Film Florida, a statewide not-for-profit entertainment production trade association, has announced it is teaming up with the Miami-Dade Beacon Council to promote a Social Distancing Detector (SDD) tool developed by their Technology Committee. Led by Miami-based Strata.ai, the SDD leverages the latest in machine learning and computer vision techniques to identify adherence of social distancing guidelines. The tool is free to the public, and for the film and television industry, can be used on sets to ensure cast and crew maintain distancing, thus preserving the health and wellness of everyone on set. Access the open-source tool, FAQs and more at https://github.com/Strata-
“The health and safety of Floridians on production sets is a top priority of Film Florida. While Film Florida has no regulating or mandating authority over the industry, we believe it’s our duty to present tools and opportunities to our industry that we believe can be useful,” Film Florida President Gail Morgan said. “We believe the SDD can be a valuable tool for production sets and we encourage people to explore the possible opportunity to ensure people are maintaining proper distancing on sets. This is not just something that can be used in Florida but for the industry worldwide.”
“Increased collaboration between the members of our Tech Committee, The Beacon Council, and partners like FilMiami and Film Florida allow for innovations like the SDD tool to have the maximum impact, helping businesses across industries reopen safely,” said Michael A. Finney, President and CEO of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. “It is important to champion the innovations coming from local businesses like Strata.ai, as we know many important solutions are being developed in our own backyard. Our partners at the Miami-Dade County Film and Entertainment Office understood how valuable this tool could be specifically on production sets, and we are grateful for their help expanding its reach via Film Florida and beyond.”
SDD is able to analyze and identify people working, walking, or standing in the subject area. It dynamically measures the space to understand size, proportions, and distance to ensure all people identified are in a safe distance from one another. The technology is able to analyze video in real-time, identify when bystanders are in the subject area without recording facial recognition, and measure the distance between individuals to ensure proper social distancing – all without recording personal information, respecting individual privacy.
“The beauty here is that Strata.ai’s Social Distancing Detector is simple, easy-to-deploy, non-intrusive, and secure. Its current design reminds me of the flashing speed indicator displays that make streets safer by reminding drivers to observe the speed limits,” said Yuda Saydun, President of CyVent Cybersecurity, and Chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council’s Technology Committee. “The SDD follows a similar, human-centered approach: It discretely helps individuals in crowded spaces to maintain safe distances by appealing to their common sense without the need for complex messaging or cumbersome enforcement.”
“As long-time technology entrepreneurs, we know the power that technology can enable for people and business,” said Charles Irizarry, CEO and Co-Founder of Strata.ai. “With small business employing nearly half of all Florida’s workforce, we wanted to provide a no-cost solution harnessing the latest in artificial intelligence to enable the safe, scalable, and successful reopening of our economy.”
About Film Florida: Film Florida is a state-wide not-for-profit entertainment production trade association that serves a leadership role in Florida’s film, TV, production and digital media/tech industry by representing all aspects of the business including film commissions, industry, labor, associations and education. The growing membership driven organization provides a network, a platform, and the benefits of playing an active part in solidifying Florida’s position as a major entertainment production destination, positive economic development driver and tourism generator. For more information about Film Florida visit FilmFlorida.org.
About the Miami‐Dade Beacon Council: The Miami‐Dade Beacon Council is the official economic development organization for Miami‐Dade County. Its mission is to increase jobs and investment through marketing Miami as a world-class business destination, helping grow local companies, and shaping Miami-Dade’s economic future. Since 1985, the organization has assisted more than 1,200 businesses to expand in or relocate to Miami-Dade, creating more than 104,000 direct and indirect jobs combined, and driving more than $6.7 billion in new capital investments. A professional staff and volunteer community leaders work together to promote Miami-Dade as a world‐class business community at the forefront of a changing global economy, driving long-term growth and prosperity for the region. For more information, visit: www.beaconcouncil.com.
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Contact:
Gail Morgan, President, lgailmorgan@cs.com,
John Lux, Executive Director, jlux@filmflorida.org
Tere Garcia, Communications Manager, Miami-Dade Beacon Council tgarcia@beaconcouncil.
Charles C. Irizarry, Founder & CEO, Strata.ai, charles@strata.ai