Solving complex crimes in heavily populated centers requires advanced security technologies and an adequate police force. Public security agencies are now exploring Safe City platforms that use the latest security technologies to improve efficiency, high-tech crime detection, and crime prevention, and expand police services on demand.
Open, Decoupled, and Modularized
Most Safe City systems today are highly customized solutions involving multiple vendors. Service upgrades on such legacy systems are costly and time consuming. An additional complication is vendor lock-in. Although the old systems may feature converged elements (terminals, networks, services), what they lack is an open, decoupled, and modularized platform.
It was not possible to build legacy architectures to support the types of rapid innovation that are available today. The technological maturity of our modern solutions allows public security agencies to require open and decoupled support for southbound interfaces to access devices from multiple vendors and northbound interfaces for service optimization. With such a platform, public security personnel can quickly replace existing terminals or add new ones without having to perform large-scale adaptations or service system optimizations.
Converged, Intelligent, and Open Safe Cities
Advanced Information and Communications Technology (ICT), including cloud computing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), is the foundation of the Huawei Safe City architecture.
The core products and services for the Huawei Safe City solutions include:
FusionSphere: Distributed Cloud Platform
- OpenStack-based Cloud OS: Services feature high compatibility and capability for continuous evolution
- End-to-end (E2E): System-level solutions, such as power supply, air conditioning, lightning protection, and firefighting; equipment-level solutions, such as network, IT, and security devices; plus unified Network Management System (NMS)
- Data Center (DC): Single cabinet MicroDCs; containerized DCs; modular DCs that support quick installation and smooth expansion; traditional DCs for rack space deployment equipment rooms
- Resource management and disaster recovery: Unified and resilient, distributed cloud DCs
Intelligent Monitoring Platform
- Video Monitoring Systems (VMSs) support cameras from different vendors and shared access to social video resources. Video resources are stored and shared across locations, departments, and types with a global catalog view. VMSs provide fast, secure, distributed cloud data storage with real-time concurrent viewing of large-scale videos and query response times in seconds.
- Video Content Management (VCM) provides parallel and structured analysis of the characteristics of extensive video recordings and large-capacity, high-performance cloud-based analysis of videos, including: 1) Video analysis across locations and tasks, dynamic delivery of tasks, local data analysis, and converged results using distributed cloud architecture, 2) Edge nodes such as intelligent IP Cameras (IPCs) connected to central VCM servers, 3) Dynamic loading of intelligent algorithms to complete analysis tasks, and 4) VMSs, video analysis algorithms, and service systems from different vendors.
Converged Command Platform
Integrated Communication Platform (ICP) supports:
- Multi-channel incident reporting and technical protection alarms interconnected with an IoT security platform and video surveillance alarms
- Converged interconnections of various resources, such as landline phones, mobile phones, narrowband/broadband trunking, IP phones, video cameras, and other video sources
- Open Application Platform Interfaces (APIs) to simplify interconnections with service providers
The ICP provides:
- Converged voice, video, and data communication services to improve dispatch efficiency
- Multi-node conferences, network videos, Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), police databases, and third-party data sources
- Site visualization based on 4G/eLTE wireless broadband trunking technology and resource visualization by interworking with GIS
- Voice and video communication services using Representational State Transfer (REST) service interfaces
IoT Security Management Platform provides:
- Access management, authority control, security management, data conversion, and storage for sensor inputs
- Service orchestration tools to design service flows for different alarms
- REST interfaces that enable upper-layer service development
- LiteOS - lightweight, low-power, self-configuring IoT OS and development environment for embedded IoT devices
- IoT agents and gateways to simply network access for sensors from different vendors using different protocols
The IoT Security Management Platform supports:
- Multiple communication protocols for sensor access
- Invoking communication capability for ICP platform for efficient coordination
FusionInsight Big Data Platform
FusionInsight provides:
- Full-stack capabilities using multiple Massively Parallel Processing Database platforms such as Hadoop, Spark, and Storm
- Standard Structured Query Language (SQL) queries for smooth interconnection with traditional applications
FusionInsight supports:
- Algorithms such as community discovery, route tracking, relationship analysis, and 'similar to' case analysis
- Unified data access using interface adaption layer to shield differences between various sources to people and machines
- Unified data access facilitates extension of data sources
Unified Management Platform
The Unified Management Platform provides:
- Unified management of network, servers, security, storage, and DC equipment rooms to improve Operations and Maintenance (O&M) efficiency
- Professional knowledgebase and E2E analysis procedures based on historical fault scenarios
The Unified Management Platform supports:
- Access management for third-party devices
- Integrated management of camera sites and increasing use of full field-of-view cameras to enhance online availability of live images
Unified Security Platform
The Unified Security Platform provides:
- Unified security management at cloud, pipe, and device levels to ensure equipment and service-level security
- Security architecture, management consultation, and advanced security protections
- Multiple access authentication and session controls, blocked access from invalid cameras
The Unified Security Platform supports:
- High security passwords to prevent videos from going public
Safeguarding the Future
Safe City constructions and maintenance require R&D competency and long-term investment. Huawei has 16 R&D centers worldwide and invests over 10 percent of its annual income in R&D. Since 2015, Huawei has focused on Safe City solutions to promote fast commercial deployment and continuous innovation of its Safe City platform.
By advancing Safe City system architecture and ICT technologies, Huawei builds open, compatible Safe City solutions that support smooth evolution and continuous innovation for customers. Huawei is committed to helping customers build an ecosystem that encourages cooperation with different vendors to improve technology, efficiency, and value through service innovations. The Huawei Safe City solution is now serving 400 million people from more than 30 countries, including China, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
By Bai Jianhua, General Manager, Government Solutions, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.