Smart cities are safe cities: enhancing security for all
Smart cities have a responsibility to safeguard citizens, and they have the tools to do so. The EU and industry-funded S4AllCities project developed technological solutions to enhance existing security measures. They developed low-cost innovations that improve both cyber and physical security while striking a balance between safety, maintaining the open character of public spaces and preserving individual privacy.
Focusing on soft targets
Reducing the threat of terrorist attacks is a critical responsibility of security teams. In addressing this issue, the project focused primarily on soft targets, areas where perpetrators can cause significant damage, injury and loss of life with relative ease. Such targets include large public spaces where crowds gather, such as squares, malls, places of worship, stadiums, etc. S4AllCities developed multiple case studies to examine the efficacy of their endeavours. They piloted complex infrastructure in city centres, football stadiums and outdoor venues. To safeguard security, the team developed a control mechanism using unique physical identifiers to ensure only authorised personnel could enter a data centre.
Improving information access for situational awareness
Modern cities have systems in place to keep people safe in open spaces. The project worked to complement existing systems, with a focus on improving communication and collaboration between security practitioners, urban planners and other stakeholders. To best serve the needs of smart cities, the project studied the gaps in existing security systems. According to project coordinator Aris Bonanos: “S4AllCities’ strength is that all the information from the infrastructure is presented to security operators through a clean interface, the common operational picture, which gives them a view of security incidents throughout the smart city in near real time.”
The Internet of Things
A main area of focus for the project was leveraging the security potential of the Internet of Things. Devices such as cameras, drones and building sensors all generate data. Advances in hardware allow for more data to be generated, and advances in software allow for enhanced analysis of the data. New sensors for smart buildings enabled the detection of a dangerous situation and sent alerts to security forces without human interaction. S4AllCities also developed a portable spectrometer that could detect chemical precursors used in the manufacture of explosives. Another innovation involved cameras deployed in drones that allow for more in-depth analysis of behaviour patterns. Increased data requires increased capacity to interpret it. Software enhancements based on visual data focused on categorising and counting objects, facial recognition, and identifying usual vs. unusual behaviour patterns. For example, a person sprinting through a crowd might be picked up as exhibiting an unusual behaviour. Automated alerts arising from the context-aware interpretation of this data could inform security personnel of a possible high-risk situation. Enhanced security measures can raise privacy concerns, and S4AllCities addressed this issue. According to Bonanos: “One of the critical aspects of the project was to improve the security of public spaces without compromising citizen privacy.” The team had a dedicated committee as well as an expert on retainer to make sure all actions were in legal and ethical compliance. S4AllCities was able to demonstrate a prototype product with a technological readiness level of 7. With the promising results of the project and positive feedback from stakeholders, the project’s efforts are on track to make European cities safer than ever.
Keywords
S4AllCities, security, public spaces, soft targets, smart cities, security infrastructure, cybersecurity, common operational picture, Internet of Things, citizen privacy
