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projectCollects and categorises symbols, with automated analysis for law enforcement and community workers.
Lighthouse was developed as a strategic response to a 2021 amendment to Edmonton's Public Places Bylaw, which categorized hate symbols as a form of harassment.
The solution enabled the City of Edmonton to collect and categorize hate symbols more efficiently, and provided an automated analysis with artificial intelligence, ultimately aiding frontline law enforcement and community workers in identifying hate symbols in public spaces. Lighthouse was built using open source tools within existing budget.
The Lighthouse project achieved significant impact by establishing the first technology-driven solution for tracking hate symbols, garnering recognition from municipal to international levels. Its influence was felt through operational success, strategic partnerships and award-winning innovation. The project successfully trained 160 frontline City staff members and amassed a database of over 310 images. The project's innovative approach was validated through several high-profile awards in 2023: Minister's Award for Municipal and Public Library Excellence (Enhancing Community Safety category), Municipal World Innovation Award and the City of Edmonton Cultural Commitment Award.
By ensuring the mobile application did not geotag or store images directly on user devices, the team proved they could build powerful tracking tools while strictly adhering to privacy and ethical standards.
Launch year: 2021
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