Virtual bird's eye on city

Mar 5 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

GOTHAM City has Batman, Metropolis has Superman and one day Newcastle could have its own protector of the city.

However, unlike the aforementioned comic book heroes, this defender of the state could be the catalyst for the creation of hundreds of new jobs and a surge of international investment into the North East.

A London-based security consultancy has laid out an ambitious vision to develop the North East into a hub for new-age technology in the national security sector.

And part of the plan, which aims to drum up interest from public and private-sector representatives and investors, could be to transform Newcastle into a city entirely protected from terrorism, crime or disaster by a hi-tech virtual system which would be linked into the city’s CCTV network and the police.

The plan for Big Brother-style coverage of Newcastle via a virtual replica of the city remains very much at the pre-blueprint stage. However, plans to create a new industry in the region based around protecting the public through technology are already under way.

London’s Secure Futures, which aims to generate innovation and investment in national security, wants to help create a new market in the North East, an area it views as one of untapped potential.

The first step of the plan is a major conference in Sedgefield next month which will give nine young security-based technology start-ups the chance to bid for up to £1m each in financial backing from investors.