The Impact of Computer Vision in Future Smart Cities

Discover how computer vision and AI will drive the future of transportation into the smart cities of the future and how alwaysAI is at the forefront of this transformation.

How Computer Vision Will Transport Us Into the Smart Cities of the Future

Smart cities aren’t just reserved for sci-fi movies about a very distant future. The reality of smart cities is becoming more and more palpable, from autonomous vehicles being launched promising to make the roads safer, to new technologies for people detection and monitoring becoming more widely adopted.

For this non-quite-there-yet reality to work, governments, transportation providers, and tech manufacturers must come together and envision a realistic way to achieve this goal by designing an ecosystem that can accommodate it. As Smart Cities begin to emerge worldwide, one area concerning the mass-transportation section should be at the forefront of the discussion: in-cabin experience.

Why Will In-Cabin Experiences Be More Important in Smart Cities?

It all boils down to safety. The Transportation Research Board says, "violent crime is perceived as a pandemic. [...] Personal security affects many peoples' decisions to use Public Transportation."

If people do not perceive public transportation as safe, only those with no other options will turn to it, making public transport less of a practical city transportation solution and more of a last resort for those who cannot afford a personal vehicle or more private means of transportation. Safe and efficient public transport is critical to mass adoption among the general public, but especially so for those that already depend on it even today. Examples include students being bussed to school or seniors to retirement communities. These populations will still be relying on public transportation for years to come, and with the right tools, we can ensure their safety and trust. 

One such tool is AI and deep-learning computer vision. Through computer vision, this safety issue can be effectively addressed. Cities can make their public transportation systems a lot safer and more accessible to everyone. It makes room for more convenient ways to get around the cities and reduces cars on the roads. It can make public transport more efficient and reliable. 

Not only that, but computer vision can address the need for better safety monitoring and compliance when it comes to autonomous vehicles. Though not widespread now, autonomous vehicles will leave city officials and law enforcement in need of an effective way to ensure they do not endanger the safety of other drivers or bystanders.

Where Does CV Fit into Optimizing the In-Cabin Experience?

Computer vision technologies can empower city offices and transportation providers to track data directly from live surveillance, even in real-time. This line of sight opens up several different possibilities for improving in-cabin monitoring efforts and ensuring passengers feel safe while taking a ride on a bus or other means of public transport.

Computer vision supports the entire infrastructure of the new connected city. Modern technologies designed to streamline traffic or city operations don’t mean a lot unless these technologies can communicate with each other and make decisions based on accurate, real-life data. Computer vision can become the link that connects the different smart city tools employed.

But CV can directly improve rider comfort. Of course, several enhancements could be added to a bus, subway, or other public means of transport. Still, it’s difficult to know which enhancement genuinely improves the experience. CV can show you which new amenity is interacted with most, allowing providers to improve the experience they offer with highly accurate data. Especially in the context of a smart city, where some amenities might be too futuristic for all public transport users, this is a crucial asset to have.

But it’s not just what’s inside the actual means of transport. CV can help the passengers access valuable information on the spot, which can influence their riding experience. CV can notify transportation administrators as well as riders of empty seat locations, overcapacity warnings, or in the event of an anticipated slowdown on the route. Real-time data like this allows everyone involved in the public transportation landscape to make informed decisions and a seamless experience. 

And the list of computer visions' roles in in-cabin monitoring and experience-enhancing can go on:

• Providing operators with new revenue opportunities by using CV to deliver highly-targeted ads mid-transport;

• Improving passenger flow and capacity management by better identifying surges in the demand for public transport;

• Using identification models as a way of reducing the likelihood of crime in public transport and diagnosing it quickly

• Quickly identifying a health emergency;

• Implementing better driver monitoring to detect distraction, fatigue, or other emergencies, etc.

WATCH: The Business of Computer Vision: Transportation

Here's How alwaysAI Can Help

Computer vision is the technology cities, transportation providers, and tech manufacturers need to make sure their visions for a smart city can become a reality.

Because, in the end, nothing beats making decisions based on data. And computer vision is one of the best ways to get accurate, real-life data about the transportation of the future. If you’re looking for ways to leverage computer vision technology to streamline implementing smart transport initiatives, we at alwaysAI can assist you with custom solutions.

Start the process by creating a free account at alwaysAI.co, or schedule a demo to speak to our computer vision experts.

About alwaysAI

alwaysAI provides developers and enterprises a comprehensive platform for building, deploying and managing computer vision applications on IoT devices. We make computer vision come alive on the edge - where work and life happens. The alwaysAI platform offers a catalog of pre-trained models, a low-code model training toolkit, and a powerful set of APIs to help developers at all levels build and customize CV apps. alwaysAI has an easy deployment process and a state-of-the-art run-time engine to accelerate computer vision apps into production quickly, securely, and affordably.

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