LIFE-saving cameras on Glasgow bridges are part of a £24million technology revolution.

The programme aims to make life in the city smarter and safer.

Among the ideas is one to use your mobile phone to find the quietest route into the city centre as you start your car.

At the touch of a button, another will reveal the hospital accident and emergency unit with the shortest waiting time.

They may sound like something from a sci-fi film, but these are just a few examples of how linking technology networks across Glasgow could improve and perhaps save lives.

The programme aims to make life in the city smarter and safer.

Among the ideas is one to use your mobile phone to find the quietest route into the city centre as you start your car.

At the touch of a button, another will reveal the hospital accident and emergency unit with the shortest waiting time.

They may sound like something from a sci-fi film, but these are just a few examples of how linking technology networks across Glasgow could improve and perhaps save lives.

The CCTV system will be one of a wide range of projects that will be developed as part of the initiative.

The cameras will know when someone has climbed on to a bridge parapet and will immediately raise the alarm.

Glasgow's multi-million pound trail blazing programme will put residents at the forefront of technology.

The city beat 29 others to win the £24million in a competition known as the Future Cities Demonstrator, which is run by the Technology Strategy Board, the Government's innovation agency.

The programme will see a technology operations hub created in the East End headquarters of Glasgow Community & Safety Services.

That will involve more than 400 super intelligent CCTV cameras replacing the existing outdated network.

The cameras are so advanced they could help avert potential disasters and can be programmed to automatically detect unusual activity.

For example, they can tell if someone leaves a box or bag unattended.

Suspicious behaviour will also trigger an alarm, prompting further investigation by the emergency services.

Their operators will be based in the new London Road hub alongside specialists from Traffcom, the team in charge of the city's traffic lights and traffic cameras. The two teams currently work from separate bases in Blochairn and at Charing Cross.

The team in charge of the project hopes to work with public and private sector agencies providing a range of services to the city.

They include Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland, housing providers, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the city's universities, energy companies and Scottish Enterprise.

It will bring together databases to give the public access to real time information via mobile phone apps.

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson, who is chairman of the Demonstrator project, said: "Winning this funding was a major coup for Glasgow.

"Now we are putting the teams and infrastructure in place to realise the potential of a hugely ambitious and far-reaching programme that will permeate all sectors of city life.

"This programme may be in its infancy but, once complete, we hope it will provide a blueprint for other cities to follow.

"As a society, we are generating more data than at any time in history. By harnessing that knowledge we can improve the lives of city residents, the environment and the economy.

"Glasgow is keen to embrace new technologies and create a forward thinking environment that will attract businesses in that field, creating jobs with long term prospects.

"We look forward to realising the future today through collaborative working with an array of partners."

The Future Cities Demonstrator also aims to deliver sustainability and health benefits for Glasgow.

Data gathered over the course of the 18-month programme will be used to target resources and plan for future developments.

Amsterdam and Dublin are also involved in similar projects that aim to improve quality of life for residents by linking data systems and giving people instant access to information, as well as using new technology to make services run more efficiently.

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk