Cebu City to test no-contact apprehension scheme

The Cebu City Council has given a private firm the go signal to test the nocontact apprehension by installing two cameras along M.J. Cuenco-Maxilom intersection.

During the recent regular session, the legislative body authorized Mayor Tomas Osmeña to sign the proof of concept agreement (POCA) with Dyna-Tech Innovation Corp and LITEON to evaluate the smart camera system for 60 days here.

“The City Government operates and maintains the infrastructure along major roads and streets in Cebu City, with an estimated minimum of only two cameras, which currently work on monitoring the traffic condition and illegal behaviors of the road,” read portion of the POCA.

City Councilor Jerry Guardo, deputy mayor for infrastructure matters, said the city government needs to employ advancement of technologies that will eliminate the cost of human resources replacing the “inefficient” cameras installed in the city.

The Smart Camera System has been tested by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and in Taiwan.

Guardo said the MMDA recorded 4,000 average monthly apprehension of traffic violator before the system was installed. With the system, he said the apprehensions dropped to 3,000.

DYNA has been chosen as exclusive agent and representative of LITEON, which submitted Smart City Solutions to the city government, to replace the existing cameras of the city.

The Smart Camera System combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology is seen to address the traffic problem and assist the improvement of the city’s streets.

Among the benefits of the project are the reduction of human resources on monitoring the traditional camera system, improvement of the accuracy in monitoring and analyzing the traffic behavior, and the fast deployment of street light posts.

DYNA will install two camera systems to collect and analyze traffic data including the traffic flow of different direction, real-time image recognition of vehicles, real-time image recognition of moving direction of vehicles, intelligent traffic flow image analysis on motorcycle, intersection occupancy, and intelligent traffic flow through 360 Degree image speed of various types of vehicles.

City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said the city will evaluate the technology as well as the other technologies that were presented to the city.

Villarete said the Cebu City Transportation Office will conduct a thorough review and submit recommendations to the mayor.

“The modes of procurement need to be studied too to determine what’s best for the city,” he said.

City Councilor Pastor Alcover, Jr. objected the passage of the resolution authorizing Osmeña to sign the POCA.

On the other hand, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera’s proposed amendments to the POCA were incorporated in the agreement.

The amendments include that the city government shall have access to the result of the 60-day trial; that the parties should not use the data for any other purpose; that only authorized persons shall have access to the cameras and the attached system.

City Councilor David Tumulak, for his part, said the company should not access the city’s own wireless communication for security purposes.