Facial recognition CCTV system goes live in Myanmar, prepared in India

A total of 335 cameras with face recognition capabilities went live last week in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw, Myanmar Now reports.

The system, which facial recognition algorithms were developed by tech giant Huawei, cost roughly $2.9 million and is capable of recognizing faces, as well as vehicles’ number plates.

“Anyone with a criminal history entering Naypyitaw will be recognized.” Myint Swe, the top advisor for the Naypyitaw Safe City project, told Myanmar Now, describing the new biometric surveillance system.

Naypyitaw started working on the new system last year, calling for companies to join the project.

Huawei is involved through a partner. Among the companies who applied, Linn IT Solution was tasked to build the control center, and Naung Yoe was chosen to install cameras and communication cables.

The new control center, which can keep footage for sixty days, is operating under the control of the city police, with guidance from a group led by Dr. Myo Aung, the chair of the Naypyitaw Council.

A contract has also been signed between Huawei and the government to provide the same facial recognition technology to the Mandalay Safe City project, at an approximate cost of $1.5 million. The project will cover three of Mandalay’s seven townships.

Smart surveillance system to be installed in Varanasi

Around 3000 surveillance cameras will be installed at 720 locations in Varanasi, India, as part of a Smart City project, Hindustan Times reports.

Among the devices, there will also be 22 facial recognition cameras, connected to the Kashi Integrated Command Control Centre (KICCC).

The system, which according to Varanasi Smart City CEO Gaurang Rathi, is worth roughly $17.4 million, is being built with technology from India, Europe, and the U.S.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Rathi said that installation works related to the new system have started in July, with the optical fiber line currently being laid.

The Smart City CEO added that the new, smart surveillance system should be operational by March next year.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  cctv  |  Huawei  |  India  |  Myanmar  |  police  |  smart cities  |  video surveillance