Reproducing accidents in 3D using AI, eliminating the need for traffic control inspections - Metropolitan Police Department requests budget for introduction of new system

In an interview with the agency on the 4th, it was learned that the Metropolitan Police Department has decided to introduce a new system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to compare three-dimensional (3D) spatial data at the scene of a traffic accident with surrounding security camera footage to recreate the accident. It is said that there will be no need for live inspections that involve long traffic restrictions, and economic losses due to traffic congestion will also be reduced. The agency has included related expenses in next year's budget request.

What will be introduced is a ``3-dimensional verification/spatial reproduction system (tentative name),'' which utilizes the already-in-operation Mobile Mapping System (MMS), which uses vehicles equipped with cameras and other equipment to drive around the site and grasp the situation. The accident is recreated by using AI to match analytical data such as footage from surrounding security cameras and drive recorders with three-dimensional spatial data created by MMS.

Information necessary for investigations, such as speed, positional relationships, and distance, can be retrieved on the screen, and it is possible to reproduce not only the vehicle's movement from above at the time of the accident, but also the perspective of the interior of the vehicle and pedestrians, making the work of creating reports and drawings more efficient.

Currently, when conducting a live inspection at the scene of a fatal accident or hit-and-run, vehicles are lined up in the same position as at the time of the accident, distances are measured, and reports and drawings are created. Traffic control is required for two to three hours, and there are cases where traffic jams occur. Approximately 20 people, including those responsible for traffic control, are sometimes required, but with the new system, such live monitoring will no longer be necessary.

The agency aims to begin trial operation of the new system in June next year, with full-scale operation starting in January 2028.