Last November, the Metro Development Ministry launched the Nairobi Integrated Urban Surveillance System (IUSS) project. I’ve only recently taken a look at the RFP to get an idea of the solution’s design requirements and expectations. It’s a great start but falls short in one key area which I’ll touch on below.

First a little about the project. The idea is to add visual presence to Nairobi’s streets for safety and security purposes – particularly the crime prone areas – and to make traffic flow management smarter. The deployment will be carried out in (at least) two phases – the first involves design and implementation of a Video Surveillance solution and a Traffic Management solution, while the second adds on more “intelligence” to the platform through Facial Recognition and License Plate Recognition. Continue reading →