Gang members in Chicago who fire off a few rounds at their rivals are likely to find cops on the scene in minutes, thanks to new gunshot-detection devices being installed in 80 locations around the city before the end of the year.
The devices, mounted on telephone poles in specific neighborhoods, listen for the distinctive sound of a gunshot and immediately alert a police dispatcher when one is detected. A video camera in the device allows the dispatcher to keep an eye on the scene until officers arrive.
The system is similar to those being used to decrease gunshot-related injuries and deaths in a half dozen other cities in the United States, including Redwood City, California; Glendale, Arizona; and Charleston, South Carolina. Here's how the systems work:
Police mount the detection devices, which include microphones and sound-analysis hardware, on telephone poles and other locations in neighborhoods where gunfire is a problem. The devices are connected to a control center where dispatchers wait to receive alerts via their computers.
When someone or something makes a loud noise within two city blocks of a detection device, a microphone picks up the sound and passes it on to the sound-analysis hardware.
In Chicago's case, the analysis program, developed by Illinois-based Safety Dynamics with a grant from the Department of Defense, uses an algorithm originally developed for neurobiology research to determine whether the sound was caused by gunfire. In the Redwood City, Glendale and Charleston systems, the analysis is done by a modified earthquake-detection program developed by California-based ShotSpotter.
In either case, if the analysis determines that the incoming sound was indeed caused by gunfire, the device triggers another program to calculate the direction that the sound came from. This is done by comparing the slightly different times at which the sound hit different microphones in the area (or in the same box, as is the case with the Chicago system.) The process is known as triangulation.
If the police department has installed video cameras with the detection devices, either the device or a dispatcher can train the video camera in the direction that the gunfire came from. Dispatchers can also listen to a recording of the sound on their computers to make sure it's not a false alarm, as might be caused by a firecracker or other explosion.
The systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how many devices are being deployed. Police departments also can decide whether they want to make them bulletproof, and whether they want to make them conspicuous so residents know the devices are in the area.
In the Chicago system, the units -- which measure 2 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet -- have large police stars on the side and blue lights on top that flash when the system is activated.
Source: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65802,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1 (there is two pages, read more if you are interesting)
It does sound cool... that means we may not need the guns in the future if it gets improved to the point that cops can come in less than 3 mins or earlier right after gunfire.
Heard that group in Berkeley university is working on nanotechnology, nanotech bugs that can swarm to anyone who carrys the gun-based weapons in the certain radius of our places and disable their weapons by 'eating' their hands or give them the electricity shock. Nanotechnology is very, very useful but unfortunately that governments or corporations will use it for 'evil' intentions.. Every tool have its own bad and good sides *sigh*
The devices, mounted on telephone poles in specific neighborhoods, listen for the distinctive sound of a gunshot and immediately alert a police dispatcher when one is detected. A video camera in the device allows the dispatcher to keep an eye on the scene until officers arrive.
The system is similar to those being used to decrease gunshot-related injuries and deaths in a half dozen other cities in the United States, including Redwood City, California; Glendale, Arizona; and Charleston, South Carolina. Here's how the systems work:
Police mount the detection devices, which include microphones and sound-analysis hardware, on telephone poles and other locations in neighborhoods where gunfire is a problem. The devices are connected to a control center where dispatchers wait to receive alerts via their computers.
When someone or something makes a loud noise within two city blocks of a detection device, a microphone picks up the sound and passes it on to the sound-analysis hardware.
In Chicago's case, the analysis program, developed by Illinois-based Safety Dynamics with a grant from the Department of Defense, uses an algorithm originally developed for neurobiology research to determine whether the sound was caused by gunfire. In the Redwood City, Glendale and Charleston systems, the analysis is done by a modified earthquake-detection program developed by California-based ShotSpotter.
In either case, if the analysis determines that the incoming sound was indeed caused by gunfire, the device triggers another program to calculate the direction that the sound came from. This is done by comparing the slightly different times at which the sound hit different microphones in the area (or in the same box, as is the case with the Chicago system.) The process is known as triangulation.
If the police department has installed video cameras with the detection devices, either the device or a dispatcher can train the video camera in the direction that the gunfire came from. Dispatchers can also listen to a recording of the sound on their computers to make sure it's not a false alarm, as might be caused by a firecracker or other explosion.
The systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how many devices are being deployed. Police departments also can decide whether they want to make them bulletproof, and whether they want to make them conspicuous so residents know the devices are in the area.
In the Chicago system, the units -- which measure 2 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet -- have large police stars on the side and blue lights on top that flash when the system is activated.
Source: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65802,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1 (there is two pages, read more if you are interesting)
It does sound cool... that means we may not need the guns in the future if it gets improved to the point that cops can come in less than 3 mins or earlier right after gunfire.
Heard that group in Berkeley university is working on nanotechnology, nanotech bugs that can swarm to anyone who carrys the gun-based weapons in the certain radius of our places and disable their weapons by 'eating' their hands or give them the electricity shock. Nanotechnology is very, very useful but unfortunately that governments or corporations will use it for 'evil' intentions.. Every tool have its own bad and good sides *sigh*
