20th of Febraury 2023
KEYS FACTORS OF THE ANALYSIS
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The AIoT (or Artificial Intelligence of Things) is expected to become one of the most disruptive trends in the video surveillance industry over the coming years, driven by the progressive adoption of 5G communication networks.
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Asia is the most advanced region in terms of this innovation and there are already important success stories both at a business and institutional level (in particular in the field of smart cities).
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In Taiwan, there are several examples of smart cities that are improving their security management systems by implementing new AIoT solutions combined with the latest generation 5G technology.
The combination of automated artificial intelligence systems with IoT connected devices and 5G communication networks is expected to be one of the major technological revolutions in the years to come in the field of security and surveillance.
As can be seen in the illustration below, Gartner estimates (1) (2) that by 2023, the installed base of IoT devices, managed using 5G networks, will grow exponentially in relation to its use in video surveillance solutions. In fact, this field, together with devices employed in connected vehicles, is the main field in which this trend is being applied, accounting for 70% of the total installed base of these types of devices:
So, how is it already being applied in practice? Below, we will take a look at several of the success stories demonstrating this trend, in two Asian countries (China and Taiwan), which is currently where the most innovative developments are to be found:
AIOT AND SMART CITIES IN TAIWAN
Security is, without a doubt, a crucial factor when it comes to launching and ensuring a smart city works correctly. In these hyperconnected environments, this task assumes a critical mission to prevent and handle any possible system downtime or operational outage that could trigger a system-wide problem. To this end, the AIoT is now being conceived as the latest major trend and its application is now reaching Asian markets, such as China or Taiwan, where the concept of smart cities is already commonplace. (8)
NEW TAIPEI CITY
Drones are already a form of technology that have already been adopted by police and security forces around the world. However, new IoT components are being built into them to make their usefulness in the field of surveillance more effective. For example, in New Taipei City, Taiwan, a new police force has been deployed using smart drones equipped with IP cameras.
The aim of this development is to solve the problem that, at present, IP cameras only collect images at street level since; however, to obtain a more comprehensive overview of what is going on, images also need to be obtained from the sky.
This new police force consists of 18 agents and 5 drones (also developed in Taiwan). To be part of the team, agents must first be certified by Taiwan's Civil Aviation Commission, enabling them to control the drones.
Drones have already been deployed to react in a variety of circumstances:
- Earlier this year, during the Danshui Cherry Blossom Festival, they were used to control traffic. The drones provided a clear view of where traffic jams were accumulating and detected where people were parking illegally, allowing agents to intervene accordingly.
A number of the standout features that these drones come equipped with are:
- They are waterproof and can continue to fly and broadcast even in poor, rainy weather conditions.
- Their batteries can be changed without having to switch them off. Unlike other drone models that have to be shutdown first, which usually renders them inoperative for 5 or 10 minutes, on these drones, the batteries can be changed when they start to run out, meaning they can return to work almost instantly.
In this smart city, AIoT solutions are also already being included in disaster response and prevention plans. For example, each year Taiwan sees several typhoons reach land, usually resulting in significant damage caused by flooding, power outages, etc. Having appropriate emergency plans is critical to avoid this damage insofar as possible and, to this end, the authorities are always looking for new solutions.
Until recently, in these circumstances, each instance of damage was reported to control centers using reports on paper. This highly inefficient system is now being improved; in 2018, control center was fully digitalized and it now uses a single desktop program through which all information is received.
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The latest innovation implemented at the control center consists of an online solution that any agent can access from wherever they are located and report incidents via their IoT devices. This provides the control center with an automated digital map showing the areas in which the biggest damage is being seen or where damage has already been fixed in colored circles, with a view to locating and redistributing operational resources to enhance the results and speed up the intervention.
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To prevent and take action in case of floods, a variety of sensor-based detection systems have been put into operation, installed both on the ground and inside the sewage network. These systems provide an immediate overview of the situation in each location and generate automatic digital reports that provide actionable insights to take action quickly. For example, a device can detect and provide a warning that a flood is forming in a given location, allowing emergency teams to act immediately and being it under control before it continues to spread. This represents a major development compared to previous systems, when flooded areas were only identified once the flood had gotten out of control, making tasks very difficult and without having any information to make more effective decisions. The new AIoT system also provides very valuable information in relation to the maintenance and future planning of the sewage network. For example, should a flood occur but the filtrate does not reach the sewage network as it should, this would mean that there are defects or anomalies that need to be corrected and improvements need to be made at that particular location. It can also be used to identify areas that do not have an appropriate water absorption capacity, etc. All the data is relayed to the control center via NB-IoT, although 4G or 5G technology is not needed for the data to be processed smoothly, as images do not have to be recorded. Another advantage is that relaying this data consumes very little power and the batteries can last for a year and a half to two years without going flat. Sensors have already been deployed in areas of the city that have previously been identified as prone to flooding and, according to those in charge of the project, have proven to be very effective.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY COMPANIES
As we have seen in the example of Milesight, this type of emerging company represents a major business opportunity since, through them, rapidly developing innovations in this area of IoT surveillance can be absorbed more quickly. Therefore, a very clear role that security companies can play is to incorporate these external solutions into their service packages, serving as intermediaries to allow technology startups to reach more new customers and improve the way in which they do so, thus expanding their business. Therefore, this is going to be a very important field to explore in the coming years, as the adoption of AIoT systems becomes increasingly more popular globally.
Furthermore, the examples related to application in smart cities open up a range of opportunities for collaboration with the public sector, also seeking out institutional partners that can generate a new market for selling these new technology-based security solutions, responding to the demand for new security tools that facilitate prevention and taking action in the face of disasters, systemic risks, event control, incident surveillance, etc.
To this end, a variety of AIoT tools will set the trend in the coming years. The main ones are:
- IP cameras built into a variety of different connected mobile devices.
- Drones and connected aircraft.
- Automatic sensors to identify thermal and humidity patterns, etc., as well as to control capacity and transmit data in real time to control equipment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. STATISTA. 5G Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint installed base forecast worldwide in 2020 and 2023, by segment. October 2019 [accessed 2/28/2022]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1061195/5g-iot-endpoint-installed-base-by-segment-worldwide/
2. STATISTA. Market share of 5G Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint installed base forecast worldwide in 2020 and 2023, by segment. October 2019 [accessed 2/28/2022]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1061207/5g-iot-endpoint-installed-base-by-segment-worldwide/
3. PR NEWSWIRE. Top 8 trends for the security industry in 2022. January 14, 2022 [accessed 2/28/2022]. Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-8-trends-for-the-security-industry-in-2022-301461128.html
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9. STATISTA. Annual revenue of China's Artificial Internet of Things (AIoT) market in 2018 and 2019 with a forecast until 2022. November 2020 [accessed 2/28/2022]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1194810/china-aiot-market-revenue/
10. PR NEWSWIRE. Innodisk Brings AIoT to Taipei City with Avalue Partnership. March 30, 2021 [accessed 28/02/2022]. Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innodisk-brings-aiot-to-taipei-city-with-avalue-partnership-301258270.html
11. PR NEWSWIRE. IoT-based "All-Round 3D Technology Security Circle" in New Taipei City Police Department. July 7, 2019 [accessed 2/28/2022]. Available at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/IoT-based-%22All-Round-3D-Technology-Security-Circle%22-Chang-Chien/90b60c7c57c917719045e20c18382cab4869eb8b