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Webcam Case Study

The Business: More FM, Wellington

More FM

The Opportunity

More FM wanted to position itself as the city's leading provider of up-to-date traffic information. The radio station asked CityLink to install some webcams specifically targeted at traffic "hotspots", both on the Motorway and within the CBD. Part of the solution was to ensure that MoreFM had exclusive use of these cameras to protect their competitive advantage.

The CityLink Solution - CityLink Webcams

Zak Davies More FM has instant, password-protected online access to CityLink webcams - two providing different views of the Terrace Tunnel, one targeting the Aotea Quay on/off-ramps, one at the Mt Victoria tunnel and one on Courtenay Place. More cameras are planned for Petone and the Ngauranga interchange.

The cameras are Axis webcams with auto iris lenses. They deliver motion jpeg images at 10 frames per second, and then transfer the images to the CityLink webcam server, which can support thousands of simultaneous viewers.

"They produce a great quality picture," says Zak Davies, More FM's Promotions Manager. "You can't quite see the number plates, but you can easily pick out individual cars."

The Implementation

All that was required was for CityLink to make the webcam access password-protected, so that only More FM staff could use them. "The only hitch was an uproar from the local train-spotters," says Zak. "One of the webcams also takes in the Wellington rail yards, and the spotters had been using it to check on the trains coming in and out."

The webcams are monitored by CityLink and any technical faults are fixed immediately.  "We've had next to no problems," says Zak. "The reliability is very high."

The Benefits

Wellington Motorway"The main benefit," says Zak," is that we've achieved our goal. In the regular perception studies that we carry out amongst listeners, we're now the station that more people go to for up-to-date traffic information."

Other stations use 'eye in the sky' traffic reports - or rely on information from the police or listeners about delays or accidents.

"But by the time that information gets to air, as much as ten minutes could have gone past," says Zak. "We can spot accidents or hold-ups immediately and get that information out to our listeners in time for it to be useful."

Because the webcams provide streaming images, More FM staff can also estimate the time it will take for drivers to get through various key areas, such as the Terrace Tunnel.

"And the system is exceptionally easy to use," says Zak. "We click a button and it all comes up on our computer screens. Basic."

The solution @ a glance - CityLink Webcams

  • Axis webcams with auto iris lenses that deliver motion jpeg images at 10 frames per second.
  • Images are transferred to the CityLink webcam server, which can support thousands of simultaneous viewers.
  • CityLink filter access to this server by either "user name and password" or IP address to ensure that only approved viewers can access these cameras.

Webcams for Lord of the Rings

As well as traffic information for More FM, the CityLink webcam on Courtenay Place provided "streaming" video for the Lord of the Rings Premier, using Windows Media Streaming technology.

CityLink took the video feed displayed on the large screens in Courtenay Place and digitally encoded it using Windows media encoders, then transferred the streams to two large windows media servers, which were able to handle thousands of simultaneous viewers. CityLink provided three stream options 56K for dial-up, and 128K and 384K for broadband viewers.

About CityLink:

CityLink are Wellington's serious broadband innovators. Right now, CityLink's Metropolitan Ethernet Optical Fibre LAN connects more than 400 buildings, with speeds from 10Mbps to 1Gbps, giving the city a competitive edge in the new digital economy.

And CityLink is more than a smart network - we also provide smart services:

  • CaféNET. Provides 802.11 public wireless broadband access in cafes and public places for those who need to work on the move.
  • Wellington Internet eXchange. CityLink operates this fully distributed open IX that enables entirely digital workflows.
  • Commverge. A groundbreaking new system that uses Internet-based technology to bring smaller businesses the kind of customised, state-of- the-art communication services usually only available to large corporates.

And we're bringing in new services and applications all the time. So when digital commerce is global and seamless, Wellington will have exactly the smart foundation it needs.

To find out more:
Visit our website at www.citylink.co.nz
Or email info@citylink.co.nz
Phone 04 917 0200 or freephone 0800 4 CityLink (0800 424 895)

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