Recognizing an alarming surge in the number of lost cats on Berkeley’s NextDoor network — including the Mayor’s beloved pet “Che” — the City of Berkeley will blanket the city with a video camera network. The Cat Observation Program or “COP” will provide real-time monitoring of cat movements through Berkeley.
Cat owners with a lost cat will be able to upload photos to the new CATastrophe system for fur recognition matching. When a match is found, the owner will be given live GPS data to locate the fugitive feline.
“Fur recognition technology is at the forefront of practical artificial intelligence applications,” notes veterinarian and computer scientist Claude Hand. The false positive rate of COP is one in 10 million, which is vastly more than the number of cats in Berkeley.
Activists at the City Council meeting were divided during public comment. Arguments against the measure objected to COP profiling. “I’m concerned that Norwegian Forest Cats will face inequitable treatment,” noted N. Utjob. Ultimately, the pro-COP arguments prevailed.
COP will be deployed in March, 2021.