Award Abstract # 2329816
PFI-TT: Behavioral Analysis for Safer Communities: Fair and Ethical AI for Trusted Surveillance

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
Initial Amendment Date: August 16, 2023
Latest Amendment Date: September 3, 2024
Award Number: 2329816
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Samir M. Iqbal
smiqbal@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7529
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: August 15, 2023
End Date: July 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $549,999.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $598,997.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $275,001.00
FY 2024 = $323,996.00
History of Investigator:
  • Hamed Tabkhi (Principal Investigator)
    htabkhiv@uncc.edu
  • Devin Collins (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Jeri Guido (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 UNIVERSITY CITY BLVD
CHARLOTTE
NC  US  28223-0001
(704)687-1888
Sponsor Congressional District: 12
Primary Place of Performance: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 UNIVERSITY CITY BLVD
CHARLOTTE
NC  US  28223-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
12
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): JB33DT84JNA5
Parent UEI: NEYCH3CVBTR6
NSF Program(s): PFI-Partnrships for Innovation
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 109Z, 1662, 6856, 7453
Program Element Code(s): 166200
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project lies in its potential to revolutionize surveillance systems and promote public safety while protecting privacy. By leveraging recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the project aims to detect real-time public safety threats by only focusing on behaviors and utilizing the existing surveillance cameras. This innovation addresses the pressing challenges of rising criminal activities and public safety threats in public spaces and private businesses. By focusing on behavioral abnormalities rather than individual identification, this project helps to remove biases and promote social equity. The proposed technology has a significant potential for commercialization, with applications in various sectors, including public agencies, private businesses, and critical infrastructure, enhancing security and improving public well-being. The project will foster training and leadership development in innovation and entrepreneurship by involving students and post-docs in meetings with stakeholders, attending industry events, and collaborating closely with the industries involved.

The proposed project aims to address the problem of inefficient and costly security measures by developing an innovative deep learning-based surveillance system. The project's successful implementation will foster the scientific and technological understanding of computer vision and deep learning, advancing the capabilities of surveillance systems and promoting innovation in the security industry. The project seeks to create a deep learning system capable of detecting behavioral anomalies in real-time by utilizing transformer-based architectures and identity-neutral visual feature embedding. The research objectives include analyzing complex human behavior without relying on personally identifiable information, developing a scalable technology, and conducting real-world pilots. The project aims to establish realistic metrics for evaluating detection reliability and resilience in real-world settings by integrating state-of-the-art AI advancements. Anticipated technical results include a novel anomaly detection dataset, a semi-supervised transformer-based video sequence learning approach and anomaly detection algorithm, and identity-neutral visual feature embedding advancements. The project's outcomes build upon previous NSF-funded research and will contribute to the scientific understanding of AI in surveillance applications.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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