September 2015 – The CityPulse project from Atos and Sorama has been rewarded with the Digital Impact Award during a live ceremony that took place in The Hague 3 September. In this project, Atos uses Big Data Intelligence to make the nightlife in the Dutch City of Eindhoven safer. By collecting real-time data from the busy nightlife area of Stratumseind, it is possible for emergency services and authorities to be kept informed about possible incidents and thus help to guarantee safety in the city. The Digital Impact Award was presented by ‘Nederland ICT’, the Dutch trade association for over 550 ICT companies in Netherlands, to a project or organization that – by means of an IT application – gives a clear impetus to the digital economy or has a visible positive impact on people and society.
Atos, the Dutch Institute for Technology, Safety & Security (DITSS), the City of Eindhoven (with Living Lab), Intel, RTR (regional control room, Dutch Police), Sorama and Vinotion, have joined forces to create CityPulse. Its goal is to help the city of Eindhoven manage the safety in the entertainment district of Stratumseind, which draws up to 20,000 visitors every weekend. Big data and real-time data analysis are used while privacy of the data collected is ensured as no facial recognition is possible in the video images. In addition to analyzing video and audio clips from security cameras and microphones, Big data and real-time data analytics are used to incorporate data from social media to give a complete picture of the situation on the street. If a situation threatens to get out of hand, CityPulse sends an alert to the police control room. This enables the emergency services to respond more immediately and in a measured and appropriate way. In addition to manual responses, an automated response includes changing the colour and brightness of the streetlight nearest to the location of the identified incident.
Pioneering role for cities worldwide
CityPulse was one of three nominees for the Digital Impact Award and was the ultimate winner. The jury report praised CityPulse for its innovative character and the tangible contribution of the project for a safe nightlife for both visitors and residents as well as for the international exposure it generated.
“We are very proud that CityPulse won the Digital Impact Award. It is a special project in which we are pioneers, using data from public spaces to develop innovative ideas and solutions. Eindhoven is therefore an example for other cities worldwide. It is our ambition to start similar projects in other cities and countries,” says Rob Pols, CEO of Atos in Benelux & The Nordics.
Bianca van Kaathoven, Vice major the City of Eindhoven: “The CityPulse project is important to us since Eindhoven is an innovative city. We use public spaces to develop new, innovative ideas. CityPulse is helping us to make Stratumseind a safer and more enjoyable place for everyone. We are proud of this award, it shows that our joint initiative is noticed in the IT world”.