Digitizing and mapping the public space using collaborative networks of mobile agents and cloud nodes

A networked system for digitizing public space, comprising:

• a plurality of mobile agents within vehicles, the mobile agents equipped with cameras and sensors and communicatively coupled via a vehicle network, the mobile agents continuously recording video, sensor data and metadata, and sending a portion of the recorded video, sensor data and metadata to a centralized cloud storage server, in response to receiving a query from a vehicle network server, the mobile agents comprising:
• a learning machine (i) analyzing the video, sensor data and metadata to recognize objects in the video, sensor data and metadata, and (ii) determining which video, sensor data and metadata to send to the cloud, based on the received query, so as to maximize overall mutual information;
• and
• a centralized cloud storage server that receives the video, sensor data and metadata transmitted by the mobile agents, comprising:
• an event classifier for analyzing event candidates and classifying events;
• and
• a query generator for directing said mobile agents to gather more information on a suspected event, via the vehicle network;
• and
• a map generator generating a dynamic city heatmap, and updating the heatmap based on subsequent videos, sensor data and metadata received by said mobile agents.

A computer-based method for providing public space data on demand, comprising:

• propagating, by a vehicle network server, queries to a plurality of vehicles in communication with one another via a vehicle network, each vehicle including one or more edge devices that include cameras and other sensors, and that continuously generate videos, sensory data and metadata
• transmitting a portion of the videos, sensory data and metadata to a centralized storage server, the portion being appropriate to one or more of the propagated queries;
• indexing and annotating the received videos, sensory data and metadata, by the centralized storage server, sensory data and metadata;
• digitizing and mapping the public space, based on the indexed and annotated videos, sensory data and metadata.