[LINK] Wireless surveillance on Chapel St

[Peter Chen]

I'm not sure what your question here is, yet I know you're hinting at
something sinister because you use the work "remarkable".

Yet, I'm looking for what is remarkable here.

"Administration and housekeeping" sounds like Dreampool is the contracted
service provider, and yes, reading your link they are.  

--extract

At the 'front end', Dreampool have installed five Canon VB-C50iR network
cameras. The cameras are driven by a software package that offers full
functionality for the operator and most importantly, security. The software
allows the cameras to record preset positions while police are not using the
cameras operationally.

--end

Thus, they store the information, and the pigs dip in periodically but have
not gone down the road of becoming video archivers ("not using
operationally").  Very sound business decision by my old employer, VicPol,
core business and all that.  So the pigs need the footage and the service
provider stores and archives.  If they are a commerical venture doing a lot
of this then (a) they must have the images availble to them and (b) they
would have the capacity to save costs through aggregation.

Is the concern about a private provider?  Some sweaty geeks looking at the
images?

If so then its not "remarkable either".  Lots of CCTV cameras are run, and
maintained by private groups and organisations, in private space, but also
in public spaces.  Take your local pub with its cameras outside, they
capture the pub doors, but also the public space of the street also.  All of
the Vic rail network cameras are now run by private providers, lots of
airport, scads of the CBD covered by private providers.

So what's your beef?  Is it the wireless?  Are you worried the feed's not
secure?  Might be more of an issue...

More info required.


Peter

_ _____________ _
Dr Peter Chen
 Freelance Political Scientist
 +61 3 9440 6266 [home/office]
 0431994205 [mobile]
 pjchen at optusnet.com.au 
 MSN and Skype.com ("peterjohnchen")
 members.optusnet.com.au/pjchen


-----Original Message-----
From: link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au
[mailto:link-bounces at anumail0.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of andrew garton
Sent: Thursday, 10 March 2005 12:29 PM
To: Link Mailing List
Subject: [LINK] Wireless surveillance on Chapel St

MELBOURNE -- Wireless camera's have been installed on Melbourne's trendy
Chapel St in a trial wireless video surveillance project in collaboration
with the Victorian Police, Telstra, the City of Stonnington, Crime
Prevention Victoria and an entity known as Dreampool. The images from five
Canon VB-C50iR network cameras are shared between Victoria Police and, for
"administration and housekeeping", Dreampool.

City of Stonnington Mayor, Cr Sarah Davies said, "The footage will be used
by Victoria Police to pursue any anti social behaviour that has occurred and
will assist in identifying and following up potential offenders. Police will
now have access to high quality footage to investigate and follow up any
incidents with the ability of the cameras to zoom in at close range and to
see in very low light at high resolution with infrared capabilities."

Who is Dreampool and why would they need to share the images? If they have
access to them, why not the public?

For more on this remarkable development, refer to:

http://www.milestonesys.com/?cid=425&newsId=251

Source: http://rights.apc.org.au/

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