Smart cities advance: Taiwan invests in Iveda, Remark partners with Aaeon

Several smart city projects have advanced in the last few weeks. Arizona-based surveillance firm Iveda has announced several new clients in Taiwan, Remark Holdings partnered with AI-edge computing firm Aaeon, and the Mexican state of Yucatan has deployed 100 video surveillance cameras. Also, the Kyrgyzstan government has announced plans to connect security cameras to its Interior Ministry’s central system. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Karachi safe city project is stalled.

Iveda signs $1M in Taiwan deals

The surveillance software and hardware company said it has contracts with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, Tainan Solar Park, Taipei City Government Public Works Bureau and other government organizations.

Iveda will deploy its legacy cloud video system, IvedaXpress, and video management command center.

“We are effectively equipping local organizations and municipalities with the technology needed to prepare their communication networks and safety systems, all while enabling personnel to automate wherever possible, limiting waste in both energy and human power,” the company’s CEO, David Ly, says in a statement.

Iveda was awarded $3 million in contracts from Taiwan in August for video surveillance, including face biometrics.

Remark and Aaeon to collaborate on AI-driven video analytics

According to a company announcement, the pair will make market-ready smart city machine vision software for public safety, situational awareness and behavior analysis roles.

Remark’s video analytics will be integrated with Aaeon’s edge hardware to simplify deployment for broader systems integrators and end users.

Xiaoyun Yang, Remark Holdings‘ director of research and development, says in a statement that the pair can “create and deploy a complete vision system that detects, identifies, tracks and characterizes objects, people, vehicles and behaviors at scale and speed with actionable insights, with minimal false alerts.”

Aaeon and Remark are presenting their joint products at the Integrated Systems Europe conference in Barcelona through February 3.

Yucatan, Kyrgyzstan deploy facial recognition cameras

The Mexican state of Yucatan has deployed 100 video surveillance cameras with facial recognition capabilities on the bridge connecting Avenida Juárez, Constituyentes and Villas del Sol.

The devices are to be connected to the state’s Control, Command, Communication, Computing and Quality Center (C5) and local monitoring and surveillance (C2), reports regional news publisher Yucatan Times.

The publisher quotes the head of the Ministry of Public Safety and Transit, Raúl Tassinari, saying that the new cameras will scan faces and license plates.

It is hoped that the deployment will reduce accidents and criminal acts on the bridge.

A similar plan has been announced by the government of central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan, according to regional news agency Akipress. The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed it has begun installing facial recognition surveillance cameras in the Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek as part of its digitalization plans.

In fact, the nation has issued three million biometric passports since 2021.

Pakistan’s Karachi safe city project still delayed

An article in the independent newspaper Pakistan Today has suggested that the city of Karachi safe city project, which the nation’s Supreme Court ordered to launch in 2016, shows no signs of moving forward.

A joint initiative by the government and the National Radio Telecommunication Corp. (NRTC), the project was scheduled to cost 10 billion Pakistan rupees (US$37 million) in 2011, when it was approved. Completion now is expected to reach Rs40 billion (US$147.8 million).

Delays have been attributed to increasing equipment costs, lack of coordination between parties and political infighting.

A similar project planned in the city of Lahore has also been delayed for several years.

Video management system market keeps growing

Despite regional setbacks, however, the global market for video management systems, which includes biometric systems, is set to grow substantially over the next seven years.

Data from Emergen Research suggests the market reached $8.82 billion in 2021 and is expected to register compounded annual growth (CAGR) of 20.4 percent, reaching $47.2 billion in 2030.

This growth has been closely linked to the increasing adoption of video surveillance, especially in retail, transportation and government.

Article Topics

Aaeon  |  biometrics  |  biometrics at the edge  |  facial recognition  |  Iveda  |  Kyrgyzstan  |  Mexico  |  Pakistan  |  Remark Holdings  |  smart cities  |  Taiwan  |  video surveillance