95 %
the cameras are not actively observed permanently.
← Synaedge
AI video analytics for Cities and Authorities
AI video analytics for cities and authorities combines the protection of public spaces with your control centres. Integrate government buildings and sensitive facilities into a common visual security concept.
Existing cameras
Continue to use your infrastructure
Visual AI
Identify relevant events
Integration
Results passed into your processes
Data sovereignty
Designing processing in a controlled manner
Understanding Urban Dynamics
Security. Mobility. Quality of life.
Cities face complex challenges in public space every day. Violence, traffic loads, delayed operations and environmental pollution show how important it is to be able to detect urban developments early and to be able to better classify situations.
53.5%
The police-registered violent crimes in Switzerland occurred in public space in 2025.
50%
Delay during operations can be caused by traffic.
40 %
of CO2 emissions in road traffic, an EU paper of 2007 assigned urban traffic.
110 billion
The mobility project AI4LIFE calls annual storage costs annual traffic in Europe as an estimate.
166 billion
CE Delft estimated health-related social costs for 432 European cities in 2018.
Sources of 53.5%, 40%, 110 billion and 166 billion: BFS: Criminal Statistics Switzerland 2025 · EU Commission, 2007 · EIT Urban Mobility: AI4LIFE · CE Delft, 2020; 2018 data. The studies have different reference spaces and do not describe any measured effects of our video analytics.
A common visual security concept
Detect more. Targeted support your teams.
Without continuous analysis, relevant events can easily be overlooked. Combine public spaces and sensitive facilities with targeted visual information for your control centres, security services and specialist areas.
Identify relevant events
Defined situations are recorded automatically. Your control centres and specialist areas can check important information early.
Targeted alert
Automatically hand over alarms to the authorised team and use your defined response paths.
Providing visual context
Matching camera images help your employees to classify a detected situation faster.
Continue to use the existing
Integrate suitable cameras and VMS systems into your visual security concept.
Connecting locations centrally
Combine public spaces, transport routes, government buildings and sensitive facilities in common processes.
Checking processing
Design data processing locally, hybridly or in a controlled environment.
Vaidio – Excellent AI Vision Platform
Why we recommend Vaidio for cities and authorities.
For cities and authorities, we prefer to use Vaidio: The platform combines AI with rapid event detection, video search and traffic analyses that have been trained for many years. We integrate the appropriate functions into your cameras, control centres and data protection processes.
The video could not be started. Open video directly
10+
Years of AI Training and Development
3,000+
Objects as the basis of AI training
30+
specialised AI engines
2 s
Alert according to the manufacturer*
SIA Best New Product 2025 · Vaidio 9.0
*Manufacturer information. The actual alarm time depends on analysis, event rule, hardware and network and is checked in the project.
Continue to use your cameras
Vaidio works with almost all ONVIF-compatible IP cameras. We check the image quality, perspective and interfaces of your existing infrastructure and select the appropriate camera streams.
Over 30 VMS can be integrated
The platform supports Milestone, Genetec, Network Optix and Salient, among others. We connect events, image sections and alarm paths with the appropriate interfaces of your version used.
Anchoring data protection in operation
We configure masking, search areas, roles and deletion periods according to your data protection policy. Processing can run locally, and functions involving personal data are enabled only for legally approved purposes.
Your data. Your operating limits.
Operation without data drainage to the USA.
For this request, we plan a closed on-premises architecture: video, event and analysis data remain in your shared environment. External cloud AI and uncontrolled outgoing connections are excluded.
Licensing, updates, telemetry and remote maintenance are also part of the assessment. We confirm that no data leaves the defined environment only after every data path in the selected configuration has been secured technically and contractually.
We arrange the AI action according to the AI Act. International transfers of personal data depend in particular on the GDPR; the AI Act alone does not guarantee the data retention of data in Europe. More about data protection and legal framework
Public Space and Mobility
Protect public spaces. Control traffic directly.
Identify security-related situations in public places and keep an eye on people’s flows and traffic routes. Discover the right analysis for your urban tasks.
Departmental
Public Spaces
Detect vandalism, illegal garbage deposits, smoke, fire, items left behind or unauthorised entering defined areas.
Also record person densities and movement flows and get indications of visible weapons or physical confrontations.
