The Tampere Region has the largest security competence cluster in Finland and in normal conditions Tampere is a very lively city of events. That makes it a perfect platform for the SURE project, developing smart solutions for urban security and event resilience. Local companies may join the effort by offering their technologies for agile experiments starting in the autumn.
The aim of the SURE project is to improve the safety and security of people visiting or living in Tampere. Led by the City of Tampere, the SURE project is aiming to integrate data gathered from various sensors into situational awareness – a real-time view on what is happening in the city centre. The technology may also include control features for traffic, crowd movements or lighting in public areas, etc.
– First we are examining the most central areas of Tampere, the Central Square, Ratina and the route between them, says Senior Business Advisor, Safety and Security Petri Koskinen of Business Tampere.
The SURE project is developing scalable solutions. In Tampere, they could be applied in Särkänniemi Theme Park and Event Beach, Tampere Hall and adjoining Sorsapuisto Park; later also in the Tampere Deck Uros Live arena. School safety and security are also addressed. At the moment the project is outlining the challenges faced by the stakeholders.
– We are discussing their safety and security needs to recognise situations where new technical solutions would be useful, says Koskinen.
Agile experiments open in the autumn
Insta and Nokia are the technology partners in the SURE project. In the autumn, there will be a call for ideas for companies that may have solutions to offer for the recognised challenges. The project works equally on preventing, recognising and stopping security threats.
– Our challenges may be something like monitoring sound in the urban environment or observing smoke or chemicals in the air. All in all, technologies that make early detection of security threats possible. The challenges will be more precise when we publish the call for ideas, says Koskinen.
Camera technologies and visual data analysis are already very advanced in Tampere, so it is the additional techs that are in demand for the agile experiments – something to complement situational awareness, apart from visual monitoring. Joining the experiments may pay off, because the Smart Tampere agile experiments have previously helped to develop products and services that have global markets in smart cities.
Smart guidance is one of the themes in the SURE project, because it can be a useful tool for both preventing security incidents and instructing people in case of emergency. The project is examining e.g. the potential use of info screens for security-related guidance.
Drones are another set of interesting devices to be used for event and urban security. Drones can carry sensors and guidance where necessary.
Cooperation to improve urban security
The first weekend of June was supposed to be the first big test for SURE-project at a major new festival Rockfest in Tampere. Then coronavirus pandemic changed all plans – but the work for safety and security continues nevertheless.
– Our idea was to test existing solutions in the field of situational awareness and visual monitoring during the festival. But there will be events later, and now we have more time for further elaboration of our test plans, says Koskinen.
Building cooperation is a big task because improving safety and security takes a large variety of operators: event organisers, the City and other authorities, companies with their tech expertise, etc. Also, the aim is to increase citizen participation in urban security matters by, for example, continuing to organise public meetings and debates on the subject.
More information:
Petri Koskinen
Senior Business Advisor, Safety and Security
Business Tampere
+358 40 824 7716
petri.koskinen@businesstampere.com
The SURE (Smart Urban Security and Event Resilience) project is led by the City of Tampere. Other partners are Nokia, Insta and Securitas; Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences; Business Tampere and The Baltic Institute of Finland. The project has been granted MEUR 3.2 of funding by the EU’s Urban Innovative Actions initiative, which is an ERDF-funded initiative of the European Commission.
Photo: Laura Vanzo