Harbor Watch

[Sandero]

Several years ago.. at the time of Hurricane Irene... I thought that it would be a terrific idea if I could go to a web site which has harbor cams allowing me to:

See my boat
See the conditions of the harbor
See the activity in the harbor... how crowded it was

and perhaps

have the key weather data for the location, tide and so forth
links to services in the harbor

There are some marinas which do have cams... but I thought how cool it would be to be able to get multiple views of a harbor... for peace of mind when your boat is moored or anchored... and to investigate other destinations.

It seems like a doable project... cams are cheap. There are hurdles... locations for the cams... connections to the internet powering the cam stations... especially at night when there is no solar. And there may be legal hurdles and one does need permission to install the cam stations.

I suspect the whole thing could be paid for my subscription and or advertising. Towns would likely support the idea as they can spot problems without having constant patrols.

I don't know that this can be a money maker... that was not my particular interest. I am more interesting in the views and information... which I think MOST sailors / boaters would welcome and use.

What say you?

[Pelagic]

I'm kind of in a crusty mood these days due to shipyard pressures, but my first thought was..... What if a someone in your neighborhood suggested the same thing that every aspect of where you were living was broadcast over the Internet.
Would you like it?

[Sandero]

No problem for me... it would be a security feature... streets and all... the water is completely public / the commons and so how can this be an invasion of privacy?

I think recording becomes a real privacy issue perhaps...

THIS is not broadcasting every aspect of what I am doing,

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I'm kind of in a crusty mood these days due to shipyard pressures, but my first thought was..... What if a someone in your neighborhood suggested the same thing that every aspect of where you were living was broadcast over the Internet.
Would you like it?

And you think scanning the harbor with binocs is any different?

[Pelagic]

Yes...that is one person intruding..... and if it became obsessive, I would confront them.

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Yes...that is one person intruding..... and if it became obsessive, I would confront them.

Please don't be ridiculous... there are cams all over the place to see the weather... the traffic and so on... Google earth is tell us about traffic and it is showing YOUR boat....

This is not invasive as in a peeping toms... If you are having a party in your cockpit expect that people will see it.

[Pelagic]

There is a big difference between overviews of traffic systems or weather patterns and multiple cameras on any given dock.
My concern is....where does it stop?
Where are we crossing the line between information and privacy?

Someone reading 1984 in the 60's would be shocked at the concept of 100% surveillance.

Now many think it might be a good idea.

Just saying!

[boatman61]

Already exists here in the many marinas in Europe.. hell I've even had members from here request I move the boat forward 25ft so they get a better view..

[Sandero]

This is not intended to be cameras on a DOCK or in a MARINA... but over views of a harbor...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Sandero

This is not intended to be cameras on a DOCK or in a MARINA... but over views of a harbor...

I think this qualifies...

Untitled Document

[barnakiel]

This will work IF you find the marinas that let you place your equipment. Many will not, others will charge you.

Once you make others believe they need your service, you can sell anything, but to get to that point is a hard grind.

Star with doing an in-depth research on how web-cam business model works. Probably this is your starting point before you develop your business idea.

b.

[unclemack]

No idea of possible business models for webcams but when I looked for some around the UK coast I found mostly dead links, sites not maintained since 2014, "live view" showing dates months before, etc. etc.

Haven't heard of any runaway successes.

edit: forgot about the "private" type but never seen one except for the topless ironing bit on "Shameless." The real UK version I mean.

Whitby used to have one that you could control with arrows which was fun - pretty much broken though when I looked just now. What looked like a three-master motored by, maybe some kind of regatta going on.

I've no objections to any cameras - what would be the point?
Security, traffic, dashcams, drones, phones - they're everywhere.

[Nicholson58]

If there was a boat yard cam where we winter it would save me many 100-miles round trips to inspect the boat, cover, snow cover. Also, record the rare thief or mischief maker.


As far as harbors, many are covered by either private or publicly owned cams. Some only show stills at long intervals, some shorter intervals (seconds) some are nearly real time. NOAA has many around the Great Lakes that also show local conditions. There are also NOAA buoys with a plethora of data by drilling into them.


Here are just a few. I am sure you can find more. There are also some that can be found in towns along main streets. Nothing intrusive - just really useful.


Our current home port
Muskegon, MI Meteorological Data & WebCam


GLER web cams
GLERL/Sea Grant: Webcams


Great Lakes
Great Lakes Cams


BUOYS
National Data Buoy Center
NDBC - Eastern Great Lakes Recent Marine Data
Great Lakes Buoys

[Sandero]

I envision more cams depending on the harbor to properly cover the anchorage/ mooring field. Marinas are a separate matter... many have security cams already.

Obviously one would have to find locations and place most of the on water front (private in most cases) property. Hopefully they would be small and unobtrusive.... no different than the osprey nests on poles we often see in LIS. Property owners would either give the right or sell it or lease it.. to have a harbor cam....

One would imagine that there are many boat owners with waterfront properties and they likely would not be averse to participating in the project. I suppose it could also be supported by advertising (local and national companies) or sponsored by marine companies and so on.... even small subscriptions???

I see this mostly as a technical hurdle as well as the issues of locating sites and obtaining permission and doing the installs. Who wouldn't want to get some real time views of harbors they are planning to anchor or moor in... or check on their boat from a web site and get local weather and tide conditions?

[JPA Cate]

Hey, guys,

At least for New South Wales, there are webcams for barred entrances that sweep the bar, and you can watch what happens, in real time.

Cheers,

Ann