Investigators
are no longer wary of crowds at the scene of crime – in fact, they depend on
them, claims a tech fan.
AD: Hey, what are you looking for?
BC: I lost a file...
AD: Maybe you should crowdsource your search operation...
BC: You mean summon a crowd and get everyone to search for my file?
AD: Something like that. There will be more hands on deck
and…
BC: If I have the entire neighbourhood rummaging through this
place, I will have to crowdsource the construction of another house...
AD: That's nothing - the FBI crowdsourced evidence that
helped them identify the culprits in the Boston marathon bombing.
BC: Sounds like the modern equivalent of rounding up a posse
and launching a manhunt…
AD: Only it’s quicker, more effective and uses technology. Do
you know that each minute, over 200000 photos are posted on Facebook and over
72 hours of video footage uploaded on YouTube?
BC: But what does that have to do with the investigation?
AD: Obviously there’s a spike in these uploads during key
events like the Boston marathon. So, from the neighbourhood stores at the venue
to the crowds present at the marathon, everyone was encouraged by the
authorities to send in images and video clips of the event.
BC: And…?
AD: Apparently, the initial findings began with some grainy
images of two young men in caps. When these were shared online, people sent
thousands of images and videos that were shot with better focus and with higher
resolution.
BC: So it's not just the surveillance cameras at vantage points
that help during an investigation…
AD: Absolutely, and that's where technology comes into play.
Can you imagine this happening a couple of decades ago?
BC: Agreed, but with millions of people enthusiastically
sending in what they think could be potential evidence, isn't there bound to be
a lot of confusion?
AD: Sure, but it used to be the same even in the good old
days when the authorities asked people to call in. Incidentally, the technology
that you blame actually helped the FBI get back on track and nail the men
responsible...
BC: How is that?
AD: Companies like CrowdOptic have come up with cutting edge
data analysis tools that gather information from the smartphones being used and
make several key inferences – this information helped the authorities fine-tune
their search.
BC: How much time does all this take?
AD: Possibly a second to sift through over 100000 images and
pick the one that best suits the requirement...
BC: So that was how the FBI managed to make arrests, within 96
hours of the bombing....
AD: That's right. CrowdOptic's technology works based on the
metadata linked to every image clicked with a smartphone. It can then sort out
these images based on the exact time when they were clicked and the location...
BC: And that led the investigators to the focal point of the incident
involving the bombers.
AD: You got it. The application software filters images based
on their relevance and on the popularity of the photo object appearing across
various shots.
BC: Looks like crowdsourcing technology has put terrorists in
a Catch-22 situation…
AD: Why is that?
BC: Terrorists and disruptive elements normally seek crowded
places to wreak havoc - but if they do so, crowdsourcing technology is sure to
expose them. And if they blow up their bombs where there's no one around, it wouldn't
serve their purpose…
AD: I don’t know about that, but I can tell you how
technology has made people more human...
BC: Has it?
AD: It sure has! In the good old days, the authorities would have
to announce rewards for anyone who would help them nab a culprit. Today, thanks
to technology, they can get their work done for free.
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