Gujarat Police want to unify 80,000+ CCTV cameras into one ‘smart surveillance’ network

Participants will test their systems on about 50 CCTV feeds, tracking a designated vehicle and generating real-time alerts, GIS visualisation and movement data.

The Gujarat Police have announced what they describe as the country’s largest hackathon focused on CCTV integration and AI-based video analytics, aimed at developing technology for policing and public safety. The challenge seeks solutions that can unify more than 80,000 CCTV cameras across Gujarat into "one smart surveillance network".

The Gujarat government intends to integrate these government cameras primarily deployed in the public domain into a unified video management and analytics ecosystem.

According to hackathon website under the state home department, the Gujarat Police invited students, researchers, freelancers, startups and companies to participate and develop innovative solutions for a robust CCTV surveillance mechanism in the state. A prize pool of ₹37 lakh has been announced, while the hackathon is scheduled for September 10-11 at iHub Gujarat in Ahmedabad.

Here are the four main objectives of the hackathon, as outlined by the Gujarat government:

• Integrate diverse CCTV systems into a unified platform.
• Cross-reference live video feeds with government databases.
• Use AI to identify persons, vehicles and events of interest.
• Generate real-time alerts to support faster and smarter law enforcement.

The Gujarat government has said different departments currently operate independent CCTV systems, with some using cloud-based storage and others relying on local storage infrastructure. The government intends to integrate these cameras into a unified video management and analytics ecosystem.

What is the challenge?

The system is expected to support capabilities such as real-time suspicious-activity detection, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), vehicle tracking, watchlist matching and cross-camera search. The challenge will test these capabilities using live CCTV feeds and real-world policing scenarios.

How to register and what happens next?

Those willing to participate can register on the Sentinel Gujarat portal. After completing registration, participants will be able to access the details, resources and live camera feeds from about 50 geographically distributed cameras through the Resources page for technical evaluation, according to the website.

Participants are then required to submit their prototype, documentation and architecture details. The submission requirements include:

• An unlisted YouTube link, with video visibility set to “Unlisted”.
• A Google Drive or OneDrive link with access enabled for “Anyone with the link — Viewer”.
• A URL to their hosted platform, along with test login credentials for the screening committee, if applicable.
• A GitHub or GitLab repository link containing the platform source code or relevant components, if applicable.

The technical evaluation will require participants to integrate approximately 50 heterogeneous cameras, track a designated vehicle and provide real-time alerts and GIS visualisation. The system will also be expected to generate movement history and searchable events.

“All eligible submissions will first be assessed against the common evaluation areas. Bonus consideration may then be awarded for meaningful capabilities demonstrated beyond the mandatory requirements,” the site says.

Senior officials react

Some senior police officials and an advocate reacted to the hackathon and what the government aims to achieve with it.

“As far as I know, this is the first time such an event is being conducted on such a large scale. We are bringing together more than 80,000 CCTV cameras and providing participants an opportunity to develop and test solutions using live feeds and real-world policing scenarios. The aim is to use technology and innovation to strengthen our surveillance and response systems,” DGP G S Malik said.

Ajit Rajian, DCP (Crime), Ahmedabad City, also reacted and said that a core team will be formed to oversee the integration of the cameras. "A dedicated command centre will monitor the network and the alerts generated through the AI-based solutions,” he said.

An advocate from Gujarat High Court also reacted, highlighting how integrating CCTV networks and AI analytics will boost policing and public safety. "A system of this scale also raises serious privacy concerns. Clear legal safeguards are needed on access to live feeds, data retention, facial recognition, accuracy, sharing and misuse. Technology should aid law enforcement without enabling indiscriminate or disproportionate surveillance of citizens," said Punit Juneja, an advocate practicing at Gujarat High Court.

What happens after submission?

The process covers choosing an integration model, building and testing the solution, submitting the prototype and planning its scale-up.

Participants will test their systems on about 50 CCTV feeds, tracking a designated vehicle and generating real-time alerts, GIS visualisation and searchable movement data. They must also submit a plan to scale the system to about 80,000 cameras across Gujarat.

Solutions will be assessed on the test case, architecture, analytics, scalability and proof-of-concept readiness, with bonus consideration and special recognition for innovative capabilities.

What is the schedule?

Registration opened on August 4 and the last date to apply is September 7. Shortlisting is also scheduled for September 7.

The hackathon is scheduled to take place over two days, September 10-11, with the results to be announced on the second day.