Chicago's video camera security network will get smarter with technology intended to make it the nation's most advanced, IBM executives will announce Thursday.
The computer giant is working with Chicago's office of emergency management to create a system that ties together the thousands of video cameras operated by the city, using software to analyze video that needs attention from humans. It will also store video digitally, filing it in ways that can be readily retrieved, said Sam Docknevich, an IBM executive for digital technology.
"Suppose you arrest a suspect and you'd like to check where his car was at a certain time," said Docknevich. "This system can be searched by description of the car and its license plate number to see if it was captured on video."
While Chicago's video security system is connected by optical fiber wherever possible, it also has a major wireless component, and the upgrade announcement is being made in conjunction with a major wireless technology trade show at McCormick Place, WiMax World, that concludes Thursday.