180 degree Sky camera?

[Eran]

Hi all.


I am looking for a camera which its only purpose is to look at the sky 24/7 on a 180 degree surface detecting flocks of birds with triggers via Blue Iris (We have a fish farm), we need to detect the flock 1-3 KM away as show in the picture attached.

We are not sure which camera to choose in terms of:


· Does a 24/7 direct sunlight can harm the camera? Are there any Protective measures I can take to prevent such damage without harming the picture quality? (UV screen maybe?)

· Since the flock may be 1-3 KM away – I am not sure IR will help me here but I think Dahua Starlight technology is the right tech for us, not sure though

· Is there and side effect/potential short/long term damage to a camera that pointed on sky in term of mechanical parts?


Can I please get recommendations for the most suitable model for me?


Thanks in advance…

Eran.

 

[Mr_D]

The only problem I see with trying to detect birds at that distance with such a wide field of view is that they'll be really small. I think two or more cameras would do a better job.

 

[Eran]

Hi.
Thanks for your reply.
Correct, I will have to put several cameras, The only thing is that I am not sure about the properties/features i should look for this kind if setup and if 180 degree view is possible or not.

Thanks,
Eran

 

[tangent]

There are multi-sensor panoramic 180 degree cameras: Panoramic Series

The density of the flock will determine how far away you can see it, which wouldn't be very far at night. You very well may need something with more zoom.

 

[Eran]

Hi.

Thanks for your reply Tangent.

180 degree Panoramic camera sounds great to me! Can you refer me to a specific model to start experimenting with?

Above 80% of our fish ponds hazards happening during day light (Pelicans and Cormorants), Its ok if I’ll miss the flocks during the night if it means I won’t have to jump to the high cost Flir cameras, I want to stay below 250$... per camera

You can see the picture I posted on my first message, I have pictures just like that one taken from a cell phone camera -4KM away… we only need to see if there is a flock coming and the direction on which they are heading, we don’t need to track the flock or anything so not sure why a zoom is even necessary for the detection stage (Unless I am missing something), a few dots in the sky that looks like a flock is enough to cause us to get up fast, enter the vehicles and start chasing them with fireworks, I can also zoom in manually once BI has sent me a push notification and see if that’s a false alarm or not.


What do you think?


Thanks,

Eran

 

[bp2008]

There is no real risk pointing cameras at the sky as long as they're waterproof so rain doesn't fry them. I don't think starlight cameras will help in any meaningful way given what you're looking for. You would be better off with higher resolutions.

That said, I don't think you're going to have much success automatically detecting flocks of birds with Blue Iris's motion detection, regardless of which cameras you use. You're going to get all kinds of false alarms and it will just train you to ignore the motion triggers.

 

[Eran]

Thanks bp2008.