How AI is quietly reshaping Bengaluru police: From AI-powered traffic management to drone surveillance
In a candid conversation on Nikhil Kamath's podcast, Bengaluru's top police officials revealed how they are leveraging cutting-edge technology, from AI to drones, to manage the city's notorious traffic and enhance overall policing.
Police Commissioner B Dayananda and Joint Commissioner MN Anucheth offered a rare behind-the-scenes look into the city's high-tech command centre and the tools powering smarter enforcement.
At the heart of this tech-forward approach are two key platforms: ASTRAM (Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management) and VANKi (Visual Aerial Network for Knowledgeable Insights).
(Also Read: Nikhil Kamath says metro work near his Bengaluru home has dragged on for 10 years)
The ASTRAM system, built on AI and big data, processes inputs from over 1,500 CCTV cameras, traffic apps, and ground intelligence to monitor 21 high-density corridors covering more than 3,500 kilometers. It tracks real-time disruptions, from accidents to protests, and pushes alerts to platforms like Google Maps, enabling quicker rerouting and emergency response.
At 165 key junctions, AI-based adaptive traffic signals now dynamically adjust signal times based on real-time traffic volume and historical patterns. The system has cut average wait times by up to 22 per cent and reduced the need for manual intervention at signals from 40 per cent to just 5 per cent.
For aerial insights, VANKi drones are deployed during peak hours, providing bird's-eye visuals of gridlocks and hidden bottlenecks, such as vehicle breakdowns not visible at ground level.
Enforcement, too, is going digital. The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) uses AI to detect violations like helmetless riding or skipping seat belts. While fines are automatically generated, officers manually review them to avoid errors. With 99.9 per cen of payments now cashless, the police claim this has nearly eliminated corruption in traffic enforcement.
To build accountability and trust, every traffic cop now wears a body camera, while patrol vehicles are tracked with IoT-enabled GPS. According to Anucheth, these devices have helped resolve most citizen complaints — often showing the officer in the right.
The police also run a priority ambulance service, where emergency vehicles can request green corridor support via an app-based system called E-Path. 'Every day, about 20 to 22 ambulances benefit from this,' said Anucheth.
The officers also showcased the newly opened Bangalore Traffic Museum, designed to educate citizens about road safety and the city's evolving traffic management systems.
The podcast offered a rare peek into how India's tech capital is attempting to use data, automation, and transparency to untangle its civic challenges — starting with the streets.
(Also Read: Bomb hoax delays Bengaluru-bound Karnataka Express by 3 hours, four held for questioning)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Google in Mexico faces major potential fine as antitrust ruling nears
Mexico's antitrust watchdog is set to rule by next week on whether Google built an illegal monopoly in digital advertising in the country, a decision that could fine the tech giant 8% of its annual Mexican revenue, public documents show. Although Google does not release detailed revenue results by country, the potential fine could be among the largest ever imposed by Mexico's Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece). Cofece and Google declined to comment. The watchdog expects to make a decision by June 17, according to its own published timeline. Under Mexican law, 8% of annual revenue is the maximum fine for monopolistic practices. Cofece accuses the company of establishing an effective monopoly in the Mexican digital advertising market. It began its investigation into Google Mexico in 2020 and issued a summons in 2023, beginning the trial phase of the procedure. Google then had the opportunity to present evidence against the allegations. A company can apply for an injunction blocking the antitrust ruling until a specialized court decides on whether it should be ratified or not. Cofece requested Google's financial information from tax authority SAT, a timeline of updates on the case's record of history showed. While Google parent Alphabet does not include specific revenue numbers for Mexico in its earnings reports, the U.S. tech giant is the largest company to be challenged by Mexico's antitrust regulator. According to annual results for 2024, the company's revenue for its "other Americas" region, which includes Latin America, was about $20.4 billion. In 2022, Cofece fined a group of liquefied petroleum gas distributors 2.4 billion Mexican pesos ($126.03 million) for price fixing. Cofece's database shows that an oral hearing with Google about the case, considered one of the final steps in such cases, took place on May 20. In 2020, in response to anticompetitive investigations into Google, Lina Ornelas , Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at Google Mexico, said at a company event, "Being big isn't bad. What matters is that you don't take out any competitors with your products, even though yours can be very efficient, and that's why you have more users." Separately, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has clashed with Google, filing a suit against the company over its decision to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" for U.S. users of Google Maps, after President Donald Trump renamed the body of water. The suit argues Google does not have the "authority" to rename it. Lawmakers from the ruling Morena party have since last year called on Cofece to resolve Google's long-standing case. If Cofece rules against Google, the move would mirror the tech titan's legal woes in the United States, where a U.S. district judge last year ruled it holds an unlawful monopoly in online search and related advertising. The U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage. In a separate case, a federal judge said Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, with the Justice Department saying that Google should sell off at least its Google Ad Manager, which includes the company's publisher ad server and its ad exchange.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Google in Mexico faces major potential fine as antitrust ruling nears
Mexico's antitrust watchdog is set to rule by next week on whether Google built an illegal monopoly in digital advertising in the country, a decision that could fine the tech giant 8% of its annual Mexican revenue, public documents show. Although Google does not release detailed revenue results by country, the potential fine could be among the largest ever imposed by Mexico's Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece). Cofece and Google declined to comment. The watchdog expects to make a decision by June 17, according to its own published timeline. Under Mexican law, 8% of annual revenue is the maximum fine for monopolistic practices. Cofece accuses the company of establishing an effective monopoly in the Mexican digital advertising market. It began its investigation into Google Mexico in 2020 and issued a summons in 2023, beginning the trial phase of the procedure. Google then had the opportunity to present evidence against the allegations. Live Events A company can apply for an injunction blocking the antitrust ruling until a specialized court decides on whether it should be ratified or not. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Cofece requested Google's financial information from tax authority SAT, a timeline of updates on the case's record of history showed. While Google parent Alphabet does not include specific revenue numbers for Mexico in its earnings reports, the U.S. tech giant is the largest company to be challenged by Mexico's antitrust regulator. According to annual results for 2024, the company's revenue for its "other Americas" region, which includes Latin America, was about $20.4 billion. In 2022, Cofece fined a group of liquefied petroleum gas distributors 2.4 billion Mexican pesos ($126.03 million) for price fixing. Cofece's database shows that an oral hearing with Google about the case, considered one of the final steps in such cases, took place on May 20. In 2020, in response to anticompetitive investigations into Google, Lina Ornelas , Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at Google Mexico, said at a company event, "Being big isn't bad. What matters is that you don't take out any competitors with your products, even though yours can be very efficient, and that's why you have more users." Separately, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has clashed with Google, filing a suit against the company over its decision to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" for U.S. users of Google Maps, after President Donald Trump renamed the body of water. The suit argues Google does not have the "authority" to rename it. Lawmakers from the ruling Morena party have since last year called on Cofece to resolve Google's long-standing case. If Cofece rules against Google, the move would mirror the tech titan's legal woes in the United States, where a U.S. district judge last year ruled it holds an unlawful monopoly in online search and related advertising. The U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage. In a separate case, a federal judge said Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, with the Justice Department saying that Google should sell off at least its Google Ad Manager, which includes the company's publisher ad server and its ad exchange.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Watch: GPS sends car to unfinished flyover in UP, jaw-dropping escape caught on camera
A shocking incident took place in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district on Sunday when a car nearly fell off the edge of an under-construction flyover. The driver was following directions from Google Maps, which led him straight onto a half-built stretch of road on the Gorakhpur-Sonauli highway. The car, which was registered in Lucknow, was heading from Gorakhpur to the Sonauli border, according to a News 18 report. But instead of taking a safe route, the navigation app led the driver onto a road that went straight to an unfinished flyover near the Farenda police station. There were no visible barricades or warning signs to show that construction was still going on. Vehicle hangs at the edge, passengers rescued without injury According to the report, as the car moved ahead, it reached a point where the flyover suddenly ended. The vehicle tipped dangerously over the edge, but instead of falling, it got stuck at an angle thanks to a pile of earth below– something that likely saved everyone from a serious accident. The police were called right after the incident and quickly arrived to rescue the three people inside. Luckily, none of them were seriously hurt. Video of the incident goes viral, public reacts strongly Videos from the scene, showing the black car hanging in a tilted position, quickly went viral on social media. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What's Next for Nvidia? Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo The incident sparked a mix of reactions– while some people blamed the passengers for blindly trusting GPS without checking the road, others highlighted the lack of proper safety measures at the construction site. One comment read, 'Apply your brain, don't follow GPS blindly.' Another said, 'If you are using Google Maps, then think carefully before trusting it. It is not necessary that it always shows the right route. Sometimes it creates a route where there is none.' Some comments took a sarcastic tone, with one user writing, 'Damn GTA 6 really has surreal graphics. It almost looks like the real world.' Lack of barricades and signage questioned While the GPS directions did contribute to the incident, many people stressed that the bigger problem was the poor handling of the highway construction site. There were no signs, barriers, or warnings at the entry point of the under-construction area– basic safety measures that should have been in place. One user questioned, 'Can we really blame Google Maps for this? What about construction stop signs to warn drivers? I have myself seen such irresponsible construction on highways.' Another noted, 'It is definitely the driver's fault but the biggest mistake was of the contractor who did not block the under-construction flyover with a barrier. Action must be taken against the concerned department.' Not the first time: Previous case in Bareilly turned fatal This isn't the first time something like this has happened. According to the media reports, in November last year, a similar case was reported in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where a car following Google Maps drove off an unfinished bridge and fell into the Ramganga river. Three people lost their lives in that accident, raising the same concerns about the dangers of blindly trusting navigation apps.
