The document describes a Mobile Information and Citizen-Sensing (MICS) subsystem that allows for two-way information exchange between citizens and their municipality. MICS enables citizens to report incidents and issues via a mobile app, and receive emergency or event notifications from the city. It processes geo-located reports and broadcasts using geo-fencing to only send relevant information. In the ACCUS project, MICS will connect to an Integration and Coordination Platform to automatically share data with other urban systems and provide cross-domain applications. MICS is intended to improve safety, increase civic engagement, and help municipal services by utilizing citizen-reported information.

1. Improving Citizens’ Safety with
Citizen-Sensing Technologies
Mateusz Bonecki Ph.D.
BetterSolutions
mateusz.bonecki@bettersolutions.pl
S-37 Building Urban Security through Citizens’ Participation
Gdańsk: June 25-27, 2014

2. 1. Mobile Information and Citizen-Sensing (MICS)
2. Citizens as a Source of Information
3. Information Processing in MICS
4. MICS Architecture
5. Citizen-Sensing and Citizen Actuation
6. Municipal Services
7. MICS in ACCUS Project
8. MICS in ACCUS Architecture
9. Benefits
10. Contact
Contents

3. Mobile Information and Citizen-Sensing (MICS) subsystem offers a two-way information
exchange between citizens and urban ecosystem.
Basic capabilities of MICS are:
§ ability to gather and expose data from citizen-sensors (Citizen-Sensing capability)
§ ability to broadcast information to citizens (Information Broadcast capability)
Mobile Information and Citizen-Sensing

4. MICS system allows citizens to:
§ report sudden and emergency incidents to appropriate emergency service
§ report disorder or public property devastation to appropriate municipal service
§ suggest improvements in city area
§ receive context-aware information (e.g. emergency, accident, harsh weather, traffic)
Citizens as a Source of Information

5. Typical urban events that are sent to citizens’ mobile devices are:
§ car accident, flood warnings, heavy weather, energy shortage, traffic jam, mass event,
road surface conditions, air quality, noise level and more
§ list of events can be further expanded: it depends on the needs of the municipality and
availability of additional information-providing systems
Citizens can report many different issues and events:
§ health deterioration, car accident, traffic jams, pavement defects, destroyed public
property, graffiti, etc.
§ sense of danger (information that is not considered as a emergency report but indicates
that citizens do not feel safe in given area)
§ any other type of event or issue can be added as a report category for citizens
Information Processing in MICS (1)

6. Both event-notification broadcasts and citizen-sensing reports can include:
§ geo-location data
§ photo and graphic components
§ video
With the use of geo-fencing:
§ MICS services are context-sensitive: information is delivered only to those citizens who
actually need it (e.g. based on their actual location or preferences)
§ all events reported and broadcasted through MICS can be geo-located and displayed on
urban area map
Information Processing in MICS (2)

7. MICS Architecture
MICS
system
MICS User
Interface
reportingnotifications
mHelp
mobile app
other systems
integration

8. Citizen-sensing and citizen-actuation:
§ citizens as mobile sensors: users input data via mHelp mobile application installed
on their mobile devices
§ recomendations sent to citizens may request certain behaviour (e.g. avoid flooded
area, do not speed because of the glaze)
Citizen-Sensing and Citizen Actuation

9. The city or region authorities or any other authorized body will be able to:
§ broadcast safety and security or quality of living related information to
citizens (application end-users)
§ process and use information and data gathered by citizens (reports, tables,
data export)
Municipal Services

10. MICS in ACCUS Project
ACCUS, i.e. Adaptive Cooperative Control in Urban
(sub)Sytems, is ARTEMIS research and
development project. See projectaccus.eu for
details.
Urban systems that operate in different domains
(traffic, energy, outdoor lighting, safety and
security) are usually managed by isolated and self-
contained embedded systems while processes they
cover are deeply interconnected. Therefore ACCUS
seeks to link these systems together through
Integration and Coordination Platform (ICP) in
order to provide cross-domain applications and
collective optimization methodology.
In ACCUS project BetterSolutions will connect
MICS system to ICP. This will enable MICS to
automatically send and receive data from other
urban subsystems.

11. MICS in ACCUS Architecture
!
Example
Flood has been detected by one of
ACCUS-connected subsystems. Data
regarding that event are stored in CSDB
(City States Database).
City Activity Stream application
(developed by BetterSolutions) uses
event detection and creates event
packages to be broadcasted to citizens.
Events are delivered to Mobile
Information and Citizen-Sensing
subsystem and further to citizens who
have subscribed to that event category
(e.g. emergency and alert notifications).

12. § MICS provides valuable information which could be processed and used by
municipal services and city departments.
§ Information on sense of danger, destroyed public property, and other forms
of disorder could be used (e.g. by police, municipal police) to improve quality
of living and to increase safety and security standards in the city.
§ The city authorities (e.g. crisis management department) could broadcast
information regarding traffic jams, mass events, harsh weather, or
environmental conditions or any other events that may affect citizens’ quality
of living or safety and security.
§ Citizen-sensing shall also increase the level of civic engagement and
improve communication between citizens and local authorities.
Benefits

13. Mateusz Bonecki Ph.D.
E-mail: mateusz.bonecki@bettersolutions.pl
BetterSolutions
Olivia Business Centre
Al. Grunwaldzka 472
80-309 Gdańsk
Poland (PL)
Contact