BROADBAND TV FROM PETE’S WATERHOLE IN BOTSWANA – OCTOBER 2005.
Last Saturday the Budde family spent a leisurely day at Pete’s waterhole in Botswana, thanks to National Geographic’s live WildCam Africa, via their Internet video camera from one of the most remote locations in southern Africa.
I had linked the laptop to the plasma screen and during the day we followed the elephants bathing in the pool, the zebras taking a casual walk, the ostriches having a quiet drink, as well as many antelopes and gnus.
We saw a crocodile catch a large catfish (a few metres long) followed by the rather gruesome killing process.
This is what I call broadband TV! We kept the picture on in the background, which allowed us to follow the wildlife in Botswana for a long time, in a relaxed fashion.
The following information comes from the National Geographic info on their website. The signal is sent from the waterhole to a satellite hovering 22,500 miles (36,200 kilometres) above the Earth’s equator. The heart of the system is a desktop computer that processes images from a high-powered wide-angle video camera. The high-resolution camera is on all the time, ready to capture any movement it sees and record 20 to 25 images a second. That’s fast enough to display the realistic movement of the animals without the jerkiness that sometimes accompanies Web broadcasts.
A switching device that sends the video data to a network router is attached to the computer. The router transfers the data to an antenna pointed north (see figure 1 in illustration) where a satellite picks up the signal and relays it to a server. From there, the video is streamed to the Internet through National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.
The link to the satellite was the only way to obtain enough bandwidth to carry the huge data stream required by the video array. This provides a dedicated bandwidth connection from the pond to the satellite to a terminal hub in Sweden. From there, it goes to the Internet. It’s point to point. They only communicate with each other. That’s why they can provide this high-quality live experience.
A curious creature, however, could interrupt all the electronic wizardry. The perimeter of the array is fortified with high-strength wire and electrified fencing, while the computer and camera apparatus are secured in tight cabinetry. It’s harmless to the wildlife and discourages their attempts to get in. But even with protection, anything can happen.
So the following Web site comes to you with the recommendation of the Budde family: www9.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildcamafrica/wildcam.html
Tagged in: Africa, Botswana
