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September 19, 2003
Solid-State High-Res HPWREN-Connected Cameras Provide Quick Access to Environmental Conditions Two recent additions to HPWREN's camera systems include a four-camera 360-degree view on Mount Laguna and a 90+ degree view camera at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) Ramona Air Attack Base.
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These solid-state, high-resolution cameras (available to the public at /cameras/) are a follow-up to earlier HPWREN activities to better understand environmental conditions as they impact the performance of the wireless network. "Over the past three years various applications have emerged from our original field science uses of the HPWREN-connected cameras - such as tracking of wildfires by firefighters," says Hans-Werner Braun, HPWREN principal investigator. "These most recently connected IQeye3 cameras were suggested to us by San Diego State University's Pablo Bryant."
"With lenses exceeding a 90-degree view, the cameras atop Mount Laguna allow for a 360-degree panoramic view of the area while the airbase camera has a 90+ degree view and displays a large fraction of the runway," explains Braun. "Both the Mount Laguna and the Ramona Air Base cameras have built-in pixel-based motion detect capability, which means that they trigger upon the detection of animals, airplanes taking off or landing, lightning, and other such occurrences." In addition, experiments are under way to demonstrate the usefulness of near-infrared capable cameras on the airplane itself. These experiments use the cameras to examine fire perimeters through heavy smoke, which would allow firefighters to better guide their fire retardent drops. Initial results look promising.
Images depicting the camera installation at the CDF air attack base are available at /Photos/20030829/. For further details regarding the HPWREN-connected CDF Ramona Air Attack Base, refer to /news/030716.html. For more information about the original HPWREN telemetry instruments installed atop Laguna Mountains, see /news/020924.html. -KMB ![]() |