The Basel-Stadt Sports Office is launching a one-year pilot of an AI-based surveillance system in selected indoor pools in the region – including the Sesselacker pool. The system, called «AquaWatch 1.0», analyses swimmer behaviour in real time and detects emergency situations in the water.
According to the Sports Office, the system achieves a recognition accuracy of 83% in laboratory conditions. «Under controlled conditions, AquaWatch performs reliably», explains the cantonal pool administration. «In real-world operation, certain limitations are known: the system does not yet reliably recognise swimming armbands as a safety measure and regularly classifies them as distress signals. Children splashing around are also classified as drowning more frequently than adults.»
Early experience from ongoing operations has revealed an unexpected strength, however: AquaWatch detected multiple instances of unauthorised use of the Sesselacker pool during evening hours and triggered the alarm. Whether those were late-night swimmers or the Putzgarra fish from last year’s pilot project – which were apparently never fully removed – is still under investigation.
During the pilot phase, a human supervisor will remain on site – for now. «The goal is to significantly reduce staffing needs by 2028», the Sports Office added.
The NVS takes note of the pilot project and remains committed to its tried-and-tested system of certified supervisors – because an 83%-accurate system that reliably triggers alarms but cannot pull anyone out of the water is not yet a full replacement for the NVS.
After the cleaning fish: the canton now turns to artificial intelligence
