Conversations for a Smarter Planet: # 3 in a Series
Safer citizens of a smarter planet.

Arguably, the first duty of a state is to protect its citizens. The question is, how do we achieve that in an urbanizing world that is becoming more fast-paced and unpredictable every day?

Significant strides have been made by applying innovative, community-based approaches and new technologies to help reduce urban crime and improve emergency response. Yet, the challenges to public safety continue to grow.

Fortunately, new capabilities are now at our disposal to help make urban public safety systems not just more connected and efficient, but smarter.

Progressive leaders, for instance, are able to analyze, anticipate and prevent crimes and emergencies, rather than react to them after they occur. They are doing so with smart systems that capture data from multiple resources and then apply intelligence to this welter of information to detect patterns and react on them in real time.

We see it happening today in New York, where the police commanders are using analytics and visualization tools to see crime patterns, even as they form. The city's Real Time Crime Center system can quickly query millions of pieces of information to uncover previously unknown data relationships and points of connection. Integrated crime information analysis, delivered in real time, has helped New York see a 27% drop in crime since 2001, making it the safest large city in the U.S.

We see it happening in Madrid. Following the terrorist attacks of March 2004, the city developed a new Emergency Response Center. So today, when a citizen witnesses an accident and places an emergency call, the system simultaneously alerts the police, the ambulance service and, if needed, the fire brigade. The smart system can recognize if alerts from several different sources relate to a single or multiple incidents, and assign the right resources based on the requirements coming from the ground.

We now see it happening in India too. DLF, a leading real estate company, has initiated a proactive security solution that integrates security sub-systems like access control and CCTVs. The solution, tested at a DLF premises, has shown to enhance monitoring capabilities and help resolve potential security situations in real time.

For cities and regions competing in the global marketplace for work, investment and talent, safety and security are crucial factors in determining overall quality of life. Which is why smarter public safety systems are not just a responsibility of the state, but a priority for the success of businesses, communities and civil society at large.

Let's build a smarter planet.