Who wants to live in a Smart City?

The antennae and boxes, about the size of a handbag, have become more visible in New York over the last few years. They sit atop street lights, buildings, and other convenient locations. They are part of the ShotSpotter system and they listen for gunshots. When a shot is fired, the sensors can triangulate its location to within 25 metres. It then immediately sends an audio file to a support team. A review takes place using both machine learning and human input to determine if the sound was a real gunshot or something else that sounds similar, such as a firework. If determined to be real, the police are notified. They can then arrive at the location already knowing how many shots were fired and whether the shooter is moving. Luke Templeman, Analyst on the Thematic Research team, explores what it would be like living in a ‘Smart City’.