Hanwha Techwin’s Uri Guterman highlights the need for video-based surveillance solutions to cut carbon emissions

Uri Guterman, the Head of Products and Marketing, Hanwha Techwin Europe feels the world is at an inflexion point in the battle against climate change.

Scientists have long been sounding the alarm about the damage that carbon emissions are doing to the planet, but now they are beginning to observe widespread, unprecedented changes across the whole climate system. Some of these changes are irreversible over hundreds, to thousands, of years.

Limiting climate change

The good news is that there is still exists an opportunity to limit climate change

The good news is that there is still exists an opportunity to limit climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations (UN) organisational body that assesses the science of climate change, states that “Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change.”

Beyond tackling climate change, limiting carbon emissions will also help improve many people’s quality of life, by improving air quality in their towns and cities globally. Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to health and cutting carbon emissions reduces the onset and mortality from several health-related issues such as, stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases, like asthma.

Video analytics to support climate change efforts

To support wider carbon emission cutting, city and business leaders can and should invest in intelligent, video-based security solutions that will enable minimising congestion and make moving around a city, car park, and site, simpler and convenient.

Simultaneously, the video analytics technology employed to do this can additionally support toll-road and parking pricing or rule enforcement, along with improve security, and boost the driver experience.

The role of AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Intelligent cameras, such as the Wisenet AI cameras from Hanwha Techwin, come equipped with edge-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can detect and classify different vehicle categories, and models. Bicycles can be differentiated from cars and trucks, for example, enabling operators to allow certain vehicular traffic through an area and limit others.

AI can alert operators to potential traffic jams or road accidents, thereby enabling them to take proactive action

So with the AI technology deployed, trucks could be restricted from entering residential streets or any vehicle from roads near schools, during drop-off and pick-up times for students. This will keep traffic on the move and protect vulnerable residents and children from exhaust fumes of vehicles.

Likewise, operators can monitor road usage and redirect traffic to alternative routes, if congestion is building up. AI can alert operators to potential traffic jams or road accidents, thereby enabling them to take proactive action, in order to avoid worsening congestion. Simultaneously, updates and closures can be communicated to drivers through integrated digital displays placed along a route.

Parking solutions

When a vehicle reaches its destination, again, video analytics technology can ensure a smoother driving and parking experience, and by extension, lower emissions.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) fulfills multiple roles here, by automatically allowing access to a car park for pre-authorised vehicles to enforcing parking penalties, and monitoring a site for dangerous driving. Reducing the time taken to wait for a barrier to raise or a ticket to be issued will ultimately add up across hundreds of vehicles entering and exiting a site.

Meanwhile, bad parking that hinders other vehicles and causes congestion can be avoided. ANPR can also help traffic flow more smoothly through other stop-and-go installations like toll roads.

Serverless ANPR solutions work on-site

Furthermore, serverless ANPR solutions work on-site, in order to allow entry and exit, and to capture and transmit vehicle data without a server. They are ideally suited to car parks and small residential estates. Investing in this edge-based solution cuts down on the electricity required to run a server room (plus its air conditioning and other utilities, to keep it running).

An on-premise server generates, on average, 916 kg CO2e/year and 320 kg CO2e/year to produce — needing over 50 trees to grow each year to offset. Similar gains can be had by investing in cameras that support edge-based Artificial Intelligence.

AI parking guidance cameras

AI parking guidance cameras, such as the TNF-9010 help drivers find available parking spaces

AI parking guidance cameras, such as the TNF-9010 help drivers find available parking spaces. This means people can quickly drive to an empty space, instead of waiting for a parking space to become available near the entrance of the car park, thereby creating unnecessary exhaust fumes and congestion back on the road.

Longer-term, the data generated from AI cameras can be used to develop more efficient roads and parking spaces. Usage can be analysed to detect the most popular areas and routes, and to widen or restrict access based on this.

More parking spaces could be provided in popular areas or alternative transport options, such as buses could be introduced. Overlaid with other city data, like pedestrian footfall or air quality sensors, certain areas could be made pedestrian-only during peak times for pollution. The impact of a new road could be analysed to see if it has increased or reduced carbon emissions.

Wisenet Road AI

With Wisenet Road AI (which runs on selected Wisenet P series 4K cameras), these advances are at every city leader’s fingertips. Installing AI into the central video surveillance system has never been easier, or more critical.

As the world continues to fight climate change, every difference that each and every one can make to reduction of carbon emissions, will add to the global effort. And the company will continue to find new ways to build a more sustainable future, something that is at the heart of the Hanwha Group’s mission.