Imagine that you witness a robbery, alternatively an assault or even a terror attack in a public place. Pick up your smart phone and film the event via a free app. The images are automatically sent to operators that in real time can see what is happening and according to the situation call the appropriate resources. That is how developers at the Swedish company Videonet project that the Videoneteyes platform and the Citizeneyes service could be used.

Lars Ehlin, CEO of Videonet is very pleased with the development of Videoneteyes, a platform for the transfer, presentation and recording of live video from smart phones.

"With this platform, we can revolutionise the safety of both companies and society at large. Using Citizeneyes, virtually all people can contribute to a safer society.All they need do is to download our free app. That means that they are prepared in case something happens that quickly needs to be documented", states Lars Ehlin.

The idea behind Citizeneyes is to enable all inhabitants of a region to download the app and thus be able to stream live HD video from accidents and incidents that they witness. Citizeneyes provides positioning and the selectable possibilities to present the transmitter EID to the operator and the ability to block the misuse of transmitters.

Based on the filmed situation, the operator can determine which resources to call. It could be life changing, for example at an assault, a fire or an explosion. Furthermore, the images could also become important evidence in conjunction with a police investigation, according to Lars Ehlin.

"With our solution the available number of cameras for authorities to create situational awareness increases dramatically, and police, rescue and security guards will quickly get a grasp of the situation so that they can deploy the appropriate actions and resources as required by the situation. This will have a damage limitation effect and I am convinced that it will save lives", says Lars Ehlin.

Today it is not unusual that private individuals film events with their smart phones and that these images are used to present what happened afterwards. This can be useful to the authorities when crimes and incidents are to be investigated, but only if they can find the individuals who have recorded the scene. Citizeneyes, however, is a proactive tool that really can make a difference when it comes to the effect of handling an unexpected incident.

How can people be made aware of the app's existence, and their personal opportunity to contribute to rapid and appropriate action from authorities?

"This should of course be the responsibility of a regional or national emergency organisation that distributes the app to all interested residents and thus contribute to the multiplication of the number of video sources in an incident or disaster", answers Lars Ehlin who is also keen on answering the question of who will fund the service to society.

"We believe that it is in the interest of society that we all contribute to reduce injury and death and therefore it should be natural that the financing comes from the public sector, such as municipalities or regions. There is so much to gain in money, time, not to mention a greater sense of security among residents", says Lars Ehlin.