Rank One Computing launches school safety initiative

Computer vision firm Rank One Computing (ROC.ai) has launched its school safety initiative in the U.S. state of West Virginia.

ROC’s live video analytics software, ROC Watch, is being integrated with 55 high schools‘ camera systems.

Together, according to the company, the systems will enable schools to approve visitors before they enter buildings, detect incidents or intruders, count students and locate unaccounted-for children during incidents.

Administrators also will be able to manage access rights for staff and visitors through mobile enrollment.

The project was supported in October through a $2 million investment by the West Virginia Department of Education.

ROC’s software became operational in two schools this month.

The company says it plans to expand the Safer Schools Initiative from four counties in the state right now to school districts elsewhere in the United States and, eventually globally.

The biometric access control systems are part of a larger West Virginia program that includes putting a security officer in every school, mental health initiatives and making available the See Send mobile app, which enables people to report suspicious incidents.

The state is not alone in hoping surveillance will end school shooting. According to reports, up to 30 schools in the state of Montana were under facial recognition surveillance.

The schools were said to be using technology from California cloud-based security firm Verkada which has experienced pushback in four other states that caused it to shutter installations there.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  ROC  |  school security  |  schools  |  video analytics