Russia pavilion uses crime fighting technology to track Expo 2020 visitor numbers

NtechLab software can spot gender and age of visitors during exhibition

Opera singer Yaramir Nizamutdinov welcomes visitors to the Russia pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Visitors take pictures inside the Russia pavilion. AFP

Visitors watching the audio visual show at the Russia Pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National.

Andemir Bizhoev, regional sales director MEA, Ntech Lab at the Russia pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National

Visitors watching the audio visual show at the Russia Pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National.

Visitors at the Russia pavilion at the EXPO 2020 site in Dubai on 3 October, 2021. Pawan Singh/The National.

Visitors watching the audio visual show at the Russia pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National.

Visitors watching the audio visual show at the Russia pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National.

A man takes a video inside the Russia pavilion. AP

Passport stamp for the pavilion of Russia

Visitors take pictures inside the Russia pavilion. AFP

Visitors take pictures inside the Russia pavilion. AFP

Surveillance technology, similar to facial recognition software used to track criminals in Moscow, is monitoring visitor numbers at the Russia's Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion.

Software from NtechLab uses information from existing cameras at the Russia pavilion to deliver visitor numbers, their age and gender.

The data is anonymous and will only be used to update pavilion organisers on footfall during Expo and the need for security in busier areas.

Video analytics help staff monitor Covid-19 guidelines, but in Russia the technology is used on a wider scale to combat crime and find missing people.

Andemir Bizhoev, regional sales director MEA, Ntech Lab at the Russia Pavilion. Pawan Singh/The National

“This technology works well already in Moscow to detect criminals and help police find missing people,” said Andemir Bizhoev, regional sales director for NTechLab.

“It can evaluate an individual’s pattern of behaviour by identifying where they are going most frequently.

“If the authorities have created a watchlist of suspects with photographs, the system can recognise certain features with a match.

“When police forensics need to build an investigation, this kind of analysis is very useful as it can recognise individuals.”

The technology allows real-time, high-precision facial recognition in the video stream and compares results with police databases.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, some 5,000 crimes were solved in Moscow using a video analytics system equipped with face recognition in 2020.

Facial recognition uses biometrics to map facial features from a photograph or video, which is then compared with a database of known faces to find a match.

Some banks have adopted the technology to allow new customers to open accounts remotely, without having to visit a bank for identification.

In the UAE, one of the first businesses to embrace the technology was Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), allowing new customers to open accounts remotely and digitally with their face as verification via their smartphone camera.

NtechLab software can extract certain detail like age, gender, facial hair or other identifying features like glasses, but it can struggle to identify individuals wearing a protective facemask, Mr Bizhoev said.

No personal data is stored from visitors to the Russia pavilion, which is designed to resemble a traditional matryoshka wooden stacking doll.

Visitors to the third floor can see a giant brain, surrounded by an interactive light show.

“Such is the nature of our advanced video analytics platform that when working with face features it is impossible to restore the original image of the face,” said Mr Bizhoev.

“The systems can also be configured so data is not stored and only reports are saved.

“This ensures compliance with personal data and privacy legislation.”