https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Tech-savvy IPS officer battles Covid with technology

After being conferred with the prestigious Skoch Award, IPS office Aravindhan P has yet again added another feather in his cap by bagging the Anna Medal for the year 2020.
Indian Masterminds Stories

The year 2020 shocked the whole world with the challenges that Covid-19 brought. India became the most affected country after the United State of America and Brazil, recording more than 11 million cases uptill now. Several yearly awards for civil servants in 2020 were also based on their work and efforts while battling the pandemic. Similarly, the Anna Medal for outstanding devotion towards duty for the year 2020 was conferred on IPS officer Aravindhan P.

The initiatives taken by Mr. Aravindhan  of 2010 batch, Superintendent of Police Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu, for monitoring of quarantined people and enabling proper social distancing in crowded places through technology, is the main reason behind bagging this medal. The officer has also previously received the prestigious Skoch Award for developing the Facetagr app- a face recognition app for the police to identify and catch criminals.

THE INITIATIVES

Brought up at Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Aravindhan pursued his engineering in Computer Science from BITS Pilani Rajasthan. Thereafter he appeared for the UPSC exam in 2010 and managed to clear it with an AIR 164. This led him to become an IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre.

He has been working relentlessly since he joined the civil services. With his professional experience of being an engineer, he merged his expertise in his work as a civil servant which is now benefitting the public at large. Mr. Aravindhan has launched two initiatives with the use of technology. One is an application called CoBuddy and the other is a device known as IRIS (Instant Response to Improve Social Distancing).

CoBUDDY

Speaking with Indian Masterminds exclusively, Mr. Aravindhan said “During the Covid pandemic, we have taken a lot of initiatives for reducing the spread of the virus and to make the lives of people better. One such initiative we took is an app called CoBuddy which is for the people who are quarantined. This app helps in tracking the quarantined people, their contact status and also help the people in reaching out to the police and medical teams through the app.”

The app requires a Face Recognition Verification inside a GPS geo-fence and validates the person’s actual location. After the quarantined person downloads the app, the location and photo of the person is set. The photo is converted into a face template and location address is converted to GPS coordinates and a geo-fence of about 10m to 100 m is set. Moreover, alerts to verify themselves are made during the day at random intervals.

GPS Geo-Fence

Mr. Aravindhan said, “The app also has a feature to make a video call or message to the district authorities. The required assistance is provided by the authorities including mental and psychological help. We also have doctors working 24 hours to guide the quarantined people through the application.”

The other initiative which was taken by Mr. Aravindhan was to make social distancing more convenient by adding a device in the most crowded places in the district.

INSTANT RESPONSE TO IMPROVE SOCIAL DISTANCING

Ensuring social distancing between citizens at public places cannot be treated as a meager law-and-order problem. It is also a measure of promoting welfare. However, considering the population density and the increasing infections in the district, IRIS came into existence. The device promotes a people-friendly approach.

IRIS Device

IRIS was initiated in Tiruvallur district by the Police Department with a pilot project at Thirumazhisai market on 7 July, 2020. Mr. Aravindhan said “The wholesale vegetable market was shifted out of Chennai and was brought to Tiruvallur district because the Covid cases were increasing in Chennai. So, to maintain social distancing in the crowded markets, we developed a device called IRIS (Instant Response to Improve Social Distancing). It was subsequently installed at various places frequented by the public. The device uses artificial intelligence to monitor the crowd gathering and helps in maintaining social distancing between the vendor and public.”

WORKING AND BENEFITS

Mr. Aravindhan P

The compact device is an all-in-one box that has a battery backup for about 3-4 hours so intermittent power cuts will not have an impact on its functioning. The device needs to be fixed just like a CCTV camera in the location that needs to be monitored. The field of view needs to be set appropriately to ensure maximum coverage for better utilization. With the help of artificial intelligence, the device has the capability to detect human beings and measure the distance between them in real-time with a range of 25 feet.

The IRIS system has a central platform, through which data from multiple devices is assimilated and is shared with stakeholders. The device was installed for a trial run for the first time at Thirumazhisai market area in one shop on July 7th, 2020. Later, two more devices were set up in two other shops. These 3 devices remained in the 3 shops in the market observing the behaviour of people in the market area and giving out warnings when infringements of social distancing occurred.

These technology-driven initiatives placed Mr Aravindhan at an advantageous position to combat Covid and added more laurels to his long list of achievements.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
NCST Holds Review Meeting with NHPC
NCST Holds Review Meeting with NHPC on Implementation of Safeguards for Scheduled Tribe Employees
MP CM Collector Award Niti Aayog
Sampurnata Abhiyan: Madhya Pradesh Leads NITI Aayog Campaign; Collectors from 8 Districts Win Gold
Mohan Yadav
MP CM Mohan Yadav Pushes for Sustainable, Community-Driven Rural Water Policy; Targets 100% Tap Coverage by March 2027
Ajay Bhadoo IAS
IAS Ajay Bhadoo Gets Extended Term as DGFT - What It Means & His Career Journey
THDCIL_Receives_ABMS_Certification_for_Integrity_and_Transparency
THDC India (THDCIL) Awarded ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Certification by BIS - Details Inside
Ministry of Environment
Environment Ministry Clarifies Petrol Vehicle Tender, Cites E-Vehicle Flexibility
Bokaro Steel Plant
PESB Selects Priya Ranjan to Head Bokaro Steel Plant, SAIL’s Key Production Unit
REC Limited wins ‘Best Design Thinking Award’ at 5th Distinguished NBFC (DNA) Awards
REC Limited Bags ‘Best Design Thinking Award’ at 5th Distinguished NBFC Awards
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
NCST Holds Review Meeting with NHPC
NCST Holds Review Meeting with NHPC on Implementation of Safeguards for Scheduled Tribe Employees
MP CM Collector Award Niti Aayog
Sampurnata Abhiyan: Madhya Pradesh Leads NITI Aayog Campaign; Collectors from 8 Districts Win Gold
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT