Solutions, explains. “e police might be interested in a
particular vehicle seen in a carpark, but the CCTV camera
does not provide a clear front view of the number plate.
Using deskewing video technology, you can atten out the
angular image to reveal the number plate.”
Another technique is deblurring, which allows lo-res or
blurred images to be sharpened up using AI techniques.
Williams also points to the cloud as way to support new apps
and database queries.
VR/AR
At CCW 2018, Airbus demonstrated a VR scenario where
a reghter equipped with a 360-degree camera in a metro
station streams images back to a supervisor in the command
centre, who could be located miles from the scene. e
supervisor wears VR goggles, enabling him to ‘step in’ virtually.
“e concept enables you to base your experts anywhere,”
says Rahim Zaknoun, head of innovation and developer
ecosystem at Secure Land Communications, Airbus. “A
supervisor or an expert can guide the eld agent. e
eld agent may be looking one way, but the expert has a
360-degree view and can warn him if there is someone
behind him, and so on.”
Rehbehn cites a NIST-funded trial of AR/AI in the USA
carried out by the Cosumnes Fire Department in California
in conjunction with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and
others including Qwake Technologies. At the heart of the trial
is the Assistant for Understanding Data through Reasoning,
Extraction and sYnthesis (AUDREY).
e idea is to upload masses of 360-degree video and
sensor data to AUDREY, including temperature readings,
thermal imagery, and so on. AUDREY will provide
reghters with real-time data and ‘eyes’ that can see in
smoke- and ame-lled environments. Its AI and machine
learning software will also have built up a memory bank of
previous res and test burns, which will enable it to guide
reghters by predicting how the re is likely to develop and
warn them if the situation is becoming too dangerous.
Qwake provided its C-ru AR vision system, which is
mounted in the reghter’s mask and wirelessly connected
to commanders. It provides a heads-up display combining
thermal imagery and AR to enhance performance in
hazardous environments and zero-visibility conditions.
While this technology is available,
police forces are very procedural
in the way they work. You cannot just
throw technology at them and
expect a transformation
Hybrid solutions
When it comes to location-based data, Jon Cossins, product
manager for applications portfolio at Sepura, says: “e
location information may come from TETRA, broadband
or other sources but it is presented to, and controlled in, a
standardised manner by the applications using the data. is
greatly improves the situational awareness in the control room
regardless of the technology carried by the end-user.”
Sepura’s AppSPACE solution allows users to add apps to
their TETRA radios, including downloading them in the
eld. “When linking the AppSPACE radio apps with backend
applications, those backend applications can also be used with
LTE/broadband devices,” explains Peter Hudson, head of
TETRA products development at Sepura.
Sepura has developed a secure picture messaging
application that allows images to be sent with minimal data
use, so that both narrowband and broadband devices can
receive them at the touch of a button. “Of course, there are
a lot of broadband apps that do the same thing,” concedes
Cossins, “but not everyone has a broadband device.”
A number of two-way radio manufacturers are using builtin
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect with local devices and
sensors such as Tasers, rearm holsters, smart protective vests,
bioharnesses or a reghter’s breathing apparatus. Alerts can
be triggered if the Taser is drawn, the vest stabbed or oxygen
levels in the tank drop to 20 per cent.
Airbus advocates a similar hybrid approach to missioncritical
applications. Zaknoun says: “We are developing
solutions to help customers, not to replace TETRA/Tetrapol,
but to extend operations to LTE and using hybrid networks.
For example, we have our Tactilon Dabat hybrid TETRA/LTE
device and our Tactilon Agnet solution for smartphones.”
An example of this new capability might be stewards
having to evacuate a stadium where the electricity has gone.
Sta equipped with the oorplan and exit routes uploaded
to the Dabat just need to point the radio and, using indoor
geolocation and AR, it will indicate the way to the right exits.
Voice enhancements
It is worth stressing that audio remains a vital application for
public safety. Rehbehn notes that both Motorola and Harris
provide noise-cancelling microphone capabilities that can be
integrated into a reghter’s face mask.
Voice commands and natural language processing also
provide enhancements to traditional audio applications, as
Motorola’s Williams outlines. “Police ocers need to keep
their eye on the subject or incident and not get distracted.
ey need to be eyes-up, hands-free. So, if they can control
their device using voice, that is potentially a game-changer.”
He adds this can be extended to using voice commands
over the radio to cognitive computers (bots) to enable
database queries. “Police ocers spend a lot of time running
queries, criminal records searches and so on. e solution uses
One approach
to enhancing
situational
awareness is to
use 360-degree
cameras
mounted on
rst-responders
to allow others
wearing VR
goggles to
remotely view
the scene
aroundthem
January 2019 @CritCommsToday 15