centres in significant numbers. The grass of the countryside might be greener, but it seems that cities st ..read more

Public safety authorities, law enforcement and emergency services are tasked with protecting residents and visitors. This means implementing technology and processes which not only tackle crime and keep citizens safe, but also enable a fast response to emergency situations. Given public sector budget constraints, innovative and scalable technology solutions have proven vital to improving citizen safety while optimizing resources. Implementing network video and audio solutions is key to building a smart city ecosystem that improves efficiency in citizen safety, emergency management and crime in ..read more

Since my previous blog on the Protect Duty consultation, which ran from 26 February to 2 July 2021, the Government has published on 10 January 2022 its Protect Duty public consultation response document. After careful examination of the Government’s assessment, it would now seem certain that the Government intends to take the Protect Duty legislation forward. Axis welcomes the Government’s response and notes that the majority of respondents to the consultation agreed that tougher security measures are necessary to ensure preparedness for and protection from terrorist attacks. This is a positiv ..read more

In early 2021 we learned about a new piece of proposed legislation known as the Protect Duty, which looks set to change the way in which publicly accessible locations are secured. Following the consultation, which closed in July 21, the Government is reviewing the feedback. To my mind, this allows the security industry a period of time in which to get to grips with what it entails, and to carefully consider what should be done to better protect publicly accessible spaces while helping managers and owners to effectively comply with the forthcoming legislation. Many may know the Protect Duty as ..read more

Virtual worlds have been receiving a lot of attention recently, not least due to the focus on the potential new ‘metaverse’ we’ll all no doubt be encouraged to join. From a smart city perspective, creating models of the processes and journeys occurring across the urban environment can bring many benefits, helping city authorities more quickly achieve their objectives. These models can aid in understanding the dynamics and rhythms of the city – both historically and in real time. Using this information, insights can be gathered on different factors, such as congestion rates, response times, air ..read more

As data becomes more valuable and important to cities in realizing their smart city vision, authorities are investing in technologies that create, collect and analyze data. Video surveillance cameras and connected devices – the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) – are central among them. Every technology used in a city comes at a cost, including both the initial investment in hardware and the costs of running and maintaining the solution over its complete lifecycle. A 2017 TCO study of a 1,500-camera video surveillance project over a 10-year lifecycle found that on 34% of the overall costs wer ..read more