Fulcrum applies AI to harness mobile image data and protect privacy

New capabilities automate mobile operations using image data while blurring facial data

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Feb 23, 2021, 09:27 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fulcrum today announced a powerful new AI-based, privacy-protecting capability within their no-code mobile application platform that automatically detects objects in photos that mobile workers collect in the field. In addition to leveraging information about physical assets to optimize workflows and performance reporting, customers can set Fulcrum to obscure any faces it detects using graphical blurring. [https://www.fulcrumapp.com/]

Fulcrum enables mobile workers to take photos that document safety, quality, environmental, and other processes. By using AI to automatically detect objects in those photos, Fulcrum enables new flows of information based on the objects that are in the work environment.

In some cases, photographic data collected using Fulcrum meets the definition of personally identifiable information (PII) according to privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Photographic data can be among the most challenging to manage from a data privacy perspective. Photos aren't intended to capture PII, but a face in a photo can be used to identify a specific person and therefore is considered PII as defined by most global privacy regulations.

Fulcrum eliminates this problem by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and blur out faces in photographs taken by inspectors, surveyors, and canvassers who use the Fulcrum platform to collect data.

Unlike manual de-identification processes, which require skilled workers to identify faces individually and blur them out using graphical tools, Fulcrum enables organizations to screen photos for faces automatically and blur them without manual effort. This screening takes place on the mobile device where the inspection or other data collection is taking place, ensuring that no unblurred faces are transmitted into the cloud or stored in a server.

According to Kristin Carrington, CEO of Carrington Risk, a provider of high-level property risk control and risk management consulting services and software, "Fulcrum's AI-based face-blurring capability is essential for us to do business in a global market. With privacy laws becoming more stringent and a high risk of human error when reviewing photos by hand, Fulcrum's solution opens up more business opportunities and ensures high productivity. I look forward to using Fulcrum's additional AI-based capabilities for image processing."

This robust capability ensures that Fulcrum clients meet privacy requirements even in regions with the most stringent privacy laws, such as the European Union and the state of California. In some cases, they will be able to bid for work that would have been out of reach if they were limited to manual processes.

Jim Grady, CEO of Fulcrum, says, "Our new Fulcrum facial blurring capability is a great example of how we are applying AI to imagery to address significant market demand for greater productivity and efficiency. Our smart software helps users spend less time on menial screening and graphical tasks so they can focus on their unique value — better inspections, higher quality data collection, and more sophisticated insights."

About Fulcrum

Fulcrum's vision is to reduce the time, cost, and risk associated with data collection, workflow automation, and analytics by transforming the way our customers perform mobile business processes. Our SaaS platform allows non-developers to rapidly build and deploy apps — in minutes rather than days — without code. The result is rapid time to value for customers, high-fidelity data collection and reporting, and a data-driven approach to process automation and performance optimization for mobile teams. Our customers rely on Fulcrum to ensure safety and quality, stay compliant, protect property and secure assets, maintain and enhance existing infrastructure, and keep new infrastructure projects on-time and on-budget. For more information, please visit fulcrumapp.com.

Fulcrum is proudly developed by Spatial Networks, Inc. Any trademark, service or other mark, other than Fulcrum which is used under license, belongs to the respective company owning such marks.

SOURCE Fulcrum