Press Release Regarding Cameras On Muni Raises More Questions Than It Answers
The Appeal inbox just got hit with a press release from Muni that seems to be about some new Muni camera system that they say...
These are the comments for Press Release Regarding Cameras On Muni Raises More Questions Than It Answers
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Jackson West said:
November 3, 2009 4:24 PM
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Regarding, "The cameras record and download a few seconds of footage before and after an incident," it simply means that video will probably be set on saving only, say, the last few minutes, and when an "incident" occurs, will then save the following few minutes occurs. So, it will have a few minutes recorded before a timestamp, then a few more minutes recorded after, but will generally just have a rolling windowed of actual recorded footage.
So the real question is, how does it know when an "incident" occurs? Because while you could certainly peg it to all sorts of recordable metrics (a trolley losing it's grip on the overhead lines, a collision, an unanticipated delay in service as registered by GPS and route logs), that doesn't mean that it will catch every potentially awkward (or lethal) situation.
internetcomment said:
November 3, 2009 4:42 PM
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Isn't Muni already in the red? Where did the $1.2 million come from?
Erik said:
November 3, 2009 4:53 PM
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Probably it constantly stores and overwrites the last few minutes of video until triggers it, at which point the current last few minutes and the next few minutes get permanently stored. There could be a button the driver hits or it could also have an accelerometer or microphone so that loud noises or sharp jolts would set it off. If it is really supposed to catch bad driver behavior then I think it would have to be some kind of automatic trigger.
stealthshady said:
November 3, 2009 8:44 PM
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- Are the project costs, current and future, going to impact available funds or budget for maintenance of on-board safety cameras and recording equipment?
- Is/Will the DriveCam project delay the maintenance of the onboard safety cameras and recording equipment?
- Was this decision mandated by the new insurance policy / insurer
DriveCam website: http://www.drivecam.com/
Becca Hirschman said:
November 4, 2009 7:10 AM
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The release states that DriveCam will be operable in "all of [Muni's] trolley, biodiesel and biodiesel-electric hybrid buses". Are there any Muni vehicles that don't fit into these three categories?
sunshipballoons said:
November 4, 2009 1:35 PM
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You could have answered at least some of these questions yourself with only very minimal effort:
Q: The MTA says "The cameras record and download a few seconds of footage before and after an incident." How does the camera tell the future?
A: The camera records all the time, but only downloads (really, uploads) the footage to DriveCam after an incident occurs. Basically, it works like your DVR.
Q: How were you able to get these cameras all installed when you haven't been able to install working cameras in over half our transit fleet?
A: Your numbers are out-of-date. 84% of the safety cameras now work (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=50934). In any event, this question is non-sequitur. Obviously, they can install these cameras without installing the crime watch cameras. These are probably more important.
Q: Wouldn't the current cameras do this already, that is, capture footage before and after an accident, as well as all other times)?
A: No, the current cameras only capture what is happening behind the driver. This camera takes a picture of the driver and of what is going on the road in front of the bus. Didn't you read the press release?
Q: Is this system intended to replace the other cameras on the buses, like the half that do work, and the double parking cameras?
A: No.
Q: How will they ensure that these cameras are actually working?
A: DriveCam is an international consulting company that monitors cameras in all kinds of commercial and public transit and private vehicles. The cameras send a signal when they are working, and an alert comes on when they stop working. How do you know when your car is low on fuel? This works basically the same way.