An app with a panic button , real-time alerts and cameras that activate themselves if someone is in danger. It is not Minority Report, the mythical movie with Tom Cruise, but the new security plan that the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) wants to implement in the coming months and that, according to La Vanguardia and ACN, is already in the development phase.
The objective is clear: to reinforce citizen security through cell phones. Only a month after the blackout we know about a system that still has no exact launch date, and that seeks, in essence, to open a direct channel to warn and be warned of danger through the phone.
The panic button… on our phone
The new security system will work in a bidirectional way. On the one hand, it will allow anyone to warn of a risky situation by pressing an emergency button. On the other hand, it will send official alerts to neighbors in case of accidents, traffic jams, demonstrations or traffic cuts.
The most striking part of the system is what happens when someone presses the panic button: the system geolocates the person and automatically activates video surveillance cameras – both public and private – that are nearby. Thus, the authorities can react faster and with more information in case of aggression or other types of danger.
The tool is based on the M7 Citizen Security app, developed by the Cornellà de Llobregat-based company Einsmer. A dozen municipalities in the metropolitan area already use its services, but now the AMB wants to go a step further and extend this technology throughout the network of cities it manages.
The project foresees an initial investment of 6.1 million euros and a maintenance of almost 14 million euros until 2030. The AMB also plans to create a mixed company to manage it, with 51% public and 49% private participation. Initial studies suggest that it could have 400,000 registered users, who will have to identify themselves with a real name and telephone number (although it is not yet clear how this information will be verified).