Security Cameras As Planning Tools

A camera system is being unveiled in the Indian capital of New Delhi that has a lot more than security on its mind. New Delhi's new cameras are also designed to help advance a citywide 3D GIS mapping project for urban planning efforts. The first of 63 cameras was installed earlier this month, India Today reports, and they'll be used to take high-resolution images of the city.

The camera network is part of a broader mapping program known as the Delhi State Spatial Data Infrastructure project, launched in 2007. Through on-the-ground mapping and a detailed database of building records, underground utilities and planning documents, the state will have a nearly encyclopedic record of its built environment. With the addition of the video camera network, officials in New Delhi will be able to survey the city for all-too-common illegal construction. The cameras will also be able to track the gradual and presumably permitted changes to the landscape, creating an intricate timeline of development in the city.