WO2022193023A1

WO2022193023A1 - Security related systems and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2022193023A1
Application number: PCT/CA2022/050407
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark MACY
Original assignee: Macy Mark
Priority date: 2021-03-17
Filing date: 2022-03-17
Publication date: 2022-09-22

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to security for buildings and/or facilities and/or individuals. Security related documentation, prepared by credentialed security professionals, are stored in a secure online accessible vault and are accessible to authorities or security professionals. To assist in the detection of emergencies, security camera output is assessed using AI based methods. If an emergency is detected, the security camera output is forwarded to a human assessor for confirmation. Once the emergency is confirmed, access to the security cameras is forwarded to emergency services to provide them with a live feed at the emergency location. To alert the public of such emergencies, a mobile app can provide notifications of such emergencies. The app uses a server that acquires data from multiple sources and analyzes the data to detect emergencies. Depending on the emergency's proximity to one or more user designated locations, a notification may be sent to the user.

Description

SECURITY REUATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

TECHNICAU FIEUD

[0001] The present invention relates to security. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods useful for contingency planning for emergencies, the detection of such emergencies, and the notification of the public during such emergencies.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The first few decades of the 21st century has been fraught with challenges in terms of public safety. Between terrorist threats, rampant targeted random attacks at public venues, and the more usual emergencies such as fires, both the public and the emergency services have been constantly assailed. Unfortunately, while there has been some emergency planning for some venues as well as for schools, these efforts have met with mixed results.

[0003] While schools have implemented lockdown procedures in the event of emergencies, these steps, while keeping staff and students mostly safe, have not been as helpful to emergency services. There are still issues with emergency services not being provided with the necessary information in a timely manner to deal with the emergency. Building plans (detailing the layout of the location), numbers of people expected in the location, as well as entry /egress points, alarm codes, and the like are not readily available to the emergency services. More specifically, law enforcement agencies are, generally speaking, left scrambling to gather such information in the event of an emergency situation.

[0004] In addition to the above, a developing emergency situation is, generally, unable to be recognized as such. While an increasing number of facilities are equipped with surveillance cameras, the feed from these cameras tend to be localized as in they are only available to personnel at the location or to personnel within the organization. [0005] Yet a further shortcoming of current systems is that the public, or those who might be affected by an emergency, are generally uninformed about the emergency until either it is too late or when the emergency has passed. Absent constantly monitoring emergency radio frequencies or constantly monitoring bulletins from news sources or emergency services, there are no systems for localized notifications about local emergencies.

[0006] From the above, it can be seen that there is a need for systems and methods that address the above shortcomings. Preferably, such systems and methods can be implemented into a cohesive whole with different parts working together into a complete approach that protects the public, mitigates risks, and preserves civil liberties.

SUMMARY

[0007] The present invention provides systems and methods relating to security for buildings and/or facilities. Security related documentation, prepared by credentialed security professionals, are stored in a secure online accessible virtual vault and are accessible to authorities or security professionals. To assist in the detection of emergencies, security camera output is assessed using AI based methods and, if an emergency is detected, the security camera output is forwarded to a human assessor for confirmation. Once the emergency is confirmed, the security camera output is forwarded to emergency services to provide them with a live feed at the emergency location. To alert the public of such emergencies, a mobile app can provide notifications of such emergencies. The app uses a server that acquires data from multiple sources and analyzes the data to detect emergencies. Depending on the emergency’s proximity to one or more user designated locations, a notification may be sent to the user.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a system for detecting or monitoring emergency situations, the system comprising: a plurality of cameras monitoring a monitored facility, each of said plurality of cameras producing a video stream; a server receiving video streams from said plurality of cameras, said server forwarding at least one of said video streams as at least one forwarded video stream when said server detects an emergency situation in said at least one of said video stream; a confirmation module receiving said at least one forwarded video stream, said at least one forwarded video stream being received from said server, said confirmation module presenting said at least one forwarded video stream to a human assessor who determines if said emergency situation detected in said forwarded video stream is legitimate; wherein said at least one forwarded video stream is forwarded to at least one network address for an emergency services authority if said human assessor determines that said emergency situation in said at least one forwarded video stream is legitimate; said server applies at least one artificial intelligence-based technique to detect said emergency situation in said at least one of said video streams.

[0009] The present invention may be implemented such that said forwarded video stream is forwarded using a segregated network.

[0010] The present invention may be implemented such that said segregated network is segregated from the Internet.

[0011] The present invention may be implemented such that said forwarded video stream is authenticated using blockchain technology.

[0012] The present invention may be implemented such that said server comprises an assessment module applying said at least one artificial intelligence technique to detect said emergency situation in said at least one of said video streams.

[0013] The present invention may be implemented such that said assessment module comprises a dedicated processing device implementing a neural network. [0014] The present invention may be implemented such that a forwarding route used to forward said forwarded video stream is documented in multiple servers.

[0015] The present invention may be implemented such that said confirmation module is physically remote from said server.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a system for notifying users of emergency situations, the system comprising: at least one data gathering software module gathering data from at least one data source, said data being related to at least one potential emergency situation; at least one analysis software module receiving and analyzing said data to determine if said data indicates that an emergency situation exists; a notification software module providing notifications to said user based on whether said at least one analysis software module determines that said data indicates that said emergency situation exists; wherein said notification module only sends said notifications to said user in the event said emergency situation is within a specified distance of a center of interest.

[0017] The present invention may be implemented such that said at least one data gathering software module comprises at least one receive software module for receiving said data from said at least one data source.

[0018] The present invention may be implemented such that said at least one data gathering software module comprises at least one query software module for querying said at least one data source for said data.

[0019] The present invention may be implemented such that said at least one data gathering module is installed on a server and said notification software module is installed on a user device.

[0020] The present invention may be implemented such that the system further comprises a collation module receiving analyzed data from said at least one analysis module, said analyzed data being data analyzed by said at least one analysis data to determine that said emergency situation exists, said collation module collating said analyzed data into a data package that is transmitted to said notification software module.

[0021] The present invention may be implemented such that said data package is used by said notification module to determine whether to send a notification to said user.

[0022] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is designated by said user.

[0023] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is designated by said user’s current location.

[0024] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is determined using GPS -based coordinates.

[0025] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is based on GPS -based coordinates of a user mobile device.

[0026] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is adjusted based on a location of a user mobile device.

[0027] The present invention may be implemented such that said center of interest is a location of said user.

[0028] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for sending notifications to a user of an emergency situation, the method comprising: a) gathering data from at least one data source, said data relating to a potential emergency situation; b) analyzing said data gathered in step a) to determine if said emergency situation exists; c) in the event said emergency situation exists, determining if said emergency situation is within a specified radius of a center of interest; d) sending a notification to said user in the event said emergency situation is within said specified distance of said center of interest. [0029] The present invention may be implemented such that said data is received from said at least one data source.

[0030] The present invention may be implemented such that said data is queried from said at least one data source.

[0031 ] The present invention may be implemented such that the method further comprises collating at least some data used in step b) into a data package for transmission to a user device.

[0032] The present invention may be implemented such that said data package is used in step c) to determine if said emergency situation is within a specified distance of said center of interest.

[0033] The present invention may be implemented such that said data package comprises at least one of: a location of said emergency situation; a severity of said emergency situation; a type of said emergency situation; emergency responses to said emergency situation; reliability of said at least one data source; data useful for determining if said emergency situation is within a specified distance of said center of interest.

[0034] The present invention may be implemented such that steps (a) to (b) are executed in a server and steps (c) to (d) are executed on a user device remote from said server.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a system for managing documentation, the system comprising, a networked data storage device, said storage device storing multiple documents relating to multiple physical facilities; a server limiting access to said data storage device such that only security personnel with proper credentials are able to access said data storage device; wherein said networked data storage device is only accessible through a segregated network; said networked data storage device is partitioned such that each partition in said device only contains documents relating to a single specific physical facility; said documents for each of said physical facilities are security related documentation prepared by accredited security professionals.

[0036] The present invention may be implemented such that different credentials are required to access different partitions on said data storage device.

[0037] The present invention may be implemented such that said security personnel have credentials provided by a professional organization of security professionals.

[0038] The present invention may be implemented such that said multiple documents are stored in said device in conformity with a specific code for secured facilities with respect to security issues.

[0039] The present invention may be implemented such that said code is for enhancing security at secured facilities.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a standard for ensuring public safety relating to buildings.

[0041] The present invention may be implemented such that said standard relates to physical security relating to said buildings.

[0042] The present invention may be implemented such that each of said buildings is equipped with a security plan framework that conforms to said standard.

[0043] The present invention may be implemented such that said framework is formulated by credentialed security professionals.

[0044] The present invention may be implemented such that said security professionals have credentials issued by at least one professional organization for security professionals.

[0045] The present invention may be implemented such that said standard is approved by said professional organization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described by reference to the following figures, in which identical reference numerals in different figures indicate identical elements and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram of a system according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a block diagram of a server as may be used in the invention illustrated in Figure 1 ;

FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of a system according to another aspect of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a block diagram of a server that may be used in the invention illustrated in Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In one aspect, the present invention provides multiple systems and methods that provide a holistic approach towards security concerns for facilities and/or buildings/locations. For each facility, a codified security plan/security approach framework is established in line with generally accepted industry standards for security concems/approaches. All framework and/or plans are formulated by credentialed security professionals whose accreditation and/or professional designations are provided by a professional organization/association of security professionals. The framework and/or plans are designed to be in-line or in conformity with an organization/association approved code of security measures much like how a fire standard, fire code or a building code provide requirements that must be followed for buildings and/or facilities. The organization/association approved code would codify industry best practices and would be designed to mitigate and/or reduce security risks and ensure that authorities would be well equipped to deal with any security emergency that may arise at the building/facility. [0048] In conformity with the approved code of security measures, the security plans are to be stored in a secure online vault/storage medium that is accessible to duly credentialed authorities and/or security personnel and emergency services personnel. This ensures that, in the event of a security related emergency, the authorities can quickly access the security plans to address the emergency.

[0049] To detect such security emergencies, video cameras inside the building may be provided with AI capabilities to enable the detection of such emergencies. Using machine learning and/or other AI technologies, security camera output would be analyzed to detect emergencies or potential emergencies. Any security camera output that is determined to indicate an emergency is forwarded to a monitoring station/module where a human assessor can confirm/deny the existence of an emergency. If an emergency is confirmed by the human assessor, the live and continuing video output is forwarded to the relevant emergency services. This provides the emergency services with one or more live feeds of the facility in the midst of an emergency.

[0050] To alert the public of any emergencies that may arise at any relevant building/facility, a mobile app or an application for data processing devices (e.g., mobile handsets, smartphones, PCs, etc.) is configured to provide notifications to users in the event of such an emergency at one or more user designated location of interest. A user can designate one or more centers of interest (e.g., the user’s place of work, the user’s house, the school for the user’s children, etc.) and, in the event an emergency is detected within a specified distance of one of the centers of interest, an alert or notification is sent to the user. This system operates by monitoring, categorizing and analyzing and receiving data and computer aided dispatch data from emergency services, online sources, other sources and assessing potential emergencies. Data about such emergencies are collated, analyzed, and assessed to determine the location of the emergency and the severity of the emergency. Depending on the results of the analysis and depending on the physical proximity of the emergency to the user’s centers of interest, an alert or notification may be provided to the user. [0051] In one aspect, the present invention provides a public notification system for notifying the public of local/localized emergencies. The system uses an app that is downloadable by users on to their mobile device. Within the app, each user can designate or tag one or more locations as a centre of interest. In the event of an emergency that is within a specified radius of a centre of interest, a notification is sent to that user. Thus, if a user designates a school as a centre of interest, if a fire breaks out at a building next to the school or at a building near the school, that user is sent a notification. Similarly, a user may designate his or her workplace as a centre of interest. If an emergency situation occurs near the workplace, a notification is sent to that user. In a variant of the present invention, the app may designate any location where the mobile device is currently located as a centre of interest. Thus, assuming the user has their mobile device on their person or nearby, any emergencies occurring near the user’s current location will cause an alert or notification to be sent to the app. Of course, the user can configure the settings for the app such that the geographical radius for which alerts are generated as well as the types of incidents that generate alerts are suitably adjusted.

[0052] Referring to Figure 1, a block diagram of a system according to one aspect of the present invention is illustrated. As can be seen from the Figure, data is received by a server 10A from a number of sources. These sources may include one or more emergency service’s data feed 20A, 30A, one or more members of the public 40A, 50A, one or more direct data feeds from one or more emergency services 60 A, 70 A, or one or more other data sources 80 A, 90A. The server 10A can then determine, based on the data received, where an emergency is occurring and the location of such an emergency. Based on the location of the emergency, the server can then send out notifications to a user’s mobile 100 A based on the centers of interest tagged by each user. It should be clear that, as a variant, the server, instead of sending out notifications, may only send out the location, nature, and severity of each emergency to each user's mobile or handset. The individual mobile or handset can then determine, based on the data received from the server as well as the individual user's settings and centers of interest, whether to issue a notification or sound an alarm for the user. [0053] It should be clear that the server 10A, instead of actively receiving data from a social media feed for an emergency service (e.g., a Twitter feed or a Facebook feed for a police department or fire department), will actively aggregate data from the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems of both police and fire in real-time or near real-time. Each record in the CAD systems can then be parsed and analyzed by the server to determine if the posting is an indication of an emerging emergency, an ongoing emergency, or a resolution of an emergency. The server's conclusion about each post can then be combined with data gleaned from other sources to determine the nature, status, and/or severity of an emergency. It should be clear that the server may, depending on the configuration, strip PII (personally identifiable information) from the CAD feeds before sending out any notifications about emergency situations. As an example, if a CAD feed from a police service indicates that there is a domestic disturbance at a specific address, the server can remove this from the feed or not send out a notification about the incident. Similarly, if there has been a shooting at an address, the server can remove the identity of the victim or the specific address where the shooting may have occurred prior to sending out an alert notification.

[0054] In addition to the analysis of the CAD systems feeds of emergency services, the server may receive data input from general members of the public. Such public reporting of emergencies can be facilitated by providing a suitable means for public reporting such as a publicly accessible website where the general public can report emergencies or possible emergencies (e.g., "10 police cars spotted gathering at address XXX with officers emerging with firearms drawn" or "ambulance spotted at location XXX" or "gas leak reported at location XXX"). In addition, specific tags may be provided to the public so that public posts can be tracked and/or gathered from online sources. It should also be noted that, while a publicly reported emergency may be useful, this measure may be open to abuse. Accordingly, the system may be configured so that any publicly reported emergency is first verified from at least one other source (e.g., a posting from a police department about a developing situation at the same address or at least in the vicinity of the address) before being given proper weight or passed on to users. As with the CAD systems noted above, the server can be configured to remove any PII from any alerts or notifications sent out that are based on publicly sourced data/feeds.

[0055] To ensure that reliable data is used by the system in assessing the presence and/or severity of an emergency, the system may receive one or more direct feeds from one or more emergency services. The direct feed may take the form of direct information from emergency services such as APIs, emails, bulletins, and the like sent directly to the system by the emergency services. Alternatively, this direct feed may take the form of input from monitored emergency radio frequencies used by the emergency services. As an example, an emergency radio frequency used by fire and law enforcement services may be monitored by an AI enabled subsystem. Conversations on the radio frequency may be converted into usable data by running the conversations through a speech to text module and the resulting text may be analyzed using a properly trained AI module to detect emergency situations as well as the details regarding such emergency situations. The AI module may be a machine learning module that is suitably trained using earlier/previous emergency calls to ensure that the module can detect emergencies, determine the type of emergencies, and the details regarding such emergencies (i.e., location of the emergency, what was called to the emergency, severity of the emergency, etc.). The direct feed from the emergency services may, of course, take other forms. Again, the removal of PII from the feeds may be performed automatically prior to sending out any notifications or alerts.

[0056] Of course, other, more traditional data sources may be used by the system to gather data/be alerted to emergencies. As an example, news feeds from local news organizations may be monitored for bulletins or alerts regarding developing emergency situations. Similarly, social media posts only from official emergency services social media accounts may also be monitored automatically by the system to ensure that any news items or alerts are properly analyzed and, where necessary, disseminated to the users of the system.

[0057] It should be clear that the system is, localized or location based. Thus, each major urban centre may be served by its own server and infrastructure for monitoring/receiving data feeds from local sources such as local users, local police departments, and local fire departments. This would ensure that the alerts and notifications being distributed to users are of interest to the local area. Thus, notifications about a fire emergency in downtown New York will be sent out to users who are located near downtown New York or whose center of interests are near the Manhattan (i.e., downtown New York) area. In addition, organizing locally centred servers would ensure proper coverage of the data sources within the local area.

[0058] To ensure that data regarding emergencies are given proper weight, the system may implement a weighting schema where data is weighted according to its source and the weighting determines how influential the data is in determining whether an alert or notification is to be issued. As an example, data that a fire is ongoing at a location is given more weight or considered much more seriously if that data came from a direct feed from a fire department (e.g., a Twitter feed or a radio broadcast from the fire department). Conversely, a single report from a user that a hostage situation is occurring at a location would not be given much, if any, weight if the report is not corroborated by a credible news item, data from a direct police feed, or by data from another, more reliable public source. This weighting system may, of course, take many forms. Each potential alert may be given a score and each piece of data may be given a point weighting based on the data provided (e.g., the specificity of the data such as the location, the nature of the emergency, etc.), the source of data, and the corroboration of that data. The points for each piece of data would then count towards the score for an alert and, once a threshold for that score is met, the alert can be sent to users. The alert or notification may include a severity score and a reliability score. The severity score would be an indication as to the severity of the emergency based on the nature of that emergency. An active shooter alert would have a very high severity score and a fire emergency would also rate a high severity score. The reliability score would indicate the reliability of the emergency based on the source of the data. As an example, a notification or alert would have a high reliability score if the data that was the basis for the alert was sourced from a direct feed from the emergency services as well as news organizations. However, if the only basis for the notification/alert was user input (e.g., multiple reports of a number of police cruisers congregating at an area), the reliability score may not be as high. [0059] As noted above, alerts or notifications provided to users may include the location or epicentre of the emergency, the nature of the emergency, the severity of the emergency (perhaps through a color-coding system), a reliability score for the emergency, and perhaps a time frame for the emergency (e.g., x number of minutes ago since the first report of the emergency was received). To cut down on the number of emergencies that a user may be subjected to, the system may filter out situations that may not be of interest/concern to users. As an example, a domestic dispute at a location, to which police officers have been dispatched, may be filtered out from the data received from a police direct feed. Similarly, a non- severe traffic accident at an intersection, to which ambulances and police units have been dispatched, may also be filtered out such that users are not alerted or notified of such occurrences. Of course, emergencies such as gas leaks, potential shooter/hostage situations, bank robberies, fires, and other, more severe emergencies would be the subject of alerts/notifications to the user. In some implementations, the user may select a level of notification such that the filters that determine the type of events to be notified about are not as aggressive. Thus, for some implementations, users can configure their mobile device to allow notifications about traffic accidents or other incidents in the area near their designated centers of interest.

[0060] Regarding the center of interest, this may be designated by each user according to his or her preference. This may be done by entering one or more addresses or by using a mobile device's touch screen to designate a location in an online map. To determine if a designated center of interest is within a specified radius of an emergency (and thus causing a notification or an alert to be sent to the user), the distance from the center of interest's location to the epicenter or location of an emergency is calculated. This may be done using map coordinates derived from digital maps and/or GPS coordinates of the smartphone in conjunction with the geographic co-ordinates for a specified radius from the center of interest’s location. If the center of interest is within a specified distance to the emergency location, then an alert or a notification is sent to the user. It should be clear that this specified distance between the center of interest and the emergency location may be adjustable by the system depending on the nature/type/severity of the emergency. As an example, if the emergency is a fire at the emergency location, a distance of a mile or two to the center of interest may be suitable. However, if there is an emergency involving multiple potential armed perpetrators, a distance of 3-5 miles between the location of the emergency and the center of interest might be more suitable. Of course, the distance between the emergency location and the centre of interest that triggers an alert may be system configurable and/or it may be user configurable.

[0061] For ease of use, the system may provide the user with a color-coded severity scale. Depending on the severity of the alert or notification, the distance or radius from the emergency location would change. Thus, if the color-coded severity scale has, for example, 3 levels (yellow, red, and purple) with purple being the most severe and yellow being the least severe, the yellow alert would have the smallest radius from the emergency location while purple would have the largest. As an example, a yellow alert would be issued if a user’s center of interest is within 3 miles of an emergency location where the emergency is a least severe emergency (e.g., a police unit has been dispatched to a potential disturbance involving a fight that has spilled out into the street). For this example, a red alert would be issued if a user’s center of interest is within 5 miles of an emergency location where the emergency is a more severe emergency (e.g., a gas leak or a fire has been reported and fire department units have been dispatched and smoke and flames have been reported by authorities). Again, for this example, a purple alert would be issued if a user’s center of interest is within 7 miles of an emergency location where the emergency is of the most severe nature (e.g., there are reports of an active shooter situation with multiple police units being dispatched and a police tactical squad has been deployed and casualties have been reported).

[0062] It should be clear that each user’s centers of interest may be saved in the server as a backup and in each user’s mobile device. As noted above, the determination as to whether an alert or notification is to be issued based on an incoming emergency (as determined by the server based on data from the multiple sources noted above) may be performed either at the server or by each user’s handset/mobile. If performed at the server, the server would determine the severity of the emergency, the epicentre or location of the emergency, the radius of the area of interest around the emergency, and whether each user’s centers of interest are within that radius. If one or more centers of interest for a user is within that radius, then at least one alert or notification is issued by the server to that user.

[0063] Alternatively to the above, each user’s mobile device may make the determination as to whether an alert or notification is to be issued. The server may simply send, to each user’s mobile device, details regarding any emergency within the user’s area (e.g., within the user’s city or county). Since this transmission from the server would include the relevant details regarding each emergency, including severity of the emergency situation, location or epicentre of the emergency, age of the emergency (i.e., the recentness of the data regarding the emergency), and perhaps the reliability of the data, and since each mobile device would have data regarding its user’s centers of interest, each mobile device can perform the determination whether to issue an alert. The mobile device would determine the radius of the area of interest for the emergency based on the location of the emergency and on the severity of the emergency. Then, the mobile device would, based on the user’s one or more centres of interest, determine if any of these centers of interest is within that radius. If so, then an alert or notification is issued to that particular user. This scheme would lower the computing burden on the server as it would simply need to transmit details of emergencies and would not have to determine, for each of multiple hundreds or thousands of users, whether an alert is to be issued.

[0064] It must be noted that the determination as to whether a center of interest is within a radius of an emergency epicentre or location may be performed in any suitable manner. Thus, in one implementation, the location of each center of interest is determined to be the center of an area with a radius (with the radius being adjustable). A determination is then made as to whether the emergency epicentre or location is within that radius. If so, then an alert is generated. Conversely, the center of an area with a radius may be the emergency epicentre or location.

Then, a determination is made as to whether any of a user’s centres of interest is within that radius of the emergency epicentre or location. If so, then an alert is generated. It should be clear that either of these methods has a similar result — a determination as to whether an emergency location is within a specific distance of a center of interest.

[0065] Referring to Figure 2, in one implementation, the server 10B may have a configuration as illustrated. For this implementation, the server 10B has a number of receive modules 100B, 110B, 120B with each receive module receiving data from one or more sources. As an example, the receive module 100B may receive input from users by way of text messages, email, or direct postings on a specific website configured for that function. Similarly, receive module B110 may receive direct input from one or more emergency services by way of, for example, APIs, radio transmissions that have been received, transcribed, and run through an AI enabled submodule that detects the contents. These contents are then tagged/categorized for relevant content (e.g., keywords such as "fire", "emergency", "dispatch", etc., etc.). One or more query modules 130B, 140B may also be present. These query modules would query websites, the social media feeds of official emergency services, news websites, and other passive data sources for items that indicate an emergency or an emerging emergency.

[0066] In addition to these data gathering modules (i.e., the receive and query modules), an analysis module 150B is present and this analysis module receives the output of the data gathering modules. The analysis module would put together the various pieces of data gathered and determine if an emergency actually exists. This may be performed by using one or more trained AI submodules that cross- reference the various pieces of information, determine details about possible emergencies (e.g., the location of a possible emergency, reliability of the sources, emergency responses to the possible emergency), and perform a determination as to whether an emergency exists. If such an emergency exists, the various pieces of data that contributed to the determination that the emergency exists is then passed to a collation module B 160. The collation module collates all the data about the emergency and puts together a bundle that can be transmitted to mobiles as an indication that an emergency exists. The bundle would, of course, include the type of emergency, the location of the emergency, the reliability of the sources for the data, as well as any other data that may be used by the mobile to determine whether the emergency will be of interest to a user. As noted above, the mobile device, in this implementation, would determine if any centers of interest for a user is within a specified radius or distance of a location of an emergency. Once completed, the bundle would then be sent to a dispatch module 170B that attends to the transmission of the bundle to the mobile devices in the area. It should be clear that the modules in Figure 2 may be completely software in nature or they may be a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0067] It should be clear that the app or software on each user’s mobile device may be provided to each user free of charge or it may be sold/licensed to each user for a fee or a recurring licensing/subscription fee to use the system. For a free version, in one implementation, a user would be able to designate a limited number of static centres of interest (and only using the GPS of the user’s mobile device). As well, the free version would have a predetermined and fixed radius for each static center of interest. For a paid version, a user would be able to designate more centres of interest and would be able to tie the mobile’s GPS functions to the app such that the user’s current location is always considered a center of interest. Thus, for the paid version, the user’s location is always assessed in light of any incoming emergency details. In addition, the paid version may allow for other location technologies (e.g., map based) to designate centers of interest and/or the radius of and emergency. The paid version would, of course be much more user configurable than the free version. As an example, the radius for each center of interest may be user configurable and may be calculated based on GPS coordinates or on other mapping technologies.

[0068] In one aspect, the present invention provides systems and methods relating to the detection and reporting of emergency situations using video feeds from surveillance video cameras. The system uses video feeds from one or more cameras with the video feeds being sent to an analysis module. The analysis module determines, using AI techniques and machine learning methods, if an emergency situation is occurring or developing based on the frames from the video feed. If it is determined that an emergency situation is ongoing or is developing, then the video feed is forwarded to a human assessor. The human assessor determines, based on the video feed, whether the conclusion about the emergency situation is valid. If it is valid, then the human assessor redirects the video feed to the correct IP address for emergency services. This ensures that the emergency services have access to a live video feed of the area where the emergency situation is occurring. Of course, these video cameras may be those used to monitor a monitored facility such as a secure building, an office tower with security monitors, etc.

[0069] Referring to Figure 3, a block diagram of a system according to one aspect of the invention is illustrated. As can be seen, the system 200C has a number of cameras 2 IOC, 220C, 230C. Their video feeds are received at a server 240C.

The server 240C determines if the video feeds show/indicate an emergency is occurring or about to occur. If so, then the relevant video feeds/video streams are forwarded to a confirmation module 250C that presents the video feed to a human assessor. If the human assessor confirms that an emergency situation is occurring or about to occur, then the video feed is forwarded to one or more relevant emergency service IP addresses. This ensures that the emergency services have access to a real-time video feed/video stream of the emergency. It should be clear that the confirmation module 250C may be physically remote from the server 240C and from the cameras 2 IOC, 220C, 230C. In fact, the confirmation module 250C may be in a different city if not a different country from the server 240C and cameras 210C, 220C, 230C.

[0070] The server 240C can have a configuration according to Figure 4. As can be seen from the figure, a video feed is received by an assessment module 300D. The module 300D can apply Al/machine learning techniques to determine if the video feed shows an emerging emergency situation or an occurring emergency situation. The AI submodule may be trained on video sequences of situations such as fights, fires, robberies, and the like. Once trained, the AI submodule can then recognize whether a video scene or multiple screen captures indicate an emergency. The module 300D may also assess the video feed by recognizing some known hallmarks of emergency situations such as smoke, people running, fire, violence, etc., etc. As noted above, Al/machine learning methods may be used to recognize such situations. It should be clear that the module 300D may include both hardware and software components. As an example, a dedicated microprocessor that implements a hardware neural network or a hardware configuration eminently suitable for AI applications may be used in module 300D.

[0071] Returning to Figure 4, once the module 300D has determined that the video feed indicates an emergency, the tag module 310D receives the packets for the relevant video feed and tags these packets for forwarding to the confirmation module 250C. The tagged packets are then sent to the dispatch module 320D that sends the packets to the confirmation module 250C. It should be clear that, once the video feed has been tagged to be forwarded to the confirmation module 250C, subsequent packets for the video feed are to be tagged and redirected to the confirmation module 250C without needing to pass through the module 300D. Similarly, once the video feed has been tagged by the human assessor as needing to be forwarded to one or more emergency services, the packets for the video feed are to be tagged and redirected to those specific IP addresses for the emergency services. Again, such packets need not pass through the module 300D. This command to tag/forward the video feed packets may come from the confirmation module 250C and may be received by the tag module 310D.

[0072] To ensure that the video feeds/video streams being forwarded to the emergency services is authentic, these video feeds may be authenticated. The video feed may be authenticated, and the forwarding may be noted in one or more servers located within a segregated network through which the video feed travels. This ensures that the trail of forwarding and the route by which the video feed reaches a destination is documented. This ensures that the video feed being viewed/forwarded has not been tampered with or, if it has been tampered with, then the source of the tampering can be limited to a smaller number of potential suspects.

[0073] It should be clear that the video feeds being viewed/forwarded are not video clips or any variation of a video clip. These video feeds are live video feeds or a live video stream from a suitable video source such as surveillance video cameras. It should also be clear that these video feeds may have a duration that ranges from one hour to 12 hours. [0074] The route of the video feeds or data feeds may be documented using blockchain technology. The documentation of the forwarding of the video feed can be stored using blockchain technology in a server within the segregated network and, in keeping with blockchain technology protocols, other servers can be used to duplicate and store that documentation. This ensures that the documentation cannot be tampered with as multiple copies would ensure that any tampering of the documentation is discovered. It should be clear that the documentation may include not simply the IP address or other routing mechanism (i.e., name of participating emergency services) of the destination for the video feed (i.e., where the video feed is forwarded to) but also the IP address of the forwarding user/party, along with other identifying information for the video feed. This can be implemented by adding a protocol to the server producing the video feed such that every time a new destination IP address is received by the server, the server documents the destination IP address and stores the details about the command (i.e. the time the command to forward the video stream, the destination IP address, the IP address of the forwarding command, and the time the forwarding command was executed, the location/address of the camera whose video feed is being forwarded, etc.) in the blockchain server. Storing the details in the blockchain server will eventually cause that documentation to be copied and distributed to the other blockchain-based servers. Depending on the settings of the server producing the video feed, the video feed can also be fingerprinted (i.e., a hash of the video feed is produced) and this fingerprint of the video feed can also be stored in the blockchain server(s) for propagation across the blockchain network.

[0075] It should be clear that the method above creates an immutable record of how the video feed/video stream is treated by the system as commanded by users. This record would detail the time/date stamps of actions taken, IP addresses of relevant parties (e.g., source IP addresses of commands, destination IP addresses for the video feed, etc.), fingerprint/hash data about the video feed, and identification of the cameras producing the video feed. The resulting records on the blockchain servers can then be used as necessary. Uses for the records may include use as evidence in court proceedings or to ensure that the video feed being received by the emergency services is legitimate. [0076] In one implementation, the data traffic generated by the video feeds within a monitored facility can be sent from the facility to one or more monitoring centres by way of the segregated network to ensure security and integrity of the resulting data transmission. The confirmation module 250C may be located at these monitoring centers and the human assessors may be at these monitoring centers as well.

[0077] As noted above, the video feeds/video streams, once confirmed by a human assessor as showing an emergency situation, are forwarded to emergency services, perhaps through the confirmation module. This ensures that emergency services dispatch or the emergency services personnel who are responding to the emergency situation have access to the video and/or data feed from the monitored facility where the emergency is occurring. Of course, the emergency services dispatch where the video feed is forwarded is local to where the facility is located. It should be clear that the monitoring center that reviews the video feed to confirm that an emergency situation is occurring may be physically remote from the monitored facility. In fact, it may be that the monitored facility and the monitoring center are even in different countries (e.g., the facility may be located in Canada while the monitoring center is located in the United States and/or vice- versa)! The issue for such eventualities is clear - if the monitoring center confirms that an emergency situation exists at the monitored facility, the emergency services that need to be contacted are those that are local to the facility and not local to the monitoring center.

[0078] To ensure that the emergency services being contacted about the emergency situation is one local to the monitored facility where the emergency is occurring, the monitoring center has the ability to forward the live video feed/video stream to authorities that are local to the facility's location. This may be implemented using a menu system that provides the operators/monitors at the monitoring station (i.e. the human assessor who confirms that an emergency situation is occurring at the facility) with options as to the location of the video feed being viewed/confirmed. To forward the video feed being viewed and to contact the local authorities, the operators/monitors can call up a menu with options in a tree structure where the facility's location is progressively narrowed as one traverses the menu. Thus, in one implementation, the operator/monitor is first prompted for the country where the facility is located (e.g., US/Canada). Then, either the provinces or the states are shown as options to the operator/monitor. Once the state or province has been selected, then the town or city for the facility can be selected. It should be clear that, for the town or city menu, the towns or cities may be narrowed to only those where monitored facilities exist. Thus, if there are no monitored facilities in New York City but there are two in Albany and two in Buffalo, once the operator/monitor has narrowed the selection to the state of New York, then the only choices provided to the operator/monitor are Albany and Buffalo. If the facility with the emergency is in Albany, then selecting Albany will open up another menu that provides the two locations in that city for the monitored facilities. By selecting the correct facility, the correct address of the facility where the emergency is occurring can be provided to the emergency services personnel. As well, the video and/or data feed for that facility can also be forwarded to the proper local authorities for the facility with the emergency.

[0079] As an alternative, the routing of the video feed/video stream may be automated/predetermined. For such an alternative, since the fixed IP address of the source surveillance video camera is known and since the emergency services that need to view the video stream are known (along with their IP addresses), once a human operator has verified the emergency and has authorized the forwarding of the video stream, then the video stream can be automatically routed to those emergency services. Thus, for specific surveillance cameras, automated routing to specific local emergency services can be preprogrammed. Upon activation by a human operator, the routing can occur automatically such that the video feed is automatically forwarded to the relevant local emergency services.

[0080] It should be clear that most local emergency services dispatch offices have dedicated IP addresses and dedicated emergency telephone lines. These can be programmed into the menu system such that, once the facility with the emergency has been pinpointed using the menu, the video/data feed can be forwarded to the IP address for the local emergency services dispatch and a call can be placed to the dedicated emergency line for that local emergency services dispatch. Preferably, the dedicated IP addresses and the dedicated emergency telephone numbers for these local authorities are shielded or hidden from the operator/monitor at the monitoring center. As can be imagined, in at least one instance, such dedicated IP addresses and emergency telephone lines are not available to the general public.

[0081] It should also be clear that once the video feed is being forwarded to the dedicated IP address or IP addresses for emergency services, a command is sent to the tag module 310D to tag subsequent packets for the video feed to be forwarded to the IP addresses. As noted above, this ensures that the video feed is properly forwarded without the need for subsequent assessment of the video feed by the AI enabled submodule.

[0082] It should be reiterated that, preferably, the forwarded video stream is forwarded from the monitored facility to the IP addresses of one or more emergency services using a segregated communications data network. In one implementation, the segregated network is a communications network that is logically and physically segregated from the Internet. Preferably, the segregated network is segregated from the wider Internet using access point modules with such modules only allowing in packets or data transmission units from the Internet that are designated as having destination addresses within the segregated network. Of course, the access point modules are also equipped with encryption/decryption submodules that are able to encrypt/decrypt packets as necessary.

[0083] In one implementation, once forwarding of the video stream is approved by a human operator, the video stream is automatically forwarded over the segregated network to one of a number of video gateway servers located in a datacenter.

The datacenter may be operated by an entity that operates/controls the segregated network. Since the video gateway server knows, from originating IP address of the video stream, where the video source is located, the video gateway server causes the forwarded video stream to be forwarded to a first responder server also located in the datacentre. This first responder server only displays the forwarded video stream to the appropriate emergency services. It should be clear that participating emergency services are logged into the first responder server and this allows the participating emergency services to receive such forwarded video streams. It should be clear that the first responder server is a server for the management of the first responders (i.e., the first responder server is accessible to first responder dispatchers and command personnel and not to the first responders themselves).

[0084] In the above implementation, the segregated network is a private network within a cellular carrier’s network. As well, in this specific implementation, the segregated network is utilized as a communication network for use in communicating with and managing building or facility operating technologies. For this implementation, there is a secure private network using a wireless infrastructure utilized by a private network generated within a cellular carrier’s network. The private network is not visible to the general users of the cellular network and can be concealed to provide further security. Depending on the implementation, the segregated network may be configured to operate with various wireless technologies including 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G technologies and wireless networks.

[0085] In one aspect, the present invention relates to systems and methods for storing security documentation for specific locations and/or secured facilities. An online accessible vault configured to store specific security documentation such that only specific individuals with specific credentials are able to access the documentation. The vault may be on a specific server that is in communication with the Internet or in communication with a segregated network such that only specifically credentialed organizations and/or individuals are able to access the segregated network. The vault would, of course, be provisioned to be hardened against online attacks to prevent access to the security documentation. The vault may be partitioned such that each partition only contains security documentation for a specific location/building. Access to a partition would not mean access to the other partitions and each partition would be differentially credentialed such that different credentials would be needed to access each partition.

[0086] It should be clear that, for each location/building with security documentation stored in the vault, the security documentation would be documentation prepared by credentialed (and qualified) security professionals. The documentation would be vetted by other qualified security professionals prior to being stored in the vault. The security documentation would detail security arrangements for the location as well preferred procedures for the location in the event of a security emergency and/or other emergency. The security documentation may include layout plans, building layouts, and other maps of the location that may be of use to security personnel in the event of an emergency. The security documentation may also include documentation that would be of use for other emergencies such as building ownership information, insurance information, WHMIS information about potential hazards at the location (e.g., dangerous chemicals and equipment stored at the location and where they are stored at the location), maps of entries and exits, fire hydrant locations, and other similarly potentially useful information. In one implementation, the security documentation also includes data and information that would be useful for tactical teams in the event of hostage situations or other firearms related emergencies.

[0087] Preferably, the qualified security personnel preparing the security documentation are vetted and credentialed by way of an association or organization of security professionals. Such an association or organization, preferably, provides a certification program where security professionals can receive certificates (of various levels) detailing that the security professional with the certificate credential has passed tests and assessments for competence and knowledge in specific security fields.

[0088] Also preferably, the security documentation is stored in the vault in conformity with a code or list of best practices (or required practices) for buildings and/or secured facilities with respect to security issues. Also preferably, the building or location is awarded a certification for conformity to this code or list of best practices. As can be imagined, the code or list of best practices is designed to enhance security or safeguard the security of the location or facility.

[0089] It should be clear that the various embodiments, aspects, and implementations of the present invention are designed to operate with various wireless technologies including 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G cellular networks. The various aspects of the present invention may be implemented and/or used with such networks as necessary. For 5G networks, modifications and/or upgrades to 5G routers may be needed to implement some aspects of the present invention. It should be clear that all implementations involving these various wireless networking technologies are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

[0090] The embodiments of the invention may be executed by a computer processor or similar device programmed in the manner of method steps, or may be executed by an electronic system which is provided with means for executing these steps. Similarly, an electronic memory means such as computer diskettes, CD-ROMs, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM) or similar computer software storage media known in the art, may be programmed to execute such method steps. As well, electronic signals representing these method steps may also be transmitted via a communication network.

[0091] Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in any conventional computer programming language. For example, preferred embodiments may be implemented in a procedural programming language (e.g.,"C") or an object- oriented language (e.g."C++", “java”, “PHP”, “PYTHON” or “C#”). Alternative embodiments of the invention may be implemented as pre-programmed hardware elements, other related components, or as a combination of hardware and software components.

[0092] Embodiments can be implemented as a computer program product for use with a computer system. Such implementations may include a series of computer instructions fixed either on a tangible medium, such as a computer readable medium (e.g., a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM, or fixed disk) or transmittable to a computer system, via a modem or other interface device, such as a communications adapter connected to a network over a medium. The medium may be either a tangible medium (e.g., optical or electrical communications lines) or a medium implemented with wireless techniques (e.g., microwave, infrared or other transmission techniques). The series of computer instructions embodies all or part of the functionality previously described herein. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that such computer instructions can be written in a number of programming languages for use with many computer architectures or operating systems. Furthermore, such instructions may be stored in any memory device, such as semiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory devices, and may be transmitted using any communications technology, such as optical, infrared, microwave, or other transmission technologies. It is expected that such a computer program product may be distributed as a removable medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink-wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server over a network (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web). Of course, some embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a combination of both software (e.g., a computer program product) and hardware. Still other embodiments of the invention may be implemented as entirely hardware, or entirely software (e.g., a computer program product).

[0093] A person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow.

Claims

We claim:

1. A system for detecting or monitoring emergency situations, the system comprising: a plurality of cameras monitoring a monitored facility, each of said plurality of cameras producing a video stream; a server receiving video streams from said plurality of cameras, said server forwarding at least one of said video streams to result in at least one forwarded video stream when said server detects an emergency situation in said at least one of said video streams; a confirmation module receiving said at least one forwarded video stream, said at least one forwarded video stream being received from said server, said confirmation module presenting said at least one forwarded video stream to a human assessor who determines if said emergency situation detected in said forwarded video stream is legitimate; wherein said at least one forwarded video stream is forwarded to at least one network address for an emergency services authority when said human assessor determines that said emergency situation in said at least one forwarded video stream is legitimate; said server applies at least one artificial intelligence-based technique to detect said emergency situation in said at least one of said video streams.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said forwarded video stream is forwarded using a segregated network.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said segregated network is segregated from the Internet.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said forwarded video stream is authenticated using blockchain technology.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said server comprises an assessment module applying said at least one artificial intelligence technique to detect said emergency situation in said at least one of said video streams.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said assessment module comprises a dedicated processing device implementing a neural network.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein a forwarding route used to forward said forwarded video stream is documented in multiple servers.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said confirmation module is physically remote from said server.

9. A system for notifying users of emergency situations, the system comprising: at least one data gathering software module gathering data from at least one data source, said data being related to at least one potential emergency situation; at least one analysis software module receiving and analyzing said data to determine if said data indicates that an emergency situation exists; a notification software module providing notifications to said user based on whether said at least one analysis software module determines that said data indicates that said emergency situation exists; wherein said notification module only sends said notifications to said user in the event said emergency situation is within a specified radius of a center of interest.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one data gathering software module comprises at least one receive software module for receiving said data from said at least one data source.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one data gathering software module comprises at least one query software module for querying said at least one data source for said data.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one data gathering module is installed on a server and said notification software module is installed on a user device.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a collation module receiving analyzed data from said at least one analysis module, said analyzed data being data analyzed by said at least one analysis data to determine that said emergency situation exists, said collation module collating said analyzed data into a data package that is transmitted to said notification software module.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said data package is used by said notification module to determine whether to send a notification to said user.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said center of interest is designated by said user.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said center of interest is designated by said user’s current location.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein said center of interest is determined using GPS -based coordinates.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said center of interest is based on GPS- based coordinates of a user mobile device.

19. The system according to claim 9, wherein said center of interest is adjusted based on a location of a user mobile device.

20. The system according to claim 9, wherein said center of interest is a location of said user.

21. A method for sending notifications to a user of an emergency situation, the method comprising: a) gathering data from at least one data source, said data relating to a potential emergency situation; b) analyzing said data gathered in step a) to determine if said emergency situation exists; c) in the event said emergency situation exists, determining if said emergency situation is within a specified radius of a center of interest; d) sending a notification to said user in the event said emergency situation is within said specified distance of said center of interest.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said data is received from said at least one data source.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said data is queried from said at least one data source.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising collating at least some data used in step b) into a data package for transmission to a user device.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said data package is used in step c) to determine if said emergency situation is within a specified distance of said center of interest.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein said data package comprises at least one of: a location of said emergency situation; a severity of said emergency situation; a type of said emergency situation; emergency responses to said emergency situation; reliability of said at least one data source; data useful for determining if said emergency situation is within a specified distance of said center of interest.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein steps (a) to (b) are executed in a server and steps (c) to (d) are executed on a user device remote from said server.

28. A system for managing documentation, the system comprising, a networked data storage device, said storage device storing multiple documents relating to multiple physical facilities; a server limiting access to said data storage device such that only security personnel with proper credentials are able to access said data storage device; wherein said networked data storage device is only accessible through a segregated network; said networked data storage device is partitioned such that each partition in said device only contains documents relating to a single specific physical facility; said documents for each of said physical facilities are security related documentation prepared by accredited security professionals.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein different credentials are required to access different partitions on said data storage device.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein said security personnel have credentials provided by a professional organization of security professionals.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein said multiple documents are stored in said device in conformity with a specific code for secured facilities with respect to security issues.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein said code is for enhancing security at secured facilities.

33. A standard for ensuring public safety relating to buildings.

34. The standard according to claim 33, wherein said standard relates to physical security relating to said buildings.

35. The standard according to claim 33, wherein each of said buildings is equipped with a security plan framework that conforms to said standard.

36. The standard according to claim 33, wherein said framework is formulated by credentialed security professionals.

37. The standard according to claim 36, wherein said security professionals have credentials issued by at least one professional organization for security professionals.

38. The standard according to claim 37, wherein said standard is approved by said professional organization.