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April 23, 2007

Puppy Surveillance an Unexpected Benefactor of IP Video Technology

Here's a story from Down Under (that's Australia) that delivers us yet another unique example of IP video surveillance in action, and it involves puppies.

David Markham works as a breeding manager for Guide Dogs Victoria. He and his staff look over 25 litters a year, and must pay special attention to dogs who are expecting, monitoring them closely for about five days before their due-date, and that includes night-watch.

When broken down mathematically, that's about 125 nights a year in which a member of the staff has to watch over the facility. The birthing process often takes place at night, and someone needs to be on hand to help welcome the new puppies into the world.

But who wants to lose sleep staring at pregnant dogs from dusk until dawn? That was one of the issues Markham solved by rigging the facility with an IP-based video surveillance system. Now, each birthing room is equipped with a Canon VB-C50iR network camera. The new cameras stream live digital video feeds over the internet, and feature pan, tilt, and zoom functions that can also be controlled online. This allows staffers to go online from any computer with network access and check in on the dogs without physically walking into the room and causing a commotion. If the dogs are sound asleep, the worker can see that online, and can then settle in for a nap before the next check-in time.

The other major benefit of IP surveillance in this delicate situation is unobtrusiveness. By providing clear images even at night, the cameras allow workers to watch over the birthing process without necessarily having to be in the same room as the dogs. While most dogs don't mind the extra company, for those who haven't given birth before, the opportunity to go through the instinctive process without human assistance is considered a good thing.

Read more at AustralianIT.com.au...

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Posted by Dan on April 23, 2007 1:34 PM

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