The Domain Awareness System is a surveillance system developed as part of Lower Manhattan Security Initiative in a partnership between the New York Police Department and Microsoft to monitor New York City. This allows them to track surveillance targets and gain detailed information about them. The system is connected to 6,000 video cameras around New York City.
The system will be licensed out to other cities with New York City getting 30% of the profits. The system's development costs are estimated at 40 million USD.
Technology built specifically for the NYPD includes radiological and nuclear detectors on boats, radiation detectors on helicopters and trucks, and detectors on police officers' gun belts so sensitive that people who have had medical procedures may trigger them. And Lower Manhattan now includes thousands of surveillance cameras that can identify shapes and sizes of unidentified "suspicious" packages and can track people within seconds using descriptions such as "someone wearing a red shirt".
This system is highlighted in a May 2013 episode of PBS' Nova on tracking the Boston Marathon Bombers.
References
External links
- NY Police Commissioner and Microsoft unveil new law enforcement technology
- NYPD's 'Domain Awareness' Surveillance System, Built By Microsoft, Unveiled By Bloomberg
- Police Surveillance May Earn Money for City