The designated teams receive an early visual alert and can review the situation before further action is taken.
Departmental
Traffic Monitoring
Capture traffic volumes, movement directions, returns, blocked driving areas and other operational traffic data.
The information obtained will support you in the traffic management, the evaluation of hazardous areas and long-term mobility planning.
Public buildings and sensitive facilities
secure buildings.
You determine which cameras are analysed, which events matter and who is notified. Video analytics provides the designated team with the relevant image, location, time and event type.
Use Case
Government and Public Administration Buildings
Protect entrances, access points, visitor areas, courtyards and sensitive parts of the building. The video analytics may automatically detect unauthorised entry, longer lingering, blocked escape routes, abandoned items or further defined security events.
The facilities with increased protection include:
- Town halls and municipal administration buildings
- Ministries and Government Buildings
- Parliaments and political institutions
- Courts and Public Prosecutors
- Embassies, Consulates and Diplomatic Institutions
- Financial, tax and customs authorities
- Labour, Social and Citizens’ Offices
- Police services and buildings
- Fire, rescue and disaster control sites
- Authorities Data Centres and Archives
- Municipal building yards, depots and technical establishments
- Kasernen and military facilities
The analysis is adapted to the respective protection requirements, your restricted zones and the existing alarm processes.
Explore Use Case
Use Case
Prisons and Secure Facilities
Support your security staff in monitoring prisons, detention centres, forensic facilities and other secure accommodation areas.
In suitable areas, video analytics can identify the following situations:
- people in blocked or inadmissible areas
- Movements at fences, walls or defined restricted zones
- Overslimb or cross defined limits
- Objects left or removed
- Critical crowds
- Violence and physical conflicts
- Falls and motionless people
- Smoke and visible fire
The concrete implementation will be adapted to your security concepts, camera perspectives, responsibilities and legal requirements.
Explore Use Case
Use Case
Asylum and Community Accommodation
Help your employees and security services identify and review critical situations more quickly in collaborative areas.
For example, the video analytics can indicate the following events:
- Violence and physical conflicts
- Smoke and visible fire
- Falls or motionless people
- Blocked escape and escape routes
- Critical crowds
- Unauthorised accession of defined areas
- Unattended objects
- Unusual movements outside defined usage times
The analysis focuses on clearly defined security events. Identification, profiling or evaluation of individual residents is not required for these applications.
Explore Use Case
Control centres
Recognition. Search. To act directly.
Connect automatic event detection with data protection-compliant video search and your existing alerts. In this way, your teams will find relevant sequences faster, check the context and keep the decision in your own hands at all times.
Detect
Set which camera streams and visual events are relevant to you. The platform continuously analyses these areas based on your defined rules.
Finding GDPR compliant
Limit video material specifically by period, camera, objects and visible features. Which areas you can search and who receives access depends on your defined purpose and data protection concept.
Search with free text
Just describe the situation you are looking for in natural language. Depending on the platform used and unlocked functions, you will receive suitable video sequences that your employees can then check.
Classify
Receive the relevant event context directly: location, time, event type and the relevant image.
Passing
Forward alarms and relevant video sequences to your control centre, your specialist centre or your mobile teams in a targeted manner. the transfer uses the systems, roles and authorisations provided by you.
Check and act
Designated staff verify the situation and decide which action is required.
Search, data protection and handover
Your search rules. Your context.
Together with your data protection authority, determine the purpose for which you may search videos, the legal basis on which this is done and the search areas, roles and deletion periods that apply.
Masking, controlled data processing and the transfer of relevant sequences to suit your use and your data protection concept.
- Camera and location
- You can immediately see which scene is affected and which area is assigned to.
- Event and time
- You will receive the detected event type together with the relevant time.
- Visual context
- The relevant image helps the designated team assess a reported situation.
- Responsible position
- You define whether the message is sent to your control centre, a department or a mobile team.
You check. You decide.
Video analytics supports your existing security and operational processes while decisions remain with your staff. The designated teams assess each situation and determine the appropriate response.
Your benefits as a city or authority
More security. Less follow-up costs. More scope for your city.
Early detected events can accelerate operations, limit consequential damage and make urban resources more targeted use. The benefit ranges from safer public spaces to more acceptable mobility.
Case study · Dubuque, Iowa
Existing cameras. New opportunities for the city.
The city of Dubuque connected its existing video infrastructure with Vaidio and Milestone. In the Hafnia project, AI models were trained with local traffic images to better map the actual conditions on the roads.
- 1,400+
- Network cameras in urban inventory
- 95 %
- Model accuracy according to Milestone case study
Existing cameras→Local training data→Joint evaluation
Vaidio describes a continuous evaluation of traffic flows, faster indications of incidents and less manual data collection. The existing cameras could be reused; additional urban tasks can be integrated gradually.
Project data: Milestone, May 2025 and Vaidio case study.
What this means for your city
Security also affects your household and your location.
The decisive factor is what improvements you achieve in everyday life: less effort in case of incidents, better used areas and more reliable basics for decisions.
Exharge public services
Earlier information and targeted research can facilitate deployment coordination and education. If escalations and damage are limited, the effort for post-processing and repair may also decrease.
Better use of transport and parking space
Information on backlog, traffic flow and free spaces support traffic control and parking management. Less search traffic and waiting times can relieve local residents, the environment and local businesses.
Planning urban development in a sound way
Aggregated visitor frequencies, length of stay and evidence show how places and facilities are used. This enables offers, personnel and investments to be aligned with the actual needs.
Strengthening business location
Safe and easily accessible public spaces can increase the attractiveness for trade, gastronomy, tourism and investment. This strengthens the conditions for a lively inner city and sustainable site development.
Make more targeted use of public funds
Use existing cameras and expand the analysis step by step. In this way, investments can be tailored to specific tasks and available resources to be planned more specifically for operation, education or mobility.
Measure the benefits of your own goals.
Before starting, determine which response times, research effort, traffic processes or operating costs you want to improve. A pilot with a before-after comparison creates the basis for further expansion.
Privacy by Design and Responsibility
Protect your city. Perce the rights of your population.
Public places, public authorities and traffic routes perform different tasks. Your video analytics therefore needs a clear purpose, a sustainable legal basis and rules that work in the everyday life of your administration.
We plan the technical implementation with your specialist departments, your IT and your data protection department. You define which applications are allowed and how your teams work with the results.
Public task and legal basis
For each location, define the specific problem the analysis should address and why less intrusive measures are insufficient. For public tasks, Article 6(1)(e), read with Article 6(3) GDPR and an appropriate legal basis, may be relevant. A general reference to “security” is insufficient.
Municipal administration and police prosecution may be subject to different rules. In particular, the national rules governing Directive (EU) 2016/680 must be examined by competent law enforcement authorities. A common control centre does not remove these differences.
Public space and vulnerable people
Limit fields of view, analysis times and events to the actual needs. For schools, counselling centres, accommodation, medical facilities and meeting places, the impact on those affected deserves special attention. Private living areas and non-requisite neighbouring spaces are already excluded or effectively masked in the planning.
For urban planning and visitor control, we prefer aggregated frequencies and utilization. Motion data should not reflect individual everyday paths or political, religious and personal interests. Comprehensible information and achievable contacts help your population to understand the purpose and limits of their use.
Face recognition: for legally permissible purposes only
Event recognition, personal counting and video search for visible characteristics do not require biometric identification. If your project provides facial recognition, we distinguish two applications:
- Verification (1:1): One person confirms an alleged identity, for example in a controlled entry. The corresponding reference record is compared.
- Identification (1:N): A face is compared with several stored identities. This type of search intrudes more significantly on the rights of affected individuals.
Biometric data used for unique identification receive particular protection. Under the GDPR, processing requires a legal basis under Article 6 and an applicable exception under Article 9(2). A technical capability, notice or municipal decision does not in itself provide permission. Consent must be freely given, which requires particular care in a public-authority context.
We plan the technical design only after the necessity, legal basis, permitted group of people and safeguards have been clarified. One-to-one verification also requires a separate data protection assessment.
Special limits in publicly accessible space
The EU AI Act prohibits real-time remote modification in publicly accessible spaces for law enforcement purposes. Narrow exceptions concern certain victims’ and missing attempts, concrete serious dangers and the targeted search for suspects of certain serious crimes.
This requires, among other things, corresponding national legislation, strict necessity, limits in time and place and, in principle, prior approval by a court or independent administrative authority. The specific requirements for fundamental-rights assessments, registration and reporting must also be met.
A general interest in security does not permit a comprehensive search for face. A subsequent biometric search in recordings also has its own legal prerequisites. It is not a way to avoid the requirements for a live search.
AI Act: classify the specific application
The classification depends on the intended use. An utilization count is different from than biometric remote identification. AI as a security component in road traffic or for prioritising rescue operations can also be covered by high-risk rules. The location “Agency” alone does not decide the classification.
Documentation, logging, human oversight and the obligations of public operators will become relevant for relevant high-risk applications. Plan a necessary fundamental rights impact assessment and registration from the outset. They supplement the privacy check.
We take into account the regulations and transitional periods applicable at the start of the project. Prohibitions already apply; postponed high-risk deadlines do not give permission for any otherwise improper use. Your employees also need the appropriate AI competence to use.
High-risk applicationsEU Commission: Duties and current deadlines
Impact assessment and comprehensible release
A data protection impact assessment is required before processing is likely to be high risk. The systematic comprehensive monitoring of publicly accessible areas is an explicit case under Art. 35 GDPR. Purpose, necessity, risks and remedial measures are documented.
Unbind your data protection officer at an early age. If there is a high risk despite safety measures, the previous consultation of the relevant data protection supervision must be examined. An impact assessment does not replace a missing legal basis.
Data sovereignty, procurement and municipal operation
Already in the procurement location, support access, subcontractors, interfaces and a later switch. Depending on the platform and infrastructure, local, European or hybrid operating models are eligible. A European server location alone does not yet make the entire data flow compliant with data protection.
Your operating concept should cover separate roles for offices and service providers, encryption, security updates, failure processes as well as export and deletion rules. Specify whether and under what conditions image data may be used for other purposes such as model training. Common technology does not mean flat-rate access for all connected places.
Check quality. Decisions are responsible.
Test the selected analyses under your real conditions: at night, rain, backlight, covering and different groups of people. Define acceptable false alarm rates, response times and handling unclear results before you follow up to further locations.
An alarm or biometric hit is an review alert. Qualified employees evaluate image quality and context and decide on the next measure. Recurring misalouds, possible disadvantages and changes to models or cameras belong to your ongoing quality control.
The legal notices relate to the EU framework; national rules and the specific purpose remain decisive. Status of classification: 9. September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about AI video analytics for cities and authorities.
Vaidio for cities, authorities and critical infrastructure
Why do we favour in this area preferably on Vaidio?
For cities, government agencies and public institutions, we currently focus on the Vaidio AI Vision Platform. It combines automatic event detection with targeted search in existing video material and can be integrated into many existing camera and VMS environments. We select the analyses, mode of operation and interfaces suitable for your tasks and check them with your cameras in a demarcated pilot project.
What SOC-2 test has Vaidio undergone?
Vaidio has released its own release from 29. June 2026 received a SOC 2 Type II certification by Prescient Security. It was examined whether the recorded security checks were effectively operated over an audit period. For your procurement we consider the specific scope and the available proofs. The test is a safety certificate from the manufacturer; the safeguarding of your local installation and your operating processes is also planned.
Is Vaidio NDAA compliant?
The manufacturer refers to Vaidio as NDAA compliant. This is relevant for procurement with appropriate US requirements. For your overall system, we also check the intended servers, cameras, components and suppliers. The NDAA statement alone does not replace your European data protection audit or the evaluation of supply chain and security risks.
What role does Vaidio play in NIS2 requirements?
Vaidio can be integrated as a technical component in a security concept that includes your applicable NIS2 requests. Whether your institution is covered depends on the applicable national regulations. Risk management, supply chain security, responsibilities, emergency processes and legal reporting remain the tasks of the responsible organisation. Together with your IT security, we plan the access protection, updating and operation of video analytics. A lump sum NIS2 fulfilment by the platform alone cannot be derived from this.
EU-Kommission: NIS2 and Pflichten der betroffenen Einrichtungen ↗
Can Vaidio DSG or GDPR be used in accordance with the GDP?
A data protection compliant use is possible if the specific purpose, the legal basis and the technical and organisational implementation fit together. We coordinate search areas, roles, masking, deletion periods and data processing with your data protection authority. Depending on the responsibility, the GDPR, the Swiss DSG or cantonal data protection regulations apply. Biometric functions are only intended for separately audited, legally permissible purposes. The product choice alone does not constitute any permissibility of the supervision.
Is Vaidio already used in the municipal sector and in critical infrastructure?
Yes. The manufacturer documents, among other things, the traffic analyses of the city of Dubuque and its use by a large municipal US energy supplier. Such references show experiences with urban tasks and critical infrastructure. For your European city or authority, the safety requirements, the legal requirements and the integration into your control centre are checked for specific projects.
Technology and everyday community
Can we continue to use existing cameras and our VMS?
In many cases yes. We check resolution, viewing angles, lighting, frame rate and interfaces for your specific events. A pilot with representative cameras shows which analyses are functioning reliably and where required additional coverage. Your existing alarm and deployment processes will be included in this test.
How do we connect several offices, buildings and control centres?
Locations can be integrated via a common technical environment. You define who is allowed to see events, search for video material, export sequences and trigger measures per task. Merging requires a coordinated role and responsibility model; a connection does not grant automatic access to other places.
How do we start with a limited budget and staff?
Start with a clearly delineated problem, suitable cameras and a competent authority. Agree on measurable goals such as fewer false alarms, shorter search times, or faster verification. Also evaluate training, operation and integration effort. Then you decide on other applications and locations based on the pilot results.
Does the AI detect intentions or does it decide on a deployment?
The described analyses capture visible features and defined events. No intention from this can be reliably derived from a person. Your qualified employees check information, take the context into account and decide on measures. Automated operational prioritisation would require its own professional and legal assessment.
Data protection and trust
How can video search be organised in a data protection manner?
You set permissible search purposes, eligible roles, camera ranges, and time periods. Access, exports and deletion are set up accordingly. Even a free text search remains bound to these specifications. The technical possibility of a search does not replace its legal basis or the examination of whether the specific search reason is permissible.
How does Vaidio protect privacy?
People and faces can be automatically made unrecognizable and key figures can be evaluated anonymously. Together with your data protection item, we determine which masking, access rights and storage apply. We distinguish between anonymous evaluation results and protected original recordings.
How long may recordings and events be stored?
There is no single retention period for every city and application. The permitted purpose, necessity and applicable rules determine the appropriate period. Define separate retention periods for continuous recordings, event clips, search data and logs. Preserving material for a specific incident requires its own controlled process.
What helps with transparency and acceptance in the city?
Explain which problem you solve, which areas are recorded and which evaluations are provided. Plan clearly visible information, further information and an accessible contact for information and other requests for information and other concerned requests. A comprehensible limited pilot with documented results supports the discussion with administration, political bodies and population.
Face Recognition and EU AI Act
Do our applications need facial recognition?
For the tasks described here, such as event detection, counting, utilization analysis or search for visible object features, no biometric identification is required. If your project requires an identity comparison, purpose, necessity, legal requirements and technical aptitude will be assessed separately.
Is facial recognition permitted for controlled access?
A 1:1 verification can be legally permissible, but is not allowed automatically. In the scope of the GDPR, biometric data needs clear identification both a basis according to Art. 6 as well as an exception under Art. 9 para. 2. In particular, check necessity, genuine voluntary consent and suitable alternatives. The exception for pure verification in the high-risk category of biometric distance information does not revoke data protection.
Can we look for people in public places by face?
A city does not receive a general authority. Biometric real-time remote identification in publicly accessible spaces for law enforcement is prohibited under the AI Act. The narrow exceptions presuppose corresponding national rules and other conditions. Other biometric search forms also need their own legal basis and proportionality check.
What AI Act obligations do we already have to plan?
Bans and requirements for AI competence already apply. The EU Commission currently lists the 2. for the relevant high-risk applications in accordance with Annex III. December 2027; for high-risk AI in regulated products the 2. August 2028. Depending on the classification, among other things, you will include documentation, human oversight, fundamental rights impact assessment and registration. Transition and inventory rules must be checked separately for your project. Data protection requirements apply regardless of these deadlines. Status: 9. September 2026.
Your specific application
What task do you want to improve your city directly?
Whether the setting is a public square, government building, traffic route or control room, we assess how your existing cameras can support the designated teams. We then design a suitable analytics, integration and operating architecture for your requirements and legally approved use cases.
