Pasig barangay uses AI to enforce social distancing

MANILA, Philippines — A Pasig City village is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to combat the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

To more effectively enforce social distancing, Barangay San Antonio has equipped all 73 of its closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with AI software that makes it easier to monitor where large groups are gathered.

The “smart CCTVs” are shaping up to be the centerpiece of San Antonio’s efforts to contain the spread of the disease, according to village chair Raymond Lising.

The most salient feature of the software is a “people counter” that feeds the number of people in a given area into a map of the barangay displayed at its command center. The map enables officials to quickly gauge—then send responders to—areas with a high concentration of people.

Each area of the map is also shaded a certain color, depending on the number of residents on the street: green when there is one person or none at all, a faded orange when there are between four and 10 and a solid red when there are at least 11.

“When personnel manning the command center are alerted by the indicators of the smart CCTVs, they will immediately inform the security personnel through radio so that they can dispatch people to the specific area,” the village said in a statement on Sunday.