Setting up a Web Cam in Lois Hole Provincial Park

The ultimate purpose of our submission to the NAIT competition was to develop a prototype of a remote web-camera to enable observation of the Big Lake area by the public using the Internet. The largest area of public interest is likely in the observation of migrating birds as Big Lake is an important bird migration route.

The complexity of the web camera proposed location (no power, no wired Internet connection, restricted access) warrants a complete turnkey unit. The camera needs to work seamlessly and reliably without, or with very little, human intervention. The power source (solar polar with a battery charging unit), the main controller, the camera, the communications assembly and then the enclosure must be kept safe from the elements, animals and people. Internet fast connectivity to send live images via the Internet would have to be available at the location (using TELUS EVDO technology).

We were looking for NAIT students or staff members willing to get involved in the technical aspects of implementation of this project.

Currently, the participants in this project are:
- Big Lake Environmental Support Society (www.bless.ca) (location, website hosting, ongoing operations, maintenance)
-NAIT(design and help with installation)

Other potential participants could be:
- Telus (to be approached for bandwidth donation)
- Local company for the installation of the camera
- Alberta Government (Community Development Parks and Protected Areas are park owners
- City of St. Albert (possible location for the camera)
- Environment Canada (possible EcoAction Grant)

This project could have a significant contribution to the environmental movement in Alberta. There is a potential to create a network of Web Cameras (such as what is seen at WebCam Central http://www.camcentral.com/ ) in many environmentally important areas of Alberta and to promote Alberta tourism worldwide through web camera networks, as well as providing educational opportunities to Albertans and increasing their environmental awareness. For example, web cams could possibly replace manned watchtowers used to observe and warn against forest fires and save a lot of taxpayer's money.

Lois Hole Provincial Park is the newest Alberta provincial park and the web cam could be a highly visible NAIT technical contribution to this incredibly beautiful natural area close to Edmonton. This initiative will provide educational benefits to Albertans, and it will promote visiting Lois Hole Provincial Park.

There are many successful placements of web cams in non-urban remote locations to promote tourism, view road conditions, and to monitor wildlife. There is a strong competition to do it inexpensively and using self contained units (Integrated solar power supply, internet connection in many cases via satellite).

If you are interested in more information on this project, or are interested in working on it, please contact Jacek Wiercinski at jackww -AT- gmail.com.