ology, currently being tested in the London Under- ground's Liverpool Street Station, can pick up the first signs of a potential criminal event, such as a mugging or an imminent terrorist attack. Running on a sophisticated image analysis program called Cromatica, the system detects unusual activity by recognizing preprogrammed behavioral patterns. The system is able to mathematically track a person's movements and then, if the individual starts acting suspiciously, signals a warning to a security service or police. The unique technology monitors pedestrian flow and can highlight over- crowding. It can also be used to spot people selling tickets illegally or attempt- ing to harm themselves. The project, being developed with a team of leading researchers from throughout Europe, is expected to help prevent many of the hundreds of injuries and incidents that take place on the London Under- ground every year. Sergio Velastin, lead researcher at Kingston's Digital Imaging Research Centre, believes the system has an even wider potential for saving lives and cutting crime. He notes that it will eventually be capable of pinpointing an unattended object in a terminal, for example, highlighting who abandoned the package and where that person is in the building-meaning terrorists could be apprehended before leaving the complex. Velastin notes that the project has already attracted substantial funding from the European Union. The technology marks an important break from conventional video cameras, which require a high level of concentration. Often nothing significant happens for long periods of time, making it difficult for the person keeping an eye on the camera to remain vigilant. "Our technology excels at carrying out the boring, repetitive tasks and highlighting potential situations that could otherwise go unnoticed," says Velastin. Although Velastin believes the advances in identifying unusual behavior are a crucial step forward, he stresses humans are still essential when it comes to making the system work. "The idea is