[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Last word: auto video surveillance report[long]
I know this is pushing it as far as crypto-relevance. I won't bring up
the subject again. But this was too much to not pass along - there are
some interesting insights into the mindset at work, and if I had to
justify the cryptorelevance it would be by promoting the value of
knowing the mind of Brother ... both Little and Big.
For those not familiar with Calif. bureaucratese: "HOV" is "High
Occupancy Vehicle" and an "HOV Lane" is a carpool lane.
Edited doc. follows (from http://www.bts.gov/smart/cat/274.html):
Use of Videotape in HOV Lane Surveillance and
Enforcement: Final Report
USE OF VIDEOTAPE
IN
HOV LANE
SURVEILLANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
FINAL REPORT
By John W. Billheimer Ken Kaylor Charles Shade
Submitted to
State of California
Department of Transportation
under Contract 55 G710
D232
March 1990
SYSTAN,INC. in ATD,INC.
343 Second Street Association 6431 Independence
Avenue
P.O. Box U with Woodland Hills, CA
91367
Los Altos, CA 94023
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report covers a six-month study designed to explore the use
of
vidoetape in HOV lane surveillance and enforcement. The study is
an
extension of an earlier investigation of the effects of different
enforcement strategies and engineering designs on violation rates
on
California's mainline HOV lanes.
The report has been prepared in the Los Altos, California
offices
of SYSTAN, Inc. under Contract No. 55 G71 0 with the California
Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). The project was jointly
sponsored by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Mr. Philip Jang,
Chief of the HOV Systems Branch of CALTRANS Division of Traffic
Operations served as project administrator, while Scott McGowen of
CALTRANS acted as the project's technical monitor.
...
SYSTAN wishes to thank all those who provided information and
insights
on the enforcement and operation of California's mainline HOV
lanes,
and acknowledges full responsibility for the analysis,
interpretation,
and presentation of the data they provided.
...
1.1.1 Background
...
It has been suggested that using video equipment to assist in
HOV
lane enforcement could reduce the requirements for patrol officers,
increase citation rates, and minimize freeway disruption. The
current
investigation has been designed to extend past studies of HOV lane
enforcement by testing both the feasibility and accuracy of the use
of
video equipment in HOV lane surveillance.
1.1.2 Objective
The objective of the current study has been to demonstrate and
test
the use of video equipment in determining vehicle occupancy,
documenting violator identity, and aiding enforcement of HOV lanes.
...
Field tests showed that it is technologically possible to record
several accurate views of vehicles traveling in mainline HOV lanes.
Specifications and costs of the equipment needed for videotape
surveillance are summarized below.
Cameras. Best results are obtained with high speed color
cameras
capable of achieving exposure times of 1/1000 of a second. A 14:1
zoom lens is needed to focus on oncoming vehicles at distances of
approximately 1200 feet. Cameras placed at eye-level on the
freeway
itself should be small and unobtrusive.
Auxiliary Equipment. Two monitors with split screen capability
are
required in the control van. One monitor provides an on-line
review
capability, while the other provides a permanent record of all
camera
views. A special effects generator should be used to make the
exact
time and location a permanent part of the videotape record.
Polarizing filters help to solve problems with glare from shiny
cars and windshields, although they reduce the light-gathering
capability of the cameras. Infra-red cameras and light sources can
be
used to document license plates after dark by videotaping the rear
license plates of departing cars. However, it does not appear
feasible to videotape oncoming vehicles under conditions of
darkness
or low visibility. Results are not clear and the infra-red light
source can distract oncoming drivers.
...
1.3.3 Potential Applications
Although it is technologically possible to record a series of
accurate views of vehicles traveling in mainline HOV lanes, no
combination of recorded views currently provides enough information
to
support prosecution for occupancy violators. Even so, videotape
surveillance of HOV lanes can provide useful information for a
variety
of other purposes. These include:
1. Support for on-line enforcement. In cases where there are no
refuge areas adjacent to mainline HOV lanes, videotape
surveillance provides a means of alerting officers stationed
downstream from the cameras to the presence of oncoming
violators.
2. Support for remote ticketing . Although videotape by itself
does
not appear to be accurate enough to provide a basis for
citations, the combination of videotape and an observing
officer
could conceivably provide the accuracy needed for a system of
mailed warnings and citations. If a system of mailed
warnings
or citations can be installed, the officer would not have to
pursue
violators, and a videotape record of driver, occupancy, and
license plate would be available for court hearings. Such a
system would be more cost-effective than the current system
of
freeway pursuit and roadside citing, and will reduce the
congestion caused by rubbernecking.
3. Performance Monitoring. There are several applications in
which
videotape surveillance appears to provide a marked
improvement
over current practice. These include:
(a) Freeway monitoring to document vehicle type and
occupancy
over time;
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...
The cost of videotaping HOV lane activity is more than double
the
cost of monitoring operations manually. However, videotape
provides more accurate records, a consistent data base, and a
permanent, verifiable record of traffic activity. It also
provides
information on the vehicle mix, traffic speed, and the license
plates of carpoolers and suspected violators.
1.3.4 Public Reaction
In a state in which radar cannot legally be used to enforce
speed
laws on state freeways, videotape surveillance of HOV lanes has
significant legislative and public relations implications. These
implications are beyond the scope of the current study. However,
two
pieces of information related to the current study may shed some
light
on the potential reactions of the public and the media to the
possibility of videotape surveillance.
....
Press Coverage. The field tests undertaken during the current
study attracted the attention of the Los Angeles media and resulted
in
a limited amount of press coverage. Articles in the Los Angeles
Times
and Ontario Daily Report/Progress Bulletin were both balanced and
informative. To the extent that these stories can be viewed as an
indication of press and public reaction to the use of videotape in
HOV
lane enforcement, there was no suggestion that CALTRANS and the CHP
would be exposed to a massive public outcry if videotape proves to
be
technologically and legally feasible as an enforcement tool.
Furthermore, it can be assumed that the articles themselves made
potential HOV lane violators in the Los Angeles area more cautious.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...
Video cameras operating in conjunction with officer observation
may
provide sufficient accuracy to support mail-out citations for HOV
lane
occupancy violations. An officer stationed downstream from the
video
cameras is in a position to verify the occupancy of vehicles which
appear suspect to observers monitoring camera output. ...
Moreover, the presence of an observing officer
may remove some of the "Big Brother is watching" stigma from the
use
of videotape.