{"673077":{"#nid":"673077","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Protection From Drowning Through AI-Enabled Camera System","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Chattahoochee River cuts a rollicking, boisterous path alongside the downtown area of Columbus, Georgia. With its long, constructed section of rapids, the area of the river through Columbus is well-known in kayaking circles as some of the best whitewater in the state, and its picturesque twists and turns draw visitors to walk its banks and invite them to rock-hop along tiny stone islands that are exposed when water levels are low. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBut this whitewater also presents a life-threatening problem. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA dam upstream can increase water levels within minutes, and those who aren\u2019t familiar with the area can be surprised and swept away by rushing water. Civic leaders have put up warning signs, and sirens blare when water levels are rising, but despite the many warnings, there are water rescues and even drownings at this area of the river every year.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cGrowing up around here, you\u2019re always told, \u2018Don\u2019t get in that river. That river will suck you under. You don\u2019t get in there,\u2019\u201d says Jeremy Miles, assistant IT director for the city of Columbus. \u201cBut now on a pretty day, you\u2019ll see a lot of people in the river and beside the river. It\u2019s a new fad. And we also have this great whitewater course, so it\u2019s an attraction that brings people from all over.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFor emergency responders, getting a precise location when someone is in danger is critical to favorable outcomes, and those in Columbus emergency circles say that is difficult on the river.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe will have an emergency on the river, and we\u2019ll have the wrong location given to us, and what happens is we\u2019ll bring the wrong piece of equipment or find out it\u2019s in another part of the river,\u201d says Deputy Chief Daniel Macon of Columbus Fire \u0026amp; EMS.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis can waste precious seconds during an emergency, which is why Georgia Tech researchers wanted to find a solution.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cAfter a year and a half of effort,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/john-e-taylor\u0022\u003EJohn Taylor\u003C\/a\u003E, Frederick Law Olmsted Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, \u201cwe\u2019ve created a system that can identify people who might be in trouble on the river and give rescue workers precise information that will allow them to get people out of harm\u2019s way or get them out of the water if they\u2019ve fallen in.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECameras mounted on a bridge over the river send a constant signal of activity below. A computer algorithm that\u2019s part of the smart river safety digital twin scans the images, identifying people and placement. Using data from other monitoring devices, the system will predict when rising water will put people in danger. The system sends alerts with precise information on location, and emergency responders immediately know what to do and, more importantly, where they need to do it.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA yellow alert lets responders know someone is in a danger zone. An orange alert means someone is in a danger zone, and water levels are rising quickly. A red alert tells crews that someone is in the water with no boat or kayak nearby and is at risk of drowning.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDuring a test with Swiftwater\/Flood Search and Rescue Team members in October, researchers and city leaders were able to see the system in action.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENeda Mohammadi, another Georgia Tech researcher and project lead from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering says, \u201cWe\u2019ve been testing the system live and in real time, and it\u2019s really rewarding to see that it\u2019s working and that what we\u2019ve anticipated really took place.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe work is part of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pingeorgia.org\/\u0022\u003EPartnership for Inclusive Innovation\u003C\/a\u003E, a public-private initiative based out of Georgia Tech that catalyzes innovation for shared economic prosperity. It invests in projects that join researchers with communities to provide advanced technologies to build local capacity and improve the human condition. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EColumbus firefighter Captain Stephen Funk says, \u201cIt means time. It means a matter of life and death. And it means having the right people in the right place.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ERapid water-level rise in a river in downtown Columbus, Georgia, presents a big challenge for emergency responders. Despite warning signs and emergency sirens, unknowing visitors can be swept away by rushing whitewater. Georgia Tech researchers have worked with the city to develop a smart river safety digital twin including a camera system that will recognize when people on or near the river are in trouble. It will send specific warnings and location information to emergency responders who can take action for drowning prevention or rescue.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Collaboration between Georgia Tech and the city of Columbus, Georgia, leads to a first-of-its-kind alert system to prevent drownings"}],"uid":"36174","created_gmt":"2024-02-20 16:56:57","changed_gmt":"2024-03-07 15:51:58","author":"Blair Meeks","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673159":{"id":"673159","type":"video","title":"Drowning Prevention","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ERapid water-level rise in a river in downtown Columbus, Georgia, presents a big challenge for emergency responders. Despite warning signs and emergency sirens, unknowing visitors can be swept away by rushing whitewater. Georgia Tech researchers have worked with the city to develop a smart river safety digital twin including a camera system that will recognize when people on or near the river are in trouble. It will send specific warnings and location information to emergency responders who can take action for drowning prevention or rescue.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1708471283","gmt_created":"2024-02-20 23:21:23","changed":"1708471283","gmt_changed":"2024-02-20 23:21:23","video":{"youtube_id":"bi0WHdCyVqs","video_url":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bi0WHdCyVqs"}},"673154":{"id":"673154","type":"image","title":"Columbus firefighters","body":"\u003Cp\u003EColumbus firefighters worked with Georgia Tech researchers to test a drowning prevention system on the river that flows next to downtown Columbus, Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1708449466","gmt_created":"2024-02-20 17:17:46","changed":"1708471420","gmt_changed":"2024-02-20 23:23:40","alt":"This image shows Columbus firefighters overlooking the Chattahoochee River","file":{"fid":"256512","name":"Columbus bridge firefighters.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20bridge%20firefighters_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20bridge%20firefighters_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3263465,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20bridge%20firefighters_0.jpg?itok=wr3XNE8T"}},"673155":{"id":"673155","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech researchers teaming up with members of Columbus Fire \u0026 EMS","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers and Columbus employees and Fire \u0026amp; EMS crew members gather on a bridge over the Chattahoochee River. The team just completed a live test of the drowning prevention system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1708449660","gmt_created":"2024-02-20 17:21:00","changed":"1708471584","gmt_changed":"2024-02-20 23:26:24","alt":"This is a group shot of the firefighers and the Georgia Tech researchers who worked on this project","file":{"fid":"256513","name":"Columbus group shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20group%20shot_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20group%20shot_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2738710,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20group%20shot_0.jpg?itok=xffwmXqy"}},"673156":{"id":"673156","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech researchers working with a member of the IT team from Columbus, Georgia","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers and a member of Columbus Consolidated Government\u0027s IT leadership monitor the live feed of the drowning alert system project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1708449661","gmt_created":"2024-02-20 17:21:01","changed":"1708471682","gmt_changed":"2024-02-20 23:28:02","alt":"This image shows two researchers and a leader in the IT staff from Columbus, Georgia","file":{"fid":"256514","name":"Columbus researchers.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20researchers_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20researchers_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2497035,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/20\/Columbus%20researchers_0.jpg?itok=N5g78fUr"}}},"media_ids":["673159","673154","673155","673156"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"193521","name":"Drowning prevention"},{"id":"3035","name":"public safety"},{"id":"40101","name":"Columbus GA"},{"id":"193522","name":"technology solutions"},{"id":"193523","name":"river safety"},{"id":"65821","name":"Chattahoochee River"},{"id":"13262","name":"whitewater"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Blair.Meeks@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EW. Blair Meeks\u003C\/a\u003E, Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}