Surveillance solutions that build smart cities
Smarter innovations in public spaces
What makes a city ‘smart’?
Smart cities are essentially about using technology to help authorities run public services in a cannier fashion. Smart technology can drive efficiencies, open up options for businesses, and improve the lives of citizens and visitors.
A smart city is a connected city
A smart city describes any city or town that has, at the heart of its management infrastructure, a control room connected to digital data sources all over the area. These sources include video cameras, personal healthcare monitors, traffic flow sensors, fire and intruder alarms, flood and pollution sensors and many, many more.
Why is this important? So the people running the city can make swift, intelligence-based decisions, helping them respond to what’s going on and to anticipate events before they happen.
We see the surveillance infrastructure as the foundation of a smart environment, with the camera at its core as the smartest sensor. But a smart city is about much more than just surveillance. A truly smart city gives you a constant stream of information. It helps you monitor resources. And it saves you time and money.
Make your city work better for your citizens
How you use the technology depends on your local challenges, your ambitions, and the limits of your imagination. Want some ideas? Here are a few for starters:
- Give your citizens free public space wi-fi
- Reduce traffic congestion by spotting pinch points before they start to hurt
- Check the severity of flooding remotely to help prioritise your flood defence response
- Monitor local air quality and pollen count to help inform your public health alerts
- Control city traffic volumes with congestion charging technology
- Give people waiting for trams and buses real-time information about wait times
Where it's working today
We’ve been helping cities across the UK get smart for several years now, including Cardiff, Gloucester, Glasgow, Nottingham, Newcastle, Leicester, Calderdale, Sussex, West Yorkshire and Weymouth.
“Free wi-fi supports our plans to promote economic growth in the city. It’s essential infrastructure for a modern connected city”
Rory Palmer
Leicester’s deputy city mayor 2016
“The public wi-fi project is a milestone in our quest to make Gloucester one of the most connected places in the UK. It’s fantastic for people visiting the city as well as local businesses, students, and shoppers. And it was great to work with BT on the rollout”
Councillor Jennie Dallimore
Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, Gloucester County Council
“Upgrading to a fully digital system is going to save us a five-figure sum every year. It’ll have paid for itself in four years”
Councillor Kim Groves
Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority transport committee
Laying the foundations of a Smart City within Gloucester's CCTV system
When Gloucester was chosen as a host city for the 2015 Rugby World, the city council realised their old analogue CCTV system was no longer fit for purpose. They needed a future-proofed, digital system, but didn't have the time or budget to install a brand new replacement. And that's where we came in.
We worked closely with the council to convert their creaking analogue CCTV to a cutting-edge digital system. The council also used it as an opportunity to lay the foundations of a smart city network, starting off with the installation of free public wi-fi across the city.
From safe to smart, you’re closer than you think
Use your cameras to tell you more
You can use your cameras for more than straightforward surveillance of roads and rogues. People are increasingly using them for facial and vehicle recognition, demographic profiling, and monitoring the flow of people and traffic.
Want a smart network? You already have one
You can use your existing surveillance network and infrastructure as the foundation for your public wi-fi. It’s part of our Smarter Cities initiative, which aims to promote wider digital access for people in cities across the UK.
Make your control centre earn its keep
Your Command and Control Centre can run much more than just surveillance. It can handle, analyse, and store data from all your cameras, sensors, and Internet of Things (IoT) connections, while meeting all your regulatory commitments.
Products, services and managed solutions
Cameras
You’ll find cameras for all situations, from have static street cameras to lightweight, wireless mobile cameras. We also have on-vehicle cameras, body-worn cameras and more.
Networks
Transmit surveillance data securely on our industry-leading fixed, mobile and wireless networks. Connect your control room, share surveillance, and enable your workforce.
Control rooms
Your Command and Control Centre is the most important element of your entire surveillance network. It’s where your video data is relayed securely to be examined and interpreted.
End-to-end maintenance
We don’t just walk away when we’ve installed your system and shown you how to use it. We’ll manage the system for you, making sure that you’re always getting optimum performance.
Procurement made easy
Procuring our services is simple and cost effective because we’re part of the Crown Commercial Services framework agreement