by Gerard Dyson, Managing Director, Spectur
In our personal and working lives, we are becoming increasingly comfortable with the expansion of digital technology. Artificial intelligence, camera surveillance, sensing and automation are increasingly making our workplaces safer and more productive, supplementing, improving or even replacing the work of people. This growth has, until recently, been largely constrained by the limitations of connectivity to power and the internet. With improvements in solar battery, communications, processing power and electronics technology, the benefits of the digital world are now pushing into the outdoor “disconnected” world.
This expansion is coalescing around three related themes of sensing, thinking and acting. The Internet of Things (IoT) is moving increasingly to remote and outdoor locations, with camera technology a core element, supplemented by a broad spectrum of other sensors gathering data from the environment.
To control and manage these sensors, including their power and communications, increasingly powerful and energy efficient processors are being deployed outdoors.
In some cases, these systems host artificial intelligence applications or are connected via 4G, 5G, satellite or other communications technologies to cloud-based and more powerful artificial intelligence. Finally, it is possible to take an increasing array of actions in the field in response to sensing, thinking or other stimulus, without needing people to be present.
These solutions are enabling a presence in situations where there are safety hazards, when people cannot practically be present at all times, or when the costs of a human presence are too high. This digital sensing, thinking and acting technology is currently being applied to a growing array of challenges and making a big difference to communities.
Fully wireless, solar platforms with cameras and other sensors are being deployed to remote or unpowered sites to detect and deter vandalism, illegal dumping, theft and other antisocial behaviour.
These systems can use artificial intelligence to interpret camera images and discern true threats before notifying first responders via email or other alerts, activate lights and sirens, record and store footage and even speak directly to the offenders. These platforms are stopping crime before it occurs, not just keeping a record of it.
Councils with beaches, rivers, lakes and other water bodies are deploying systems that improve the safety of the community. These systems include cameras to observe (live) the environment, emergency response phones, digital sign boards for community communications, loudspeakers, warning lights and even smart boxes with first aid kits and defibrillators.
Fully solar-powered and connected via wireless technology, these systems can be deployed to sites without power and connectivity, ready to operate at all hours.
This means the community can get help and be warned of hazards such as fire, sharks, tsunami or other material risks in an instant at multiple locations, without having to put people in harm’s way.
Ensuring environmental compliance with these remote platforms is increasingly simplified. Dust, noise, temperature, water quality and a plethora of other metrics can now be captured remotely and stored in the cloud. Using edge or cloud computing, alerts and alarms can be triggered, including actions in the field to ensure that harm or pending harm is identified and reduced.
This means that an environmental spill can trigger an alert immediately, or excessive noise can be identified, recorded and pinpointed with alerts, before the damage is prolonged or increased. The range of applications for this digital technology continues to expand.
Fully wireless solutions for parking management, understanding pedestrian usage patterns, measuring social distancing and other smart city applications are now becoming available without having to dig trenches, run cables or otherwise be tethered to internet and powerhard infrastructure. Solutions continue to expand as the costs of remote technology decrease.
This is a sponsored editorial brought to you by Spectur.
To find out more on how remote solar powered digital technology can make a positive impact in your communities, contact the team at spectur.com.au, your Australian digital technology experts. Or, download Spectur’s white paper here.
