"AI Gets the Job Done": Tracking a Missing Dementia Patient by Analyzing 2,000 CCTVs in One Second

Anyang City Rescues Dementia Patient Using AI Tracking System
AI Tracks Missing Person with Only a Photo of Their Back

An elderly dementia patient who went missing in Anyang City, Gyeonggi Province, was safely rescued within three hours thanks to an artificial intelligence (AI)-based movement tracking system.

An AI movement tracking system "Aide" in Anyang City tracking a missing dementia patient. Anyang City

According to Anyang City on October 20, at around 7 a.m. on October 3, when the Chuseok holiday began, the Anyang Dongan Police Station launched a search after receiving a report from the family that 88-year-old Mr. A, a dementia patient, had left home.

The search began with a single photo captured by the elevator CCTV at Mr. A’s residence. The image showed only Mr. A’s back, wearing a white hat and holding a cane.

In response, the AI movement tracking system (AID·AIID) at the Smart City Integrated Center, operated in collaboration by Anyang City, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), was activated. AID is an intelligent monitoring program based on complex cognitive technology, capable of analyzing CCTV footage, searching and analyzing similar individuals, and tracking and predicting movements, all powered by AI.

Although the photo was blurry and did not show Mr. A’s face, AID analyzed footage from over 2,000 CCTVs in the Dongan District in just one second and identified Mr. A. Through ultra-fast searching, the system pinpointed Mr. A’s wandering route and last known movement by 7:05 a.m.

Based on this information, the police confirmed through nearby CCTVs that Mr. A had entered an apartment complex in Hogye-dong and dispatched officers to the scene. After a focused search of the apartment’s parking lot and underground areas, the police found Mr. A crouching in a corner of the basement machine room at 10:04 a.m.-just three hours after the search began-and rescued him.

At the time of discovery, Mr. A was shivering from the cold but received prompt care from firefighters on site and was reunited with his family without any major health issues.

A member of the Missing Persons Investigation Team at Anyang Dongan Police Station said, “Thanks to the AID system, we were able to accurately track the missing person’s movements down to the second in the early stages of the search, which allowed us to narrow the search area and rescue him quickly.”

Previously, in 2023, Anyang City completed an urban demonstration project for the “Missing Child Identification” R&D initiative. Together with the National Police Agency and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, the city participated in the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Digital Safety Leading Model Development Project and developed AID in December 2024. In June, AID also helped rescue a young person who had gone missing after signaling an intention to take their own life.

Choi Daeho, Mayor of Anyang City, said, “With our city’s advanced AI infrastructure and cooperation with the police, we were able to protect a precious citizen’s life. We will further strengthen our systems for searching for missing persons and disaster safety, taking the lead in realizing the national agenda of creating a ‘K-AI City.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.