Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares are now a tad safer and smarter as the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reveals a new Php300 million Communications and Command Center (CCC), located in the agency’s head office in Pasig City.
Featuring avante-garde facilities, which include the data center, operations center, media room, viewing room, power room, and situation room, the CCC acts as the “nerve center” of the sprawling urban jungle’s vital roads.
Aiding in MMDA’s more thorough and capable monitoring capabilities are also hundreds of high-definition cameras, a GPS-enabled Hytera radio smart dispatch system, and a smart traffic signalization system.
During the initiation ceremony, MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Don Artes highlights the importance of the project in supporting the country’s “economic development” as well as “strengthened security.”
Serving as the CCC’s lines of sight are 403 advanced closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed across important infrastructures in the city, in addition to traffic lights with adaptive and sensor capabilities that are jointed via MMDA’s fiber optic network.
Still in the process of expanding its reach in the city, the MMDA plans to install some 638 more CCTV cameras along critical roads along with 166 more CCTVs with data analytics functionality, linked along EDSA Bus Carousel.
All in all, the command center anticipates 1,200 CCTVs upon completion of the entire project under its disposal, per an MMDA official.
With over 40 of the CCTVs said to be capable of video analytics, an efficient system is already in place as far as people counting concerning the deployment of the bus and management system.
One instance of the placed system working is when the alarm is sent whenever buses remain static for more than half a minute, suggesting that they have passed the time limit.
But MMDA has more plans for an upgrade as it vies to extend its reach across the greater of the metro. Particularly, with the installation of a 45-kilometer-long fiber optic cable aimed at establishing a unified network with the various NCR LGU’s CCTVs.
Moreover, the agency also plans to acquire an artificial intelligence program that will help in classifying vehicles, counting the number of passing vehicles, identifying license plates, as well as recognizing individuals through their faces.
License plate recognition will be used by traffic enforcement for road-related concerns while behavioral analytics and facial recognition will serve as probable deterrents for crime and resolutions.