August 18, 2006

Internet Resources

Korky Koroluk

Security systems valuable legal tool

It seems ironic that in an era when security is on everyone’s mind, when security “experts” earn their living by keeping the public frightened, the jobsite webcams originally intended as security devices are now being sold as business tools that help contractors do everything from productivity improvement to warranty management.

The original security threats were fairly benign by today’s standards: equipment and material theft and arson, and low-quality images would usually suffice. But as manufacturers of those systems began thinking of more than simple surveillance, they began to improve their systems.

With improved resolution, meaning sharper pictures, came the idea that those pictures (automatically stamped with date and time) could be used to resolve disputes. Were the ready-mix trucks there on time or not? Exactly when was the rebar delivered? How bad was the weather on any given day?

And if those questions could be answered by the pictures, then why not use the pictures to protect you and your project against inaccurate liability claims?

To do these things means you need pictures much better than those grainy images TV news sometimes shows us of a holdup at a convenience store. And the images must be saved in a searchable archive so you can retrieve them quickly and easily should a dispute arise.

“It’s not just a matter of having images,” says Chandler McCormack, who heads an outfit called OxBlue Corp., in Atlanta. “It’s having images you can see something on. You really need something better than a video camera that was meant for security at a gas station.”

Modern technology means vendors can offer a variety of possibilities. OxBlue, for instance, offers high-resolution still photos taken just minutes apart and transmitted via the cellular system. That way, there is no need for DSL or cable service on the jobsite.

Competitors, such as EarthCam and Digital Jobsite, offer streaming video, including one system that EarthCam says provides “broadcast quality video.”

OxBlue says it stays away from streaming video because, in some systems, the resolution is so poor that little can be seen — certainly not clearly enough to represent definitive evidence in a legal case. Besides, the company says, video means a lot of bandwidth is required, and that may not be available on a jobsite.

No matter which system you choose, the archive should be made available on a DVD that shows the entire project. With that DVD stored in a safe place, a contractor would have no trouble proving that an incident couldn’t have occurred on a certain day in June, 2004, say, since the site was closed that day because of severe weather.

While there are any number of places you can buy webcams, there are surprisingly few companies that offer complete systems of cameras, software and archiving, and not all of them operate in Canada.

Still, visiting their websites would be worth your while to get a quick introduction to the subject and to get an idea of the questions to ask your local vendor.

OxBlue: www.oxblue.com

EarthCam: www.earthcam.net

Digital: www.digitaljobsite.com

Stardot: www.stardot-tech.com/netcam

Onsite: www.onsiteview.com

On another matter entirely, you may, if you’re in or near Ottawa, want to hear a speech next month by James Howard Kunstler, an American social critic who sees a bleak future for all of us as the world gradually runs out of oil. He sees suburbs turning into ghost towns or slums because there will be no gasoline for commuters, few products for sale except those produced locally — stuff like that. But his is not a balanced view, so treat what he has to say with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Still, he’s an entertaining speaker, and what he has to say is sure to get you thinking about our energy future.

Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Adult High School, 300 Rochester St. in Ottawa.

Korky Koroluk is an Ottawa-based freelance writer. Send comments to editor@dailycommercialnews.com

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