In the City of Genoa, a technology journey started with the vision of becoming a true smart city, long before it was a global trend. That dream has leaped forward: Genoa has joined Project Hafnia, a groundbreaking initiative by Milestone Systems and NVIDIA, to shape the future of video AI.
From civil protection to smart transport, from licence plate readers to AI-powered analytics, Genoa is building a city that learns, adapts, and grows.
Now, with Hafnia, Genoa steps into a new dimension, helping to build the next generation of visual AI tools - tools that won’t just serve cities but transform them.
Densely populated
Genoa is the sixth largest city in Italy, with around 570,000 residents
Genoa is the sixth largest city in Italy, with around 570,000 residents. It's the heart of a metropolitan area of more than one million people and home to one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean.
It’s a city with unique geography, squeezed between the sea and the mountains, highly urbanised and densely populated.
“Modern smart cities use ICT to improve the quality of services, infrastructure, and ultimately people’s lives - addressing challenges linked to the growing urbanisation of our cities,” said Andrea Sinisi, Head of Telecommunications Networks, Access Control Systems, and Video Surveillance, Technology Office, Information Systems Department, Genoa
Aging infrastructure
Recent history has shown how fragile Genoa’s territory is, with hydrogeological issues and aging infrastructure. So a modern, smart city must be able to manage these complex challenges, with the help of technology.
“In this context, IoT sensors and especially video surveillance are key tools to manage such a complex urban environment. In 2023, we adopted Milestone, which marked a major step forward in terms of reliability and quality, also allowing us to integrate video analytics through BriefCam,” concluded Andrea Sinisi.
Video management software
Presently, the cameras serve many purposes as they have become smart devices
The video management software (VMS) is owned by the City of Genoa and is the city's official video surveillance system.
Presently, the cameras serve many purposes as they have become smart devices. These support urban and road safety, civil protection, urban mobility, public transport, facility management, environmental sustainability, city planning, and tourism.
This means stakeholders are not just local police and law enforcement, but also different areas of public administration and local institutions, like the Port Authority, universities, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Integrated systems
“Our goal is to completely rethink urban mobility, offering an integrated system of buses, trains, parking, and bike sharing,” said Alessandra Raiti, Information Systems Officer, Technology Office – Information Systems Department, Genoa.
“An open platform like Milestone is essential in this transformation, as it provides clear, instant access to metadata from applications and AI-powered cameras developed by different brands.”
Artificial Intelligence
“AI has opened the door to extraordinary results and unimaginable horizons, things we couldn't have dreamed of just a short time ago,” continued Andrea Sinisi.
“The many different perspectives show us one thing: we are facing a fast-evolving research field, with rapid and significant changes happening all the time. That's why we enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to take part in the Hafnia Project, a collaboration between Milestone and NVIDIA.”
Crucial video data
The Hafnia Project has a goal of giving developers access to crucial video data
The Hafnia Project has a goal of giving developers access to crucial video data, essential for training and developing new visual AI models.
This data-driven approach is also a cornerstone of Italy’s Three-Year Plan for IT in Public Administration, which guides the country’s digital transformation.
“Our aim is to build a fully digital public administration, and we plan to support this with intensive training for our staff. Right now, we have a robust infrastructure and a network of platforms that already make Genoa one of the most advanced cities in Italy,” said Andrea Sinisi.
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