In a world where navigating Covid-19 restrictions has become the norm, technology can help to manage our day-to-day lives – and provide hope for the future.
Unleash live, an AI-powered video analytics platform, offers a cloud-based solution that repurposes existing camera installations and connects them to real-time AI analytics solutions at the edge.
Available as an on-demand, subscription-based service, the software platform puts live video feeds into structured data sets by applying a range of different algorithms. Unleash live works across many different applications, from wind turbine inspections, to conveyor belt analysis, to infrastructure and cities.
The challenge
Taking into account the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as everyday travel considerations, Unleash live looked at ways to apply their solution to transform the transport network. Some of the challenges to overcome were:
Planning for different commuter volumes and varying commuting patterns, especially when they may be subject to changing government guidelines and restrictions.
Reducing risk of infection to passengers.
Maintaining and improving customer service during an ongoing health crisis.
Detecting accidents and incidents, and alerting the appropriate services to improve railway safety for passengers, as well as detecting unidentified or abandoned baggage.
Monitoring crowd patterns.
The solution
Vodafone Business’s collaboration with AWS brings to life Distributed Edge Computing by locating AWS infrastructure at the edge of Vodafone’s 4G and 5G network. With Distributed Edge, the Unleash live platform is able to:
Gather real-time insights at Vodafone’s 5G network edge, which can include live streaming from cameras at ticket gates for entry and exit. The platform can also run and refine an anonymised passenger counting algorithm, and automate a data push to transport servers, while saving resources because it is executed at an ultra-local level.
Detect if commuters are wearing face masks and monitor social distancing around stations. Real-time analysis of this data can provide operational insights that might – in the interests of passenger safety – trigger announcements, alerts or passenger rerouting around stations.
Detect and remedy problems before they can escalate by giving network personnel access to real-time analysis on any device and browser, so they can take preventative action.
The benefits
Distributed Edge Computing means Unleash live can provide real-time insights to transport network personnel, analysing data at the network edge to provide instant guidance. Ultimately, this means transport networks can offer safer, more reliable journeys that passengers feel comfortable making, as well as benefitting from efficient, accurate resource planning, and supply and demand planning.
Using Unleash live technology, the public transport networks and cities can ensure commuters and the public are safe. By measuring the reality of what’s going on, managers can act on facts and take fast action. Vodafone Business Distributed Edge and our cloud analytics are making this new confidence possible.
Hanno Blankenstein, CEO and Co-Founder, Unleash live
