07.10.03
Pretend passengers
IPS was developed using actors to simulate passenger behaviour in London Underground stations.
Does anyone else see something slightly awry with this?
The context makes a little more sense of it: this is the story of how new software that attempts to detect anomolous behaviour on CCTV monitors is being tested at Liverpool Street and Mile End stations in London.
The idea is that someone who remains on a platform when several trains have gone past is possibly a pickpocket, about to commit suicide, lost or, er, “a loiterer”. In any of these cases a member of staff can be dispatched to address the situation (excepting, presumably, the lost person).
The software is being developed to meet the problem that there are too many CCTV cameras in the UK, and not enough people to watch them. Furthermore, as New Scientist puts it:
Besides being a tedious task, watching TV monitors also demands a higher level of concentration than many people can manage.
It strikes me that we might finally be reaching an explanation for the proliferation of reality TV shows such as Big Brother. Evidently we are being trained to fill the gap in the market for skilled CCTV watchers.