System-77 Civil Counter-Reconnaissance, Vienna

System-77 Civil Counter-Reconnaissance

S-77CCR

S-77CCR is a tactical urban counter-surveillance systems for ground controlled UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and airborne drones to monitor public space.

The violence of classical theatres of battle is overshadowed by the rise of low intensity conflicts in highly developed societies of capitalist democracies. The increasing privatization of security in this all-pervading omni directional new style of confrontation asks for solutions towards transparency and a balance of power.

To allow for equilibrium of skills in surveillance and a broad education of the public in control technologies, access to a technology for the people seems necessary.In respect to abuse of civil and human rights defensive public intelligence is well advised to use advanced techniques of crime mapping and spatial representation of conflict. Coordinated alternative electronic intelligence efforts can create a fluid gaze for top view assessment of structural social conflicts. Self-protective tools of risk assessment in the hands of independent citizens are a prerequisite for confronting challenges of global risk environments and civil conflicts.

Semiautomatic geographic information applications can analyze street deployment of hostile elements or containment units for civil society conflict analysis. Biometric surveillance methods for the security of the cultural and political active citizen allow the tagging of government representatives and business agents. The observation of police forces or riot control units can give a tactical advantage in mass demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience.

Recent public conflicts have made it clear that technology for independent monitoring of operations is necessary for staying on top of developments and news but also for issues of legal procedures and court cases.

S-77CCR consortium has chosen Vienna as a first testing ground for its airborne public intelligence and reconnaissance service and installs its first functional tactical command hub on a central square in the historic city. Included in the installation is demo-ware that demonstrates the tactical use of S-77 in the civil unrest of the year 2000 in Vienna. Instead of Seattle, Genoa and Geneva the protest movement of Vienna after the installation of a rightwing government has been the model for S-77 operation planning routines. The spectrum of activities and specifically the extreme mobility of the actors have been a foremost reason to select this manifestation of civil protests as representative for demonstration purposes.

The Civil Counter-Reconnaissance unit will be on display for an interested public from 13th Mai 2004 on Karlsplatz, Vienna.