Vicon Industries, a designer and producer of integrated IP video surveillance and access control systems, working with Advanced Automation Systems (AAS), has found an application for its PTZ dome camera. It is being used as a “Beach Cam” in Sarasota, Florida, where the live, 24/7 online video feed is helping reassure potential tourists that the county’s beaches have not been tarnished by this summer’s oil spill. The camera slowly pans the entire expanse of the beach, displaying a 180-degree view of unspoiled white=sand beaches and happy beachgoers enjoying the water.
Vicon Industries, a designer and producer of integrated IP video surveillance and access control systems, working with Advanced Automation Systems (AAS), has found an application for its PTZ dome camera. It is being used as a “Beach Cam” in Sarasota, Florida, where the live, 24/7 online video feed is helping reassure potential tourists that the county's beaches have not been tarnished by this summer's oil spill. The camera slowly pans the entire expanse of the beach, displaying a 180-degree view of unspoiled white=sand beaches and happy beachgoers enjoying the water.
Shortly after last April's oil rig explosion, the Sarasota County Commission tasked its staff with finding a way to let the public know that Sarasota County's beaches were not impacted by the event. In response, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation teamed up with the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau to install a video camera at Siesta Beach as part of an aggressive public relations campaign.
AAS, a full service automation contractor that has been providing the county government with video and access control solutions for the past eight years, installed the camera in two weeks. Requirements for the camera included the ability to withstand Category-2 hurricane force winds, constant exposure to salt water, and to not fog up in the humid beachfront environment. Vicon's dome with 35x zoom was selected, as it provided quality images and met all rating requirements, including a stainless steel and powder-coated aluminum exterior.
“The Beach Cam at Siesta Beach has enabled us to show the world through live, real-time video, that one of the country's top rated beaches remains open, clean and as popular as ever," said John McCarthy, GM of Sarasota County.
As a result of Sarasota County's foresight, beach attendance this season has not suffered and, in fact, has had higher attendance than last summer on some key holiday weekends.