A.I. TECH TO HELP SOLVE CRIMES IN BAGUIO CITY PROPOSED

August 24, 2024 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY

The City Government of Baguio is considering a proposed technology that can potentially help in solving crimes through various features such as facial recognition, object detection, and behavior pattern analysis. During the regular session on August 19, 2024, the Baguio City Council inquired about the GIS Map-based AI Heterogenous Data Convergence Management System in relation to the request of Mayor Benjamin Magalong to the local legislative body for an authority to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the proponent, SRPOST Inc.

Attending the council forum via teleconference, Angelina Khodotova, International Project Manager of SRPOST Inc., said this project is funded by the Korean Government and the European Research Coordination Agency (EUREKA). It has been in discussion with the city government since 2021. The use of this new system would be at no cost to the city for the first three years as it is covered by a grant provided by EUREKA. The proponent would handle all the server costs within this period.

However, what happens after three years remains unclear at the moment. Khodotova said the city government is expected to assist with documentation requests and provide access to data that may be shared with SRPOST for development purposes. According to Adam Lacay, Information System Analyst II of the Management in Information and Technology Division (MITD) , the proposed platform can detect criminal or abnormal behavior using the
city’s existing CCTVs and other infrastructure.

He said this technology will significantly improve the capabilities of the city’s existing surveillance system by incorporating advanced AI analytics. Lacay clarified that the city’s current CCTV system has AI capabilities but are limited. He said the current CCTVs only have license plate recognition and basic object detection. On the other hand, this proposed platform will add more advanced AI functions to the existing CCTVs such as behavioral anomaly detection, intrusion detection, weapon detection, violent crowd behavior detection, and road accident and traffic build-up detection.

He emphasized that these new capabilities will allow real time detection of incidents, which is particularly useful
given the numerous CCTVs the city personnel have to monitor. With as many as 10 to 15 CCTV feeds operators have to view at once, this AI-enhanced system will make this monitoring more efficient and effective, he said. This will eventually allow for better decision-making by pinpointing areas with specific types of incidents and for more strategic deployment of CCTVs or personnel based on data insights.

He also said the new platform will be using a cloud based approach that will allow for better access to the different data that will be integrated into the system. This will be a transition from the current use of local servers to reduce costs associated with maintaining local servers. Councilors Mylen Victoria Yaranon and Vladimir Cayabas raised concerns about data security and online threats. Lacay explained they use VPN connectivity and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access and detect suspicious activities, adding that tight security policies will be in place to monitor logs, manage bandwidth, and terminate connections if suspicious activities are detected.

Answering the inquiries of Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda on the efficiency of the current CCTV system, Lacay mentioned that the only ones connected to the Command Center are those with fiber lines which are located within the Central Business District and at some entry and exit points of the city. He added that many CCTVs, especially
those installed within barangays, are not currently connected to the Command Center and in need of maintenance as per their inventory last February.

He said they plan to expand and integrate more CCTVs in the future, subject to compatibility and infrastructure improvements. The majority of the city council members present during the discussion voted in favor of granting the city mayor the authority to enter into a MOA with SRPOST Inc. Once finalized, the MOA will be submitted to the city council for confirmation.

Jordan G. Habbiling/SP