For those not in the know, the Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX) has been working with Home Team departments such as the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to implement a number of cutting edge technologies.
One such example of these technologies includes the automated immigration for cars at Singapore’s land checkpoints.
Recently, HTX developed the Marine Video Analytics for Rescue and Recovery at Sea, in collaboration with SCDF Marine Division, who is responsible for marine fire and rescue operations in Singapore waters
The challenges of carrying out marine rescue operations
In 2023, there were at least two cases of people going missing off the waters at Sentosa and at Pulau Ubin.
According to HTX, sea rescue operations often pose immense challenges such as fast-changing sea conditions within a short period of time.
There is a need for an accurate and quick detection of humans during such incidents because there is a minimal window to rescue bodies as objects can drift very far in a short time.
In addition, such operations entail long hours with an elevating risk of fatigue that may compromise the success of the rescue.
There is also the issue of how captured imagery and video footage at sea often suffer from suboptimal quality as a result of fluctuating light conditions, variable sea states, and the vessel's motion-induced blur.
The ongoing development of the Marine Video Analytics project is therefore aimed at addressing these various difficulties by testing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in making such searches more efficient.
So how will AI be used to overcome these challenges?
Most of the focus will be on the use of AI to detect objects which are too small and challenging to identify, such as humans at sea.
The AI operates like a pair of eyes behind the camera, analysing video feeds similar to how rescue operators use their binoculars and camera to search for a human in water.
In this process, the AI enhances the video quality and colour contrasts to provide sharper and clearer details.
This makes spotting targets in challenging ocean conditions easier.
In short, the enhancement using AI improves the ability to “see”, enabling more efficient and effective search and rescue operations.
Thus far, HTX said it has been training AI models by creating synthetic data.
This involves generating synthetic thermal infrared imagery due to scarcity of data from open sources required for model training and enhancements.
Photo via HTX
AI is being utilised across various homeland security fields
This is not to say that AI is only being utilised for marine rescue operations.
Other areas where it is being put to use includes forensic analysis, such as Project HAI-TextOracle – a joint project to deploy AI to improve the forensic handwriting examination process.
There is also the development of an AI tool to identify novel psychoactive substances, even those which have not yet been recorded.
This tool is being developed further, and could be used at Singapore’s checkpoints, to better address the spread of such substances that are not specifically listed in legislation.
One of many Home Team enhancement technologies featured at HTX’s summit
The development of Marine Video Analytics was one of the many technologies featured at the Milipol Asia-Pacific-TechX Summit (MAP-TXS) 2024 that ran from Apr. 3 to 5.
Apart from the use of AI in marine rescue, visitors also had an opportunity to see other projects, such as Rover-X and insect hybrid robots used by SCDF for other types of rescue operations as well as innovative solutions to enhance border security and crime-solving efforts.
Organised jointly by HTX, GIE Milipol, and Comexposium under the auspices of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore) and the Ministry of the Interior (France), the event brought together various government officials, operational experts, industry leaders, and academia to discuss technological trends, with the aim of promoting greater collaboration within the international Homeland Security community.
Neat.
This sponsored article by HTX made the author feel grateful for the amount of effort being put into keeping him and his loved ones safe.
Top photo via HTX