I-Cube (Integrated, Intelligent Imaging) E-Mail info at I-Cube dot co dot za OR Call 082 562 8225

The parks and gardens along Durban's famous Golden Mile are "absolutely repulsive" and must be jacked up as a matter of urgency, according an outspoken consultant.

Fed up and frustrated about what he calls the "poor service delivery" from the city, Dewet Cronje, a security consultant for several hotels along the Golden Mile (the general managers of 16 hotels send their complaints to him), says that if Durban is to become an international tourism destination, then world-class standards were needed.

He says that he has complained to council departments about problem areas for months - and having not received a response, has now decided to "go public".

Cronje, a former Metro Police Director, claims he was barred from attending the city's Festive Season Management Committee (which dealt with security and other issues) "because they felt I would complain about issues".

The hotels were "concerned" about this, one hotelier said.

"He is outspoken, but he represents us and what he says is for the good of the city. Not everyone can see his vision."

Told about Cronje's various complaints, another tourism source said: "Yes, there is tangible evidence that the tourism product is not being maintained."

Cronje has also fired off a letter about various "long-standing issues" to the relevant council department, as well as to city manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe, who on Thursday instructed his staff to respond to Cronje.

Cronje's letter told how "most of the grass areas had not been mowed or raked for weeks. In some areas, the weeds were half a metre high.

"The outer perimeter of the amphitheatre is covered in weed. The urine smell is disgusting. The building is in a very bad condition."

He also said that the door of an electrical box, opposite the North Beach Hotel - Southern Sun - had been missing for three weeks. "Electrical wires are exposed and it is a danger to the public."

A rusted electrical pole near the Elangeni Hotel had not been replaced, despite it being reported last April.

He further complained that there were some 100 defective streetlights, floodlights and pavement lights, a claim disputed by Sandile Maphumulo, the head of the Electricity Department. Maphumulo said if Cronje told him where the defective lights were, he would get them checked and also attend to the electrical box.

Cronje took the Daily News to some of the troublespots, which included:

A filthy ornamental "pool" in the sunken gardens. Once a beautiful feature, it is now an embarrassing eyesore.
A similar pool, but empty save for weeds.
A trench gouged in the sand, which could pose a problem for anyone falling into it. The sand, which was dug out, was piled nearby and has grass growing out of it.
A tree, which toppled over in a storm in August, has not been removed.
Weeds and long grass.

Cronje pointed out that while the gates to the sunken gardens were padlocked at night, the fence was broken, enabling easy access for the homeless as well as prostitutes and drug dealers.

In a new development, Cronje said he was expecting to have a meeting on Friday with Christo Swart, head of the Parks Department, to discuss the issues.

Responding on Thursday night, Swart said after an inspection, the department acknowledged there were problems at the pools. He said work would begin this month on rectifying the problems.

Referring to the trench, he said the area had been excava-ted for repairs after a water leak, but there were no spares and work was still in progress.

Hazard tape had been put up, but had been removed. It would be put up again.

Grass had been cut in mid-December, but due to wet weather, was "slightly overgrown".

He said it would have been impractical to invite Cronje as there was already someone representing the Chamber of Commerce who could raise issues.

However, Cronje said the appointed person was not mandated to speak for the hotels.

EDITOR: A solution to the crime and poor maintenance along the Golden Mile would be to use the existing cameras to log all vehicles, comparing these to known criminals, stolen vehicles and outstanding traffic fines. If a private company was allowed to operate the area, using the funds generated from outstanding traffic fines, security and the environment would improve tremendously. All the issues above could be resolved using the right technology.

I-Cube or Integrated Intelligent Imaging (I³) focuses of proactive crime prevention using real time links to multiple internal and external databases in order to generate a warning prior to crime occurring, allowing anticipation of the offence. All the projects I-Cube is involved with have a central theme of using images, as this allows both the real time and covert nature of the proactive crime prevention systems to operate to the best effect.

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS: As the person or car approaches the entrance a camera captures a number of images from which the license plate or face are extracted. These images are saved, allowing this information to be used in subsequent investigations. The face or license plate is then compared to local databases, allowing greeting of repeat visitors and external databases, such as insurance companies, stolen and suspicious vehicles, SAPS, Metro, etc. If the vehicle is listed as stolen, appropriate action should then be taken. If the vehicle is listed as never have been registered, this is a good vehicle to investigate further. Within a short period of the system being in operation, most vehicles and people have been logged and registered, allowing typically limited resources to be focused on the few remaining exceptions. The ability to leverage the equipment to operate in a marketing role, while still actively focusing on proactive crime prevention, has major advantages in a cash limited environment. If you have more than 50 people a day passing a point where we can place a camera, I-Cube has the experience and ability to turn this into a revenue stream. Please contact I-Cube to explore this further.

WHAT IS REQUIRED: The key to proactive crime prevention using real time links is that the system does not require human intervention, it is fully automatic. The camera automatically captures the image, the facial or license plate is automatically compared to both local and remote databases and if required an alarm is generated. The I-Cube solution can operate locally but using a wide range of communication means (including ADSL, 3G, GPRS, iBURST, Wireless or satellite) a real time link to multiple databases can be established, allowing immediate updates of stolen vehicles as they are added to SAPS or the insurance databases.

The system requires a camera linked to a computer, running the I-Cube Intelligent Software. The software is trained to recognise the item to be logged or counted, be that people, cars or different types of products. Once the item is logged, it can then be compared to pre-set rules or databases, allowing an alarm to be generated if the incorrect number of products exit or a vehicle enters after hours or is listed as not allowed. The ability to link vehicle colour, weight, and driver, biometric and other info as required to the license plate gives the I-Cube system tremendous advantages.

I-Cube can integrate with your existing system or provide dedicated cameras, computers and networks. Please contact I-Cube with your requirements and existing equipment.

WHAT DOES IT COST: I-Cube can provide database links only, software only, some hardware and software or a complete solution, fully installed and maintained, if required? The cost can be a capital amount, a rental per month, a cost per transaction or shared revenue. Costs range from 0.13c per chicken (based on 100 000 birds a day) to 3c per car (based on single entry / exit lanes) to R1 950.00 per month to R49 500.00 for the software and hardware. Please contact I-Cube for your specific requirements.

The following illustrates some examples of the users of this technology. Please contact I-Cube or your local IT / CCTV / DVR / biometric supplier for a customised proposal, taking into consideration your requirements, existing solutions and possible revenue sources.

SCHOOL: The entrance of the school is covered with a camera, which is linked wirelessly to a PC running the I-Cube software. The students, staff and parents are enrolled into a local database, which allows specific messages to be placed on an electronic display, while visitors are directed to the visitor parking area and then to reception. The schools limited manpower resources can then focus on the visitors, rather than the known parents or staff. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

DISTRIBUTION CENTRE: The ability to link the license plate, driver facial image, vehicle type and colour, container number and weight of the truck and weight of goods listed on the invoice prevents unauthorised removal of any items. Productivity per vehicle is up while the number of hours wasted at weigh bridges has been substantially reduced, as the distribution centre no longer allows vehicles out which would be fined for overloading. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

GOLF ESTATE: The existing cameras at the entrance and at key points through the estate were linked to the I-Cube LPR software allowing all visitors and residents to be logged at a number of points through the estate. The system was linked to a national database of suspect and stolen cars, allowing proactive crime prevention. When an alarm is detected, the armed reaction team are called into action, supporting the estate front end guards. A side effect of the I-Cube LPR solution is that the average speed of the vehicles is automatically determined, ensuring the estate remains children friendly. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

OFFICE BLOCK: Parking, or rather the lack of parking within the office block was the reason to call I-Cube. Each tenant has a certain number of bays allocated for staff and visitors. When these bays were occupied and more vehicles were allowed into the office block, major congestion resulted, causing severe frustration for both visitors and office workers. I-Cube utilised the existing cameras to count the number of vehicles into and out of the office block. When the number of vehicles approached critical level, a mobile LPR system was deployed and staff parking in visitor areas were requested to remove their vehicles. Failure to comply led to banning of those vehicles for a certain number of days, again utilising the I-Cube enabled LPR solution. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: The problem faced by the neighbourhood watch was not that of limited resources or money, but of how to prevent known criminals from entering the area patrolled by the neighbourhood watch. The exiting dome cameras were linked to the I-Cube LPR solution, plus a mobile LPR solution was provided. All vehicles and people entering the neighbourhood watch area were recorded and match against the known criminals. If matched, these people were approached and asked to explain where they were going and what they were doing. Car theft was reduced substantially while contact crimes no longer occur. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT: The department had a recovery rate of fewer than 30% of all fines issued. I-Cube introduced a road block LPR solution which allowed the traffic department to generate an alarm when a vehicle with an outstanding fine or warrant was detected. These vehicles were then automatically pulled over to a parking area where the drivers were informed of any fines or warrants were issued. The drivers had the option to pay any amounts outstanding via credit card, check or cash via the I-Cube supplied mobile payment systems. The number of outstanding fines has improved substantially to more than 70%. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

TAXI ROUTE MONITORING & ENFORCEMENT: If taxi routes are not regulated commuters along non profitable routes are not serviced and violence between competing taxi associations often results. If the taxi routes are monitored with the I-Cube LPR solution illegal operators are immediately identified and prevented from operating. Where two of these monitoring points are linked, average speed determination can be determined and the number of trips per taxi per day can be calculated and communicated to the taxi owners. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

TRUCK OVERWEIGHT ENFORCEMENT: A number of kilometres before the truck reaches the off ramp to the official weighbridge where a fine would be issued, the license plate is captured using the I-Cube LPR solution and weight is determined using an in line weigh sensor. If the weight per axle or total weight exceeds that allowed, the license truck is sent a message via the variable message signs (VMS) that it is required to exit on the next off ramp and proceed to the weigh bridge. If the driver / vehicle proceed past the off ramp or do not go to the weigh bridge, an alarm is generated, allowing the truck to be chased / pulled over further ahead or logged for further action. Please contact I-Cube for more details.

A NUMBER OF OTHER EXAMPLES EXIST: Please contact I-Cube for more details.