Ground Breaking smartphone security solution empowers citizens and optimises emergency response

SYDNEY – April 03, 2018 – A ground-breaking national security platform that would mobilise citizen’s smartphones as critical incident data sources is under development.

Being developed by ASX-listed The Citadel Group (Citadel) and running on Microsoft’s new Azure Australia Central secure cloud, the solution is being designed to allow real time video uploads and information capture in order to enhance national security.

A citizen smartphone app would let users instantly collect data, such as video and audio, which along with telemetry information from the phone itself, can be transmitted to a centralised command and control centre.

The solution is being designed so that data coming from multiple sources can be instantly consolidated and analysed. The solution will perform analytics on the incoming streams of data in order to generate real time intelligence about a situation to help direct rapid response when and where it is needed.

The same app could also be used to actively push notifications out to citizens and users with alerts as required.

Citadel are designing a proof of concept around a number of possible use cases including airport security, hospital incident prevention, and protecting people in public city spaces.

Citadel CEO Darren Stanley said “The concept for the solution can be traced back to the day of the Lindt siege terror attack when it was obvious the first responders did not have immediate access to real time information they needed to rapidly deal with the situation. We felt we could design and develop a citizen-centric solution to make that information available and keep people safe.

“In simple terms this turns a smartphone into an intelligence gathering device. From a national security perspective, you see something, you’re in a bad situation, you hear an explosion. Even if you can’t tell if it was actually an explosion or just a car backfiring, you’re able to take and submit your recording.

“Now emergency services can see what people are seeing, hear what people are hearing and understand whether it’s a single incident or co-ordinated attack.

“Instead of three separate incidents being called in separately and treated individually, the in-built analytics of this platform determines that there are three incidents reported within two kilometres of each other which are atypical and may be a co-ordinated attack. Traditionally that sort of insight may take hours to develop – this app makes it seamless.”

Similarly to how the Boston Marathon bombing suspects had been traced following analysis of social media posts; it was clear to Citadel that if smartphones could be mobilised and citizens encouraged to capture and share information, that data could be centrally collated and analysed, accelerating and optimising emergency responses.

The application is expected to have broad global application. Citadel has outlined its plans to a series of international transport organisations, universities, hospitals, city councils and security businesses.

With the launch of Azure AU Central, Citadel will be taking advantage of Microsoft’s range of Australian Signals Directorate certified Protected level services.

Steven Worrall, Managing Director Microsoft Australia said: “Public safety and security is of paramount importance to all Australians. The opportunity to leverage Azure and work with Citadel on this world-first application is a great privilege for Microsoft and a clear signal that our investment in Azure Australia Central will have huge national impact.”

The cloud based intelligent solution now under development could also be used to send security alerts – pushing information to users in specific areas, advising them to stay in a building or move away from the windows if a security incident is feared or has occurred.

Potentially, it would also allow police to ask for citizen support with critical matters. For example, in car-jackings or child abductions the platform could issue alerts with requests for any sightings of vehicles with specified number plates, crowdsourcing information gathering and accelerating the opportunity for rapid response.

About The Citadel Group
Citadel specialises in managing information in complex environments through integrating know-how, systems and people to provide information on an anywhere-anytime basis. We are a leader in the development and delivery of managed technology solutions. The majority of revenues are derived from long term managed services, and software-as-a-service solutions. .

About Microsoft
Microsoft is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.

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