The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) invested in three EarthCam TrailerCam units to monitor traffic conditions, road closures and construction throughout the state. The cameras, purchased in 2011, have been used for various applications, from monitoring construction at a sinkhole to observing traffic conditions as fans jammed highways when exiting the famous Talladega 500 NASCAR race.
The cameras are mounted on 30- to 40-foot telescoping masts and offer robotic pan, tilt and 300-times zoom. Batteries and solar panels allow the wireless, self-powering units to function in real time, even if they are moved to a remote location.
The cameras can be accessed by authorized users via the EarthCam website. Users can zoom in on any portion of the site, rotate the viewing canvas and observe the area in 360 degrees, given the appropriate level of access.
“The feature that stands out to us is EarthCam’s Web interface, both from a technical/ configuration standpoint and, more importantly, the ease of use for the end users,” said Kenneth Haynes, special project supervisor for computer services for ALDOT. “The interface is well laid out and is intuitive to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of computers and Web-based graphical user interface.”
Thirty-six departments of transportation nationwide use EarthCam’s camera assemblies.
