Shape of things to come: On-board CCTV
Some airlines already deploy CCTV in cabins so pilots can monitor passenger behavior; more and more rail and bus services want to do the same in the vehicles they operate
We think of CCTVs as typically mounted in public spaces, rail stations, and the like. How about placing a CCTV inside a rail car or a bus to keep an eye on the goings on there? Some airlines already use cabin CCTV to monitor passengers, and Morrisville, North Carolina-based Integrian, a developer of mobile digital video solutions, agrees that this would be a good idea for ground transportation as well. The company is showing its TransitCam TC-50, an on-board CCTV passenger surveillance device for bus and light rail systems. TransitCam TC-50 evolved from the TC-100, the company’s rail passenger surveillance system. The TC-100 is popular in transportation circles: It is currently installed in more than 1,800 railway cars in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, in the London underground, and Madrid Express systems. The TC-50 was developed as part of a bid solicitation from New Jersey Transit in 2004.
The TC-50 is a robust (in the industry they use the adjective “ruggedized”) eight-camera solution. It features up to 30 frames-per-second on each of its eight camera inputs, and a resolution as high as 720 x 480 pixels. It also offers simultaneous recording and live wireless video streaming, thus allowing administrators back at a command center a real-time view of what is happening onboard the bus. A software application suite allows agencies to fine-tune video quality by configuring frame rate, image resolution, and file size. The camera uses industry standard encryption and anti-tamper protection so that video, audio, and metadata may be used as evidence in courts. It also offers storage options from 20 gigabytes to 1.2 terabytes.
