15 September 2020 – Donations in support of the City of Baguio’s pursuit of development towards a ‘Smart City’ keep pouring in.
Two technology software were installed Monday, 14 September 2020 at the Management Information Technology Division (MITD) under the Office of the City Mayor to supplement the contact tracing capability by crowd density monitoring while the other software is for real-time weather prediction.
The software were donated by Curiociti, a private company involved in computer systems and information technology development based in Manila.
Ricky Palad, president of Curiociti said the crowd density monitoring software works hand in hand with the contact tracing system of Baguio using 19 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras already installed by the city government.
An application can be downloaded on the phones of authorities and officials to monitor crowding of people or density of people in a certain place. Authorities can dispatch personnel to disperse and check on adherence to physical distancing.
Palad said the software may also be linked to CCTVs of establishments, which can allow the city to have an eye on everything that the cameras can get.
Another app donated to the city is a weather disturbance computer application that allows real time monitoring of the weather systems supplemental to the forecast of PAG-ASA.
Using a smart weather camera, it can predict the weather disturbance on a five kilometer radius and know what will happen at a specific time.
“This morning I checked on the app and it says at past 1:00 p.m. onwards, the city will have a heavy rainfall,” which was what was happening at past 2:00 p.m. when he was explaining the app, September 14.
Both computer applications were given to the city for free.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the computer applications are in line with the plan of his administration to build the first Smart City in the country, using technology for various programs on peace and order, anti-criminality and disaster risk reduction management.
The AI (artificial intelligence) can identify faces, plate numbers and others using the cameras on all corners of the city.** Jessa Mardy Samidan
