DC Police Plan Largest Deployment of Gunshot Sensors
The Baltimore Examiner reported over the weekend that Washington DC is planning to expand its network of wireless gunshot sensors to cover more high crime neighborhoods in the city. By September of this year, police expect 16 of the city's 68 square miles to be covered by the ShotSpotter technology that pinpoints the exact locations of gunshots.
Once the network is deployed, DC will have one of the largest wireless gunshot networks in the country. According to the Washington Post, the technology has guided police to three homicides in Southeast Washington, and in one case officers got there rapidly enough to make an arrest.
Interestingly, the ShotSpotter website states that US Department of Defense has requested that they limit discussion on the how the gunshot detection technology works.
I don't know why they bother as this is no big secret. The basic idea is simple: using the arrival times of the acoustic events at different sensor locations, the shooter position can be accurately calculated using the speed of sound and the location of the sensors. Vanderbilt University was successful in using this technique to pinpoint a gunshot to an area less than 1 meter, which is supposedly more accurate than the ShotSpotter products.
Regardless of it accuracy, the ShotSpotter is an excellent example of a company that is USING the technology to solve a SPECIFIC problem. As we have mentioned here in the past, it will take a lot more APPLICATIONS of the technology before the market really takes of. It is great to see that ball starting to roll.
Once the network is deployed, DC will have one of the largest wireless gunshot networks in the country. According to the Washington Post, the technology has guided police to three homicides in Southeast Washington, and in one case officers got there rapidly enough to make an arrest.
Interestingly, the ShotSpotter website states that US Department of Defense has requested that they limit discussion on the how the gunshot detection technology works.
I don't know why they bother as this is no big secret. The basic idea is simple: using the arrival times of the acoustic events at different sensor locations, the shooter position can be accurately calculated using the speed of sound and the location of the sensors. Vanderbilt University was successful in using this technique to pinpoint a gunshot to an area less than 1 meter, which is supposedly more accurate than the ShotSpotter products.
Regardless of it accuracy, the ShotSpotter is an excellent example of a company that is USING the technology to solve a SPECIFIC problem. As we have mentioned here in the past, it will take a lot more APPLICATIONS of the technology before the market really takes of. It is great to see that ball starting to roll.
Labels: gunshot detection, low power wireless, wireless
