The Edinburgh Zoo in the U.K. recently launched a new and improved “panda cam” so people across the world can watch its two giant pandas Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yan Guang (Sunshine), ahead of their mating season. To ensure viewers can access high-quality footage of the pair, IndigoVision took measures to optimize its camera, designed originally to track people and vehicles.
The Edinburgh Zoo in the U.K. recently launched a new and improved “panda cam” so people across the world can watch its two giant pandas Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yan Guang (Sunshine), ahead of their mating season. To ensure viewers can access high-quality footage of the pair, IndigoVision took measures to optimize its camera, designed originally to track people and vehicles.
IndigoVision had zoo staff dress up in a panda suit and mimic the movements of pandas. IndigoVision's HD surveillance technology can easily sense a subject's movement, focusing in on and tracking it, said Paul Murphy, Spokesperson of IndigoVision. "To detect Tian Tian and Yan Guang, however, whose movements differ greatly from ours, the technology had to be recalibrated by men pretending to be pandas.” Indigo Vision donated the cameras and configuration time to the zoo.
According to Jon-Paul Orsi, Digital Manager for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), “The intelligent tracking systems and new video cameras they (IndigoVision) have installed will provide not only our own visitors, but panda fans all over the world, with a HD view of our pandas.” Orsi noted the breeding season is the best time to observe panda behavior; Yang Guang, for instance, will make handstands. However, the pandas will be out of the view during mating and retain privacy.
The Yang Guang camera is currently public, and Tian Tian is for members of the RZSS only via members' exclusive portal. The views will alternate in the future.