From the emergency services to interacting online, Edge Computing is driving new possibilities

The way we consume content is constantly evolving.

You only need to look at the rise of video sharing abilities across social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, to see that this form of content is increasing in popularity.

It’s predicted that by 2021, people will spend 100 minutes a day watching online videos. But this medium isn’t just about entertainment.

In 2020, we’ve seen it become a vital part of how we stay in touch with loved ones and collaborate with colleagues.

Bringing people together

Working with Groopview, a synchronised viewing experience, we’re helping bring people together even when they’re apart.

Inspired by one of the founder’s nieces, who was watching TV and chatting online to friends at the same time, the business created a social viewing platform where people can chat, watch and react to TV, almost as though they are sitting in the same room.

You can imagine that any issues with lagging or buffering can be truly damaging to the experience, which is where Multi-access Edge Computing can help.

This technology limits any interruptions by delivering the video to the person’s viewing device from the network edge, ensuring that the content is streamed in sync with the chat and these experiences and reactions bring viewers together in real time.

While Edge Computing can run on 4G, pairing it with a lightning-fast network like 5G can create an even smoother experience for the customer and during the pandemic, where face-to-face interactions have been limited, these kinds of digital tools can really help people recreate those social scenes and stay connected.

Protecting emergency responders

From your front room, to the front line, Edge Computing in video has a role to play.

Video analytics within the emergency services can improve the safety of first responders and society-at-large.

And that is exactly what surveillance technology company Digital Barriers is helping to do. It supports the public sector with live video streaming and analytics from remote, large and often hostile locations.

By using our Edge Computing technology, first responders such as police officers and paramedics wearing cameras can provide an accurate picture of the incident in real-time, streaming it straight back to expert teams so they can monitor the situation and react as needed.

For example, by using live footage from a paramedic, hospital teams can adequately prepare for the casualty before they arrive.

When every second counts, the demand for reliable and quick intelligence is as crucial as ever.

Another example I covered in a previous blog, is safety on public transport. Monitoring the safety of every passenger can be a challenge, but using Edge Computing paired with sensors running on the Internet of Things (IoT), suddenly we have the ability to see more and react in real time.

And as technology continues to advance, so too will the capabilities of Edge Computing, helping us develop possibilities that haven’t even been imagined yet.

Find out more about how Edge Computing can help transform your business.