My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: How State Minister Dr. Morais Guy KSA Fiber Optic Network heralds HD CCTV Cameras and Automated Traffic Ticketing System

Saturday, January 23, 2016

How State Minister Dr. Morais Guy KSA Fiber Optic Network heralds HD CCTV Cameras and Automated Traffic Ticketing System

Looks like HD CCTV Camera Network that'll possibly facilitate an Automated Traffic Ticketing System as predicted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Jamaica’s National Security Ministry plans CCTV Network and Automated Traffic Ticketing System” is set to become a reality after all.

Fiber Optic Ring is being built for a HD CCTV Camera Network in the Kingston and St. Andrew area as noted in the article “Fibre optic Ring being built around Corporate Area”, published January 21, 2016, Loop Jamaica.
 

State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Dr. Morais Guy made mention of this during a People’s National Party Town Hall Meeting at the Sts Peter and Paul Church in St Andrew on Wednesday January 20th 2015.

He also dropped details on the layout of the micro-trenching work being done for the laying of the Fiber Optic cable to provision the Fiber Optic Network into service that might involve HD CCTV Cameras, quote: “We are undergoing a programme within the Ministry. We are doing something about signalised intersections. We have been establishing a fibre optic Ring around the KSA (Kingston and St Andrew) and so far our fibre optic duct network has extended as far east as Bull Bay, to the west Spanish Town Road, to the east also Papine and downtown”

He also hinted at a collab with the Ministry of National Security, suggesting that this is more than just catching people for breaking traffic lights and issuing speeding ticket, quote: “We are collaborating with the Ministry of National security because we are going to be using this, when we light those fibres, because we are not only using this for traffic lights and traffic control but we are going to be using this for security purposes”.

This is basically a very wide Fiber Optic Network covering most of KS (Kingston and St. Andrew):

1.      Bull Bay
2.      Spanish Town Road
3.      Papine
4.      Downtown Kingston

He also dropped some details on soon-to-be-implemented traffic changes in the corporate area, quote: “We are also looking at a bigger picture. Marcus Garvey between East Street and Water lane in downtown, Kingston is being expanded from four lanes to six lanes. We are going to be widening sections of Barbican Lane between Acadia up to the entrance to Jacks Hill. We are going to be having a T junction at AzMart so we won’t have that circle going around,”

The traffic changes are naturally expected, as Boys and Girls Champs 2016 as well as other sporting events are on the calendar.

The availability of tickets for the event even has Dr Patrick Dallas (left), president of the KC Old Boys' association and David Miller (centre), president of the Calabar Old Boys' Association and Collin Greenland, treasurer of the Jamaica College Old Boys' association all worked up about tickets as reported in the article “Big Three Want More Champs Tickets”, published Wednesday January 20, 2016, by Dania Bogle, The Jamaica Gleaner.

But what did State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Morais Guy mean by “collaborating with the Ministry of National security” so as to use the Fiber  Optic Network “for security purposes”?

State Minister Dr. Morais Guy KSA Fiber Optic Networks - How HD CCTV Cameras may herald Automated Traffic Ticketing System

Coincidentally, this was a day after I was interviewed on Newstalk 93 FM on Tuesday January 19th 20157:15am with regards to my article on the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) wearing Body Cameras way back in January 2014 as per my blog article entitled “Why Min. of National Security having Jamaican Police with Body Cameras is INDECOM ‘s Eyes and Ears”. 

During that interview, I made mention of a possible configuration for the very same Fiber Optic Network being used for the NWA's PEN as well as GovNET (Government Network) as explained in my blog article entitled “How US Gov US$400,000 Body Cameras, HD CCTV Camera Network, NWA PEN, GOVnet are connected”. 

GovNET is a inter-Ministry and Agency Fiber Optic and Wireless Network being developed to reduce the cost of communications as well as the expenditure on paper similar to Barbados as explained in my blog article entitled “Digicel to build Barbados Government Wide Area Network while rolling out Digicel Play”. 

I also made the connection to the declaration by Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams during a Press Conference on Sunday January 15th 2016 of plans to have Jamaica Police wearing Body Cameras as reported in the article “Some Cops To Wear Body Cameras Come March”, Published Saturday January 16, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This Fiber Optic Ring is a part of the NWA (National Work Agency) efforts to synchronize their electronic traffic signals across the island, allowing them to control all traffic lights across the island from one NOC (Network Operation Center).

It might also be a part of a long term plan to build out the NWA's PEN (Public Emergency Network) as explained in my blog article entitled “National Work Agency building islandwide Public Emergency Network - Early indications of GOVNet WAN and ITA-run Automated Traffic Ticketing System”. 

So while everyone was quite surprised, I had been long expecting this Fiber Optic Network to be built, giving the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) more eyes in more places as well as improve traffic islandwide as predicted in my blog article entitled “GOJ to upgrade NWA's CCTV Traffic Monitoring Network to give Police more eyes in Private Places - The Da Vinci Code for Automated Traffic Ticketing System and 1984”. 

Still, I’d be very interested to hear the progress that the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and the Ministry of Transport and Works are making on the deployment of GovNET to reduce the cost of telecommunications within the Government of Jamaica.




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