Weaving a Digital Safety Net: How Hikvision’s smart technology prevents drowning

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For so many people, summer is a time for swimming in rivers and oceans. Sadly, it is also a time when thousands of lives are lost by drowning, particularly children. The greatest dangers occur in unwatched and unguarded natural environments. Here, technology has a critical, life-saving role to play. This story showcases how Hikvision is building vital safety nets for remote communities — and protecting people from drowning.

Challenges: unpredictable risks and insufficient measures

As summer arrives, people across the world seek relief from the heat by chilling in rivers and oceans. However, this joy is overshadowed by a grim reality: drowning claims thousands of lives each year. According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately 300,000 lives are lost every year due to drowning. Alarmingly, many of these are children. Indeed, it is the third leading cause of death for children aged 5–14 years. These risks are further heightened in unguarded natural environments such as wild rivers, lakes, and remote stretches of coastline, where unpredictable water flows, temperature changes, and hidden depths can create extremely hazardous conditions.

In many regions, manual patrols remain the primary drowning prevention method. However, relying solely on lifeguard patrols often fails to provide adequate protection in remote or unsupervised waters, where drowning incidents can occur swiftly and silently. Victims are often unable to call for help, and the absence of visible struggle means crucial rescue opportunities may slip away before assistance arrives. These critical gaps demanded more efficient protection. How could local communities address this urgent challenge?

Hikvision weaves the safety net: a smarter approach to safer water

In response to the growing demand in communities for more effective and real-time drowning prevention solutions, Hikvision applied its technology to serve the greater good by integrating diverse AIoT technologies to build an intelligent drowning warning solution, creating proactive safety networks for risky waters.

In this solution, AI-powered cameras continuously observe danger zones, detecting abnormal or dangerous behavior in real-time. When potential threats are detected, network column speakers immediately broadcast audio alerts to notify individuals at risk. In the meantime, when potentially hazardous behavior is detected, information will be transmitted back to the administrative platform, enabling real-time signaling to drowning prevention staff. This whole mechanism ensures prompt reminder and response to drowning prevention, allowing rapid intervention against potential risks, providing valuable time with staff to carry out proactive measures, thereby safeguarding residents’ safety.

In 2024, Hikvision provided this solution across dozens of high-risk water areas in multiple communities to enhance drowning prevention efforts. By combining real-time monitoring with automated alerts, this solution creates a timely and comprehensive digital safety net, protecting individuals from the very moment they enter the danger zone. This approach ensures continuous detection in areas where patrols cannot reach, significantly enhancing safety during the peak summer months.

"The camera rotates 360° every 45 seconds to check for any individuals approaching hazardous water areas. If it detects a person at risk, the column speakers can respond within 1.5 seconds to issue a reminder and prompt them to leave the danger zones,” explained a member of a drowning prevention working group. “Hikvision’s solution significantly strengthens our preventive measures for hazardous water areas, allowing us to protect local residents more efficiently and quickly."

Find out more about Hikvision’s ‘Tech for Good’

The solution is a perfect example of Hikvision’s vision of ‘Tech for Good’ in action. Here, AI-powered protection measures are saving lives while strengthening community resilience. Beyond technical innovation, this initiative reflects Hikvision’s commitment to social responsibility for communities under our THRIVE sustainability philosophy.

Looking forward, Hikvision will persist in leveraging technologies for social good, protecting people, strengthening communities, and promoting long-term well-being. Because safety isn’t just a service — it’s a shared responsibility that we all carry forward.

To find out more about Hikvision’s ‘Tech for Good’ practices, click here to visit our website.

This is the second of our Safe Summer Blog Series, where we're exploring how Hikvision’s AIoT technology protects people from drowning during summer peak months. The first blog explains how Hikvision’s heat management solutions help resist summer heat waves. Click here to learn more.

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