Smart Cities and the Rise of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Exploring the Benefits and Risks of Vehicle Surveillance

By: Dr Ryad Soobhany, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical & Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have emerged as a transformative solution in urban areas, tackling challenges such as high traffic and pollution. These systems, incorporating a network of static and mobile sensors, including cameras on buildings or vehicles/drones, embedded in the smart city infrastructure, are revolutionizing traffic management. By harnessing data from cameras, in-vehicle GPS systems, in-vehicle Near Field Communication (NFC), IoT devices, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), ITS enable the monitoring and tracking of vehicles for Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) or Public Transportation Management Systems (PTMS).

While intelligent transportation systems offer significant benefits, it’s crucial to acknowledge the challenges and risks they pose. ITMS provides real-time monitoring of traffic on roads and at junctions, while PTMS focus on managing transportation fleet and passenger information services. Emergency Response Management Systems (ERMS) primarily monitor the emergency responders of the smart city. The use of intelligent vehicle surveillance systems improves traffic management, public safety, and urban planning, but it also raises concerns about the data privacy and security of users and infrastructure, a risk that must be carefully managed.

Benefits

There are several benefits from the implementation of vehicle surveillance systems in urban areas and the most obvious one is a better vehicle traffic flow by using ITMS. Cameras placed strategically across the city monitor traffic to identify congested areas and road traffic incidents (e.g. accidents). Implementing dynamic traffic lights systems at junctions and temporary speed limits can improve traffic flow. Using AI, predictive traffic routing forecasts traffic bottlenecks and suggests alternative routing.  The use of PTMS leads to enhanced scheduling of public transportation; for example, the arrival/departure of trains/metro at the station is synchronized to feeder buses or taxis being stationed outside the station. There is an improvement in customer satisfaction and journey planning with real-time updates for public transport. Traffic flow is also improved by monitoring of cycle and pedestrian lanes, where safer cycle lanes will encourage road users to adopt cycling in certain urban areas adapted for cycling.

There is an overall improvement in public safety by better traffic management, with better response time to emergency situations by the ERMS, such as ambulances. LPR/ANPR (Licence Plate Recognition/Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems and GPS tracking systems in cars allow the monitoring of vehicles while they are located withing the bounds of the smart city. Stolen or wanted vehicles can be detected and followed through the city. The use of surveillance cameras, LPR/ANPR systems and GPS tracking can improve identification of criminal activities, which should enhance the response of law enforcement. Under-Vehicle Surveillance Systems (UVSS), which are cameras placed at strategic places on roads in the city take pictures or videos of the underside of vehicles to check the chassis for stolen cars. UVSS can also be used to detect contraband at ports or entry/exit points in smart cities.

The use of LPR/ANPR systems ease the management of Low Emission zones, which are areas where low emission vehicles (e.g. electric or hybrid vehicles) can circulate without charges and vehicles with higher emission rates have to pay an hourly or daily charge. The implementation of Low Emission zones can bring environmental benefits. The improved traffic flow in the urban areas can also lead to environmental benefits with less emissions in traffic jams and long traffic queues at junctions. Apart from environmental benefits, there are economic benefits linked to better health and overall happiness of citizens and visitors.

Risks

Several risks are associated with the amount of data collected from the vehicle surveillance systems. The main concern is the privacy of the smart city’s car drivers and car owners. Vehicles and their drivers are tracked everywhere they travel around the city and the speed they travel. This can lead to tracking drivers and without proper legal frameworks, the data collected can be used to encroach on the users’ privacy. The large amount of collected and stored data can be quite attractive to cyber criminals and might lead to cyber-attacks. Any data breach from these attacks might expose the personal information of drivers and their vehicles. Cyber-criminals can target the surveillance systems, for example hacking the intelligent dynamic traffic speed system and changing the traffic speed around the city.

Having video surveillance around the urban areas recording the public can lead to ethical issues. Most of the time, drivers might not have provided informed consent to participate in the vehicle surveillance systems. The lack of consent from users can lead to non-compliance with regulatory bodies and can result in legal challenges from user groups. Users need to be made aware that they are entering a vehicle surveillance zone and their data might be recorded. Vehicle surveillance systems can be used to discriminate against certain sections of the community, for example, young drivers might be unfairly targeted by the vehicle surveillance systems because they allegedly drive fast and dangerously, which allegedly cause accidents. Any cyber security attack or data intrusion can lead to users losing trust in the vehicle surveillance system.

The use of vehicle surveillance systems can benefit smart cities and enhance the quality of life of residents and visitors, but the authorities must respect the personal privacy of the public by ensuring that data are collected and processed ethically and guarded against any cyber-attack. Security policies and mitigation plans are primordial for vehicle surveillance systems.