Transport for London trials live CCTV
20 October 2008
Transport for London is trialling an innovative new CCTV communications system that allows them to view live images from buses across the capital. Linked to the radio system which instantly connects every London bus driver to the TfL central bus control room, LIVEview streams live images directly into the TfL control room, CentreComm.
The new system, developed by 21st Century, integrates different technologies to enable users like TfL, or in some cases transport companies, to view live images from any vehicle on demand. The aim is to improve safety and security for passengers and drivers and to improve the available information in the event of an incident for those who need to prioritise the response.
All TfL buses in the trial are fitted with special digital CCTV systems with a built in internet server and LIVEview is designed to work alongside the system which records digital footage from up to 12 on-board cameras located inside and outside the vehicle. LIVEview allows the images to be streamed in realtime using MPEG4 or MJPEG, rather than waiting for footage of an incident to be downloaded once the vehicle returns to the depot.
If a driver alerts CentreComm to a problem that has just occurred, the digitally recorded images can be re-wound to show the incident develop, while the system continues to record. CentreComm staff will immediately be able to see what has occurred and what level of response is required.
The images from each camera can be viewed individually or simultaneously from CentreComm.
Paul Rogers, Director of Sales and Marketing for 21st Century, comments: "We are delighted to be chosen to provide LIVEview for this trial. In the event of an incident arising, it will improve the response from emergency services as they will have much more detailed information about the type of incident and its location."
Andy Thompson, Head of Performance development at TfL said: "Every London bus has a comprehensive, recordable CCTV system fitted. As technology advances, we are keen to explore how this invaluable bus CCTV system can be further improved to bring even more benefits to passengers."
