Dubai is introducing a facial recognition system on public transport to beef up safety, officers stated Sunday, because the emirate prepares to host the worldwide Expo exhibition.
“This technology has proven its effectiveness to identify suspicious and wanted people,” stated Obaid al-Hathboor, director of Dubai’s Transport Safety Division.
The emirate already operates a biometric system utilizing facial recognition at its worldwide airport.
Dubai, which sees itself as a number one “smart city” within the Center East, has ambitions to change into a hub for know-how and synthetic intelligence.
Each sectors can be on present when it opens the multi-billion-dollar Expo honest.
“We aspire to raise our performance by building on our current capabilities, to ensure a high level of security in metro stations and other transport sectors,” stated Hathboor.
Earlier this week, underneath the watch of Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the town’s police used facial recognition in a simulated state of affairs to determine gunmen launching an assault on a metro station.
A particular police unit, educated in america, helped “evacuate” commuters from the station within the mock assault, earlier than working in tandem with a management centre to apprehend the suspects.
Members of the particular unit can be despatched to main metro stations throughout Expo 2020.
The six-month occasion was delayed by one yr on account of coronavirus, and is now set to open in October 2021.
It was anticipated to draw 15 million guests earlier than the worldwide financial system and transport techniques have been disrupted by the pandemic.
Jamal Rashed, of Dubai Police’s Transport Safety Division, stated the facial recognition know-how can be rolled out within the coming months in all metro stations.
Different know-how already in use to fight the unfold of the coronavirus, akin to helmets with thermal cameras and good glasses, can even be used to determine and handle giant crowds.
“It took at least five hours to identify a suspect before,” stated Rashed. “With this technology, it takes less than a minute.”
However whereas the know-how to determine people has simplified lives, akin to getting used for unlocking telephones, it has additionally raised considerations over privateness.
