AI empowers public safety at the edge

The latest technologies operating at our borders create a deluge of vital data at the edge. Data that might be person-centric, cargo customs linked or simply provide insight into immediate changes in trade between countries or businesses. 

There are thousands of data points that can be captured and processed at the edge for the benefit of multiple agencies in short order. The ability to merge, prioritize and clearly interpret edge data can drive new efficiencies, while at the same time improve public safety and confidence.

To that end, AI done right is proving a significant asset, supporting predictive analytics, economic activity and national security. Examples might include pre-vetting of entrants and improved situational awareness; or speeding cargo traffic through the administrative requirements of customs. 

The data landscape

The world today is generating vast volumes of digital information, and “technology is creating data a lot faster than you can deal with it in a traditional way,” said Greg Lobbin, program vice president of the Homeland Security sector for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT).

Government operations at Ports of Entry add to that vast data flow. In legitimate traffic, there’s data on license plates, vehicle types, people and products. At the same time, data is mounting related to potential illegal activity, in terms of “contraband and also persons — illegal entries. With those, you have biometrics, biographic data, and date, time and place,” said Jay Visconti, senior director of data analytics and statistics at GDIT.

Agencies need AI to help make sense of all that data. With processing power deployed at the edge, AI and machine learning can help government agencies to generate new insights that drive improved efficiency and elevated situational awareness. To gain that benefit, agencies will need to ensure that the AI-generated insights driving their decisions are reliable: They will need to focus on data quality. 

"AI at the edge isn’t just about faster processing—it’s about more secure and trustworthy decisions in mission time,” said Ryan Rawding, vice president of federal growth at BigBear.ai. “When you’re operating in complex, high-risk environments, from border security to public safety, you can’t wait on the cloud. Intelligence has to be pushed forward, fused with real operational data, and validated in real time. That’s how you turn raw sensor streams into action you can depend on."

“As new systems are rolled out, agents aren’t familiar with them, and there are a lot of different input errors that can occur,” Visconti said. As agencies look to put AI to work, “accuracy of the data is primary.”

Potential benefits

In border crossings, AI capabilities at the edge can shorten processing times, moving people through checkpoints faster, while also delivering improved safety and security, Visconti said.

From an economic standpoint, “the faster that you can get goods processed through, the faster they get to the stores,” and that could help keep prices down for consumers, Visconti said. “There are going to be potentially a lot of downstream effects.”

Agencies can realize public safety benefits as well. AI scanning for threats at the edge enables faster identification of risks. It also feeds officers mission-critical information when they need it, while they’re out in the field. The AI, in effect, becomes extra eyes and ears, helping to improve officer safety.

"We talk a lot about speed and automation, but the real value of AI at the edge is informed action,” Rawding said. “It connects data to decisions and decisions to outcomes—faster, safer, and with more precision than ever before. That’s how you secure borders without sacrificing throughput and how you strengthen public safety without slowing the mission."

Ramping up AI

To achieve the ideal vision of AI at the edge, agencies must prioritize and accelerate adoption and innovation. Consider for example non-intrusive inspection (NII), a key capability that demonstrates the potential power of AI to safeguard and streamline border operations. As more cargo and passenger vehicles are X-ray scanned, massive amounts of data are generated — too much to be sorted manually. AI has the potential to automate contraband detection, but we’re not there yet.

“The algorithms have to get a lot better than they are today,” Lobbin said. To get the full benefit of AI, government leaders should be looking for ways to improve those AI operations as quickly as possible. “Can you train your algorithms faster?” Lobbin said. “Can you piece together more of that intelligence, either between lanes at a port of entry, or between ports of entry and border patrol checkpoints?”

As they move in that direction, agencies ideally will leverage tools that ensure edge data is put to use accurately and equitably. Transparency is a must — agencies need to be able to trust the solutions they are using. And the right AI solution will have the guardrails around it that give them that confidence.

GDIT brings to the table a deep bench of expertise in these areas, with mission-focused professionals who understand the need to deliver AI as a force multiplier. When you combine that with digital acceleration, “that’s where you really can capitalize on these capabilities,” Visconti said.

GDIT’s Digital Accelerators leverage the company’s broad federal experiences and make them available for integration at different agencies. That’s critical for government in this competitive era, when adversaries have access to similar tools and capabilities, often with less overhead and red tape.

By tapping into industry partners, agencies can maintain a competitive edge. In this fast-changing space, success requires “good communications and good partnerships with vendors,” he said. As government looks to integrate the power of AI at the border, “this isn’t something that you can just go on alone.”

Learn more about how GDIT is helping government agencies leverage AI to its fullest potential.  Learn more about how BigBear.ai supports border and homeland security with mission ready AI solutions.