Electronic surveillance

US Intelligence to Unleash ‘Smart’ Cameras on Every Corner to Spy on Public

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) launched a new program on Monday designed to train computers to identify potential shooters and terrorists, before they act. Officials note that the primary challenge of current surveillance is identifying threats and transmitting information to law enforcement in real time.

The program, Deep Intermodal Video Analytics (DIVA) aims to "produce a common framework and software prototype for activity detection, person/object detection and recognition across a multi-camera network," said officials from ODNI’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IAPRA).

ODNI computer networks will be programmed to identify weapons, explosives, or persons of interest, and will transmit information to law enforcement officials and other surveillance systems, to maintain a constant real-time view of a suspect.

IAPRA has invited academics and private-sector experts for a July 12 "Proposers' Day," prior to a formal bidding solicitation for the early stages of the program.