Safe City Project launched in Mardan

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Science Technology & Information Technology, Food, Sports and Youth Affairs Atif Khan launched Mardan’s AI-based Pilot Safe City Project as well as the Paperless File Management System in the deputy commissioner’s (DC’s) office on Thursday.

Both projects were created in collaboration with the KP IT Board, District Police Office Mardan, DC Office and National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), University of Engineering and Technology.

A handout said that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Safe City Mardan Project includes a holistic approach to achieving a safe city by deploying surveillance systems at critical junctions in a way that is smart as well as safe.

The system is supported by facial recognition capability and is backed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which will enable the system to detect weapons, mobs, boundary breaches, and camera tampering.

Separately, to ensure that the public follows SOPs during disease outbreaks, the system can also detect who is wearing face masks and that appropriate social distancing protocols are being followed.

One of the more salient features of the project is that the AI-backed systems will significantly reduce human involvement in monitoring live events captured on CCTV cameras, eliminating room for human error.

Frequently, these cameras accumulate event data of no significant value; with AI-based technology, the focus is brought to each targeted event and can immediately alert the relevant authorities.

Separately, in a bid to achieve both efficiency and transparency for the people of KP, the Paperless File Management System will automate the file tracking system of the DC’s office to streamline the internal work and document flow between the Commissioners’ offices to the DC’s, and then subsequently to the teams involved in supporting the tasks.

Minister Atif Khan said the project is in line with the Digital Pakistan vision that aims to develop and enhance security in cities, using advanced technology to improve quality of life, boost the efficiency of city operations and services, and strengthen competitiveness, all in an effort to meet the security concerns of current and future generations.

“Through both the Safe City Mardan Project and the Paperless File Management System, we are building a future for Mardan that is safe and smart - one that improves the quality of life for our communities, and saves time, energy and resources in the process,” he said.