Milestone Systems: Creating proactive, efficient and safe cities

Mark Johnson, Business Development Manager, Milestone Systems discusses how analytics and IoT are revolutionising urban operations.

The challenges facing today’s cities are immense and growing. From ensuring public safety to managing traffic flow to monitoring critical infrastructure to optimising resource allocation, city managers are responsible for the wellbeing of thousands – sometimes millions – of citizens. 

With many cities facing staff shortages, particularly in first-responder roles, the need for smart, data-driven solutions has never been more critical.

In my work with law enforcement, real time crime centres and city managers, I’ve seen first-hand how the integration of advanced analytics and IoT technologies can transform urban operations from reactive to proactive, creating safer and more efficient communities. 

Traditional city surveillance and management systems have often operated in isolation, generating vast amounts of data that goes largely unused.

Hours of video data, environmental sensor readings and other information streams can become overwhelming and nearly meaningless without the proper tools and personnel to monitor, analyse and act upon this information.

However, the integration of AI and metadata-driven video technologies is transforming reactive systems into proactive, intelligent solutions that can multiply the effectiveness of existing staff and resources. 

Building intelligence through infrastructure 

Modern data-driven systems are capable of analysing both live and archived video data, revealing valuable patterns and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Through the use of AI-powered analytics, cities can now automatically search through multiple camera feeds simultaneously, identifying everything from suspicious behaviour patterns to traffic bottlenecks.

This capability for comprehensive analysis enables cities to make informed, data-supported decisions about resource allocation, infrastructure improvements and public safety initiatives. 

The foundation of these advanced capabilities lies in a robust and flexible infrastructure. At the core is open platform video management software (VMS) that can integrate with a wide range of hardware and software solutions.

This open architecture is crucial because cities are constantly evolving — adding new buildings, attractions and residents — and their management systems must be able to grow and adapt alongside them. 

Edge computing plays a particularly important role in this infrastructure, processing data closer to its source and reducing the burden on central systems.

This distributed approach enables faster response times and more efficient use of network resources, while also providing redundancy in case of system failures.

Edge computing capabilities are often the key differentiator between systems that merely collect data and those that provide actionable intelligence in real time.

The infrastructure must also support sophisticated data storage hierarchies that optimise accessibility and cost-effectiveness. 

I’ve seen successful implementations using tiered storage architectures where frequently accessed data remains on high-speed storage systems, while older data automatically migrates to more cost-effective storage solutions.

This approach enables cities to maintain extended data retention periods for investigation and pattern analysis without overwhelming their primary storage systems.  

Additionally, modern infrastructures must incorporate automated failover capabilities and real-time data replication to ensure continuous operation of critical city services.

These systems typically employ multiple redundant network paths and automatic load balancing to maintain performance even during peak usage periods or partial system outages. 

Transforming city operations through analytics 

The real power of data-driven city management becomes clear when we examine specific uses. In Vicente López, near Buenos Aires, for example, city officials faced a significant challenge with street crime and commercial theft.

Rather than simply responding to incidents after they occurred, the city deployed a comprehensive solution focused on proactive crime prevention.

The system incorporates several key capabilities that work together to create a comprehensive city management solution: 

• Real-time behaviour analysis using advanced video analytics 
• Automated monitoring of crowd dynamics in public spaces 
• Traffic pattern analysis for identifying unusual vehicle movement 
• Integration of multiple data sources for comprehensive situation awareness 
• Automated alerts for predefined security scenarios 
• Predictive analysis based on historical patterns 
• Environmental monitoring and response coordination 
• Resource optimisation through AI-driven deployment recommendations 

The results have been remarkable. The system’s ability to detect and alert officials to suspicious behaviour patterns has led to more efficient deployment of law enforcement resources and faster response times to potential incidents.

The automated monitoring capabilities have proven particularly valuable in high-traffic areas and during major public events, where traditional surveillance methods would require significant staffing power. 

Expanding beyond traditional security 

Similarly, the City of Hobart, Australia, has demonstrated how video systems can expand beyond their initial security focus to address broader urban management challenges.

After discovering that their existing surveillance systems were operating in isolation with no centralised management, city officials migrated to an integrated solution that has transformed their operations. 

The Hobart system showcases the versatility of modern analytics platforms.

The system not only manages traditional security functions but also controls city lighting based on real-time conditions, monitors rainfall and river levels for flood prevention, analyses pedestrian traffic patterns for infrastructure planning and provides automated parking management through licence plate recognition technology. 

The integrated nature of these systems also strengthens the city’s emergency preparedness with the same infrastructure providing crucial situational awareness during severe weather events or natural disasters, while enabling coordinated emergency response based on real-time conditions across the city.

This approach has enabled Hobart to optimise its operations across multiple departments while improving service delivery to citizens. 

I’ve noticed repeatedly that the most successful implementations share a common thread: They begin with a clear understanding of the city’s specific challenges and build upon existing infrastructure rather than attempting to replace everything at once.

This approach allows cities to maximise their return on investment while minimising disruption to ongoing operations. 

I’ve also seen innovative applications where cities have integrated their VMS platforms with mobile workforce management systems, enabling real-time coordination between field personnel and control center operators.

These integrations allow maintenance crews to receive immediate notifications with video clips of equipment failures, while parking enforcement officers can access live camera feeds on their mobile devices to verify violation contexts. 

Some cities have even extended their systems to include automated noise monitoring in entertainment districts with AI algorithms distinguishing between normal activity and potential disturbances. The data from these systems has proven valuable for city planning. 

Ethics, privacy and governance in smart cities 

As cities deploy increasingly sophisticated surveillance and analytics capabilities, the responsible management of data and privacy becomes paramount.

Successful smart city implementations must balance technological capabilities with robust privacy protections and ethical guidelines. 

Video analytics can now process metadata while maintaining citizen privacy through anonymisation techniques.

This approach allows cities to gather valuable insights about traffic patterns, space use and public safety without compromising individual privacy.

Advanced algorithms can track movement patterns and crowd dynamics without storing personally identifiable information, enabling cities to optimise services while protecting citizen rights. 

Successful implementation often depends on effective public-private partnerships, where technology vendors, integrators and authorities work together to ensure that surveillance and analytics capabilities align with privacy regulations and community expectations.

The most effective approaches involve regular community engagement and transparency about how technologies are being used, often including civilian oversight boards and strict data retention policies that help build public trust while ensuring that technologies serve their intended purpose. 

The future of intelligence 

As cities continue to grow and evolve, the role of data analytics in urban management will become increasingly critical.

The next generation of smart city solutions will need to address several key challenges, including increasing volumes of data from IoT devices and sensors, growing cybersecurity threats targeting city infrastructure and privacy concerns regarding data collection and analysis. 

To address these challenges, cities are increasingly turning to AI-powered analytics that can automatically identify patterns, predict potential issues and recommend appropriate responses.

These systems can analyse historical data to identify trends and patterns that might indicate emerging problems, enabling city officials to take preventive action before issues escalate.