Flying between our Seattle and Chicago branches last week, I was over South Dakota when I noticed a most unusual—but entirely appropriate—application for video surveillance cameras: large agricultural operations.
Back at
BearCom, I did a little research and came across the story of Joel Foxley, who farms with his brothers near the South Dakota town of Platte. He told
The Daily Republic newspaper how he installed his first video surveillance camera a year and a half ago and now has 15 cameras keeping watch over his equipment, fuel, grain bins, and grounds. He said, "With the price of fuel and the price of everything, we just thought it would be a wise decision to have a little safety."
Video Surveillance Cameras "Are the Way the Industry is Going"
Ross Ringling, who runs a feedlot and trucking operation near Platte, told the paper how he has eight cameras monitoring gates and high-traffic areas at his business. He said he hadn't had any problems. "It just seems to be the way the industry is going," he said. Ringling was especially pleased by the ability to access the system wirelessly through a mobile device. "I can be driving down the road and pull it up on my smartphone and see who is there and what they're doing."
According to
Farm Industry News, prices of
video surveillance systems are falling, and they're more scalable now, thanks to digital video technology. It said similar technological advances have reduced the time and money needed for monitoring. Widely available software helps to streamline recording and alert users to unusual events. Other software can scan hours of footage, reduce false alerts, or even send alerts by e-mail, phone call, or instant message.
Video Surveillance Trends to Watch
In the coming year, according to the market research firm IMS Research, businesses looking to buy video surveillance systems can look forward to new remote video applications, improving image quality, and more cloud-based infrastructure.
BearCom carries several
IP video surveillance cameras from Sony and Panasonic. Both fixed and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras can be integrated into a wireless
mesh broadband network, which often dramatically reduces installation costs and increases mobility. BearCom carries the complete line of mesh networking equipment from Motorola and Firetide. Both cameras and mesh networks are available for purchase as well as short-term rental.
Have you heard of an unusual application for wireless video surveillance camera technology? If you have, let me know!
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