This use case is from South London Partnership – InnOvaTe “IoT” Project.
Outcome
Using sensors to monitor ASB (anti-social behaviour), and areas where action may be required to avert accidents or situations developing, by putting in preventative measures.
Sectors
Local authority, Highways, Public Realm, Regeneration,
Key Stakeholders
Highways Team, Community Safety, Business Improvement Districts
Overview
The South London Partnership (SLP) designed a number of Internet of Things (IoT) trials with the goal to capture data that could be used to reduce or prevent anti-social behaviour occurring in a number of locations in the borough. The problems being considered were illegal parking; car park barriers being opened without authorisation; traffic infringements such as no left or right turn junctions and on one-way streets; unauthorised motorbikes and mopeds; illegal entry to void properties. Trials were carried out across Kingston, Sutton and Croydon.
About the Author
The InnOvaTe Programme is an Internet of Things initiative by South London Partnership (SLP) to “pilot and research” IoT across the 5 London boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The programme looks at ways to generate economic growth, support local businesses, help people live better, healthier lives and assist with addressing the climate emergency. The project assessed 150 IoT ideas for the councils concerned, implementing 48 of them successfully over 18 months. The programme was formally completed in March 2023.
Case Study Challenge
A number of discrete IoT trails were deployed, each aiming to address a specific challenge.
Use Case Design Objectives
Sensors were strategically installed in various locations, including car parking spaces; car park barriers; lampposts; main entrances in different areas such as Beddington Park; parks with car park barriers; streets with illegal turns; illegal motorbike use; void properties. The purpose was to gather data on unexpected activities, and infringement issues. This data helped officers deter illegal activities, investigate infringements promptly, and monitor vacant properties to prevent unauthorised access and potential hazards like flooding or fire damage.
Commissioning (budget/procurement)
A number of competitive tender processes took place in 2021 and 2022 for various services related to this case study, with the primary procurement vehicle being the Crown Commercial Services (CSS) Spark framework. The budget range for all of these trials was less than £50K each, and most lasted a year, or just under.
Deployment (what / who / where / how long)
The following points highlight the various deployment approaches used in each of the related use cases. Most trials were run for 12 months or less:
Technology Implemented
A number of different IoT solutions were implemented:
Results / Key Findings
Benefits / Usefulness of Data
All trials produce new data which was not available to the service previously. This in itself added stakeholders in strategic decision-making which was very beneficial. New data generated has allowed improvements to be made to a number of council operations as well as changes to policies. Data from the illegal left turn/right turn & one-way streets sensors revealed high infringement levels, enabled the council to identify where to strategically place enforcement cameras and coversley where the problem was insufficient in scale to merit action. The data assisted in identifying problematic areas and improving signage. Further the data enabled Council Officers to respond factually to members of the Public, MP’s and Cllrs when challenged with statements such as ‘there are hundreds of offences a day’. This was very helpful as it removed subjectivity and enabled a pure focus on facts and then in turn decisions.
Officers planned to expand the trial and obtain funding for more sensors, but concerns about data accessibility arose, requiring improvement in the data dashboard. Unauthorised motorbike access data revealed that peak activity occurred on weekends and school holidays, and cold weather reduced motorbike activity. This enabled Sutton Council to allocate funding to install motorbike inhibitor gates at specific locations based on sensor data. As a result of this success, the scheme extended to the neighbouring borough, Croydon. Void Properties monitoring initially showed no illegal access, serving as a successful preventive measure, however the sensors did detect an intruder on one occasion which validated the benefits of the use case. Additionally, it unintentionally allowed contractor monitoring to take place which assisted in giving the service more contract monitoring insights into services being delivered to the council.
Lessons Learned
A number of discrete lessons learned have been identified. Generally, it was noted that using discrete sensors for a specific purpose was more useful than sensors that captured a large amount of data. Connectivity played a big role in the success of the use case, as this did cause sensors to go offline which impacted data collection. This was mitigated by working with connectivity providers to boost the signal and ensure all sensors had sufficient coverage for the duration of the trial. It was also discovered that some sensors were insufficiently robust enough to handle the requirements of the use case. This unfortunately meant the pausing and even halting of a number of trials as suppliers were then required to make improvements to their solutions. Trials needed to be implemented for a significant amount of time (often months) in order to capture the necessary data.
Cross-referencing data points with other sensors was useful to confirm sensor data reliability during this period of settling in. Some trials experienced inaccuracies in data capture which required refinements to be made to the sensors themselves. For example; changes in lenses / realignment, or even improvements to machine-learning algorithms to better identify objects due to mis-classification. Regarding alerting, changes to tolerances were needed to ensure officers were only alerted when real events had taken place. This required many iterations and changes, which the supplier was often very willing to assist with.
Conclusion
In various trials, IoT sensors have proven to be successful tools for addressing different ASB issues. In general, residents and council officers were supportive of sensor installations, which provided valuable data on park usage, car park occupancy, and cafe popularity. Car park barrier trials led to a change in Council policy, revealing frequent truck damage and prompting the installation of CCTV for insurance claims. Trials for monitoring illegal turns and one-way streets provided objective data to address traffic violations effectively, with potential enforcement measures. During the monitoring of the open space for illegal motorbike usage other unauthorised caravan incursions were identified and because they were spotted so quickly action could be taken before significant damage or fly tipping had occurred thus saving the Council a considerable sum of money. Finally, sensors in void properties proved cost-effective, renewing for another year, and offering flexibility for relocation when needed. Again these were able to alert staff to break ins at the earliest opportunity thus preventing large scale damage or theft of materials such as copper which can result in flooding or significant interruption of services to neighbours.
Photos from the use case
Contact
For further information, please contact the service leads involved in this project, listed below.
Mark Dalzell
Head of Neighbourhood Services, Environment, Housing and Regeneration
London Borough of Sutton
mark.dalzell@sutton.gov.uk
Liam Swaffield
Technical and Infrastructure Manager, Environment, Housing and Regeneration
London Borough of Sutton
liam.swaffield@sutton.gov.uk
Liz Bishop
Neighbourhood/Estate Management Client Lead, Cambridge Road Estate
Royal Borough of Kingston
liz.bishop@kingston.gov.uk
Lewis Kelly
London Borough of Croydon
Lewis.Kelly@croydon.gov.uk
Pierre Venter
IoT Delivery Manager
Royal Borough of Kingston and London Borough of Sutton
pierre.venter@sutton.gov.uk