Streets of Dubai to now be monitored by AI cameras attached to taxis

Dubai authorities have equipped ten taxis with street monitoring cameras to keep track of activities on streets and enable civic bodies to collect date for better town-planning.

The new system equips taxis with two external cameras, front and rear, and an internal one.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced the new technology in the ongoing Gitex Technology Week, saying that the cameras will have artificial intelligence features of face detection and plate-number recognition.

“The plate-number detection facility will help us keep track of vehicles that are on road illegally or if a car is stolen or if its registration is up for renewal etc. We can also collect data about the number of vehicles from other emirates plying on Dubai roads,” said Dr Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation.

Al Ali explained that a dedicated team collects and analyzes the date before transferring it to the concerned departments.

If the results of the 10 taxis’ trial is successful, the technology will be implemented in 500 taxis, and later into all taxis operating in Dubai.

Dubai taxis have been enhanced with several technologies over recent years, some of which are: Speed jammers, tailgating alerting system, and a behavioral monitoring system for drivers.