Advances in emergency response are largely due to the growth of smartphone use across the world. This technology can, however, do even more to keep us all safe:
1. Collaboration
Collaboration in both the reactive and preventative security space is becoming key to innovation in these industries. Through effective propagation of information, these stakeholders are now able to build safer communities.
2. Analysis
Analysts are also able to process historical and real-time data from CCTV, gunshot detection systems, smart traffic lights and other Internet of Things sensors to make increasingly accurate predictions about when and where crimes may happen.
3. Prediction models
Using the crime patterns and trends of a specific area, first responder networks can now position themselves in locations where crimes are more likely to occur.
In some communities, the number of crimes and the amount of time it takes to respond to emergencies are decreasing because responders are positioning themselves in hotspots identified through predictional models.
A great example of this is a six-month pilot project by the Vancouver police department in 2017, where the use of a crime prediction model significantly reduced residential break-ins.
4. Data processing
Smart technology is also helping response networks sift through oceans of data in a way that humans could never do in real-time.
For instance, first responder networks can now more easily track and identify vehicles and individuals linked to existing investigations and open criminal cases. This is due to a combination of the monitoring of auditory sensors, video feeds and other cues, and the increasing accuracy with which learning and classification algorithms can recognise license plates and faces.
Where this technology starts to divide opinion is around the use of behavioural trends and profiling to make predictions about whether a crime is going to occur.
While many of these technologies are still in development and require refinement, it’s clear that the continued evolution of smart, connected tech will open up many different ways in which people can access the protection and security they need.
