Pages

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Glasgow`s a smart city

From Future City Glasgow:

Future City Glasgow is an ambitious £24million programme which will demonstrate how technology can make life in the city smarter, safer and more sustainable.

Glasgow beat 29 other cities to win funding for the programme in a contest run by the Technology Strategy Board - the UK Government's innovation agency.

The city is now embarking on a trail-blazing programme which will put residents at the forefront of technology integration and application. Analysis of data collected during the demonstrator will assist policymakers and inform future investment...

Future City Glasgow is a collaboration between public and private sector agencies providing a range of services to the city. They include Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland, housing providers, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, universities, energy providers and Scottish Enterprise.

http://futurecity.glasgow.gov.uk/



From State of Surveillance:

Whilst Glasgow City Council claim they are not currently utilising NICE System’s facial recognition capabilities, the new HD CCTV system being installed for the Future Cities Demonstrator initiative, funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills via its quango the Technology Strategy Board, is still capable of tracking individuals within the city. A spokesperson from Glasgow City Council stated:

"A trial of NICE's video analytics is planned for later in the year [2015]. This involves Suspect Search which can be used to find missing children or vulnerable adults quickly, such as those with dementia, as well as tackling crime. Again it does not involve facial recognition or emotional intelligence.”


As well as missing children and vulnerable adults presumably Suspect Search can also track suspects - the clue is in the name. No facial recognition. No surreptitiously taking and covertly using our biometrics, that’s okay then? So how does this tracking work? The software still has the same outcome as using facial biometrics - individuals can be identified, traced and tracked. According to NICE;
Working with information about the entire body, from head to foot (clothes, accessories, skin, hair) enables faster and more accurate matches.

Read More http://stateofsurveillance.blogspot.co.uk/
 

3 comments:

  1. http://www.creatingitfutures.org/docs/default-source/pdfs/federaltechnologyconvergencecommissionreport.pdf?sfvrsn=2

    ReplyDelete

  2. Social media, mobility, analytics, cloud. (SMAC convergence)

    Yes, we are going to be forced more and more to interact with the internet if we want a government service or anything else really. Meanwhile all our outputs on the Net will be analysed, I notice the report mentions the Internet of Things. Every object will have its own bar code.So buy a tin of beans in a supermarket and it can be tracked back to your home., assuming you have a smart meter Then what did you do with the tin after you opened it? Did you put it in the appropriate waste bin? Are you due a fine? Trite, but it`s all about super-efficiency, selling opportunities and the lean management of us.

    Here`s one example they give:

    If half of the non-military workforce reduce their hours of working from 40 hours to 30, they could create 138,000 jobs. (Nice analytics) The only trouble is they expect people to live on 10 percent less. What they get is round the clock, flexible workers who are less worn out. (efficiency)

    I notice as well they give the Boston Marathon 2013 as an example of social media in action. I remember that day - you could not be anywhere near social media without becoming aware of it. The disaster unfolded in real time. It did not take long for the photographs to go up and many of them were questioning the official version of events. It happened that there was a security operation going on during the marathon - isn`t there always? There were loads of people walking about wearing dark glasses with back packs on, similar to the back packs that the alleged bombers were supposed to have used only photographs showed differences. The anomalies kept piling up, including the abuse of residents during the Boston lock down and the capture of the suspects.

    The report does not mention any of that, of course. Social media is supposed to pin us down, not them.

    What we`re hearing is a lot more talk about `conspiracy theorists` and extremism, as if questioning events makes you a terrorist !

    I believe France is already attempting to clamp down on free speech.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Government has pledged 40 million of funding for the Internet of Things Innovation: (But no money for welfare or those using food banks.)

    The Internet of Things will soon link all our electronic devices, with an estimated 50 billion items being connected by 2020. ..

    MILTON KEYNES

    "We've already embedded sensors in recycling bins across Milton Keynes, which are being used to inform the Council when they are full and ready for collection. Over time, that will help improve the efficiency of waste management, allowing the Council to provide an improved service for residents.[So we can be charged per kilogramme of waste perhaps? There are so many possibilities.] In time, we plan to develop sensors to tackle the problem of pest control, as well as monitor cycle traffic and footfall across the city to build a better understanding of how people move around the urban environment. " [The mind boggles.]

    https://futurecities.catapult.org.uk/project-full-view/-/asset_publisher/oDS9tiXrD0wi/content/project-milton-keynes-internet-of-things/?redirect=%2Fprojects

    ReplyDelete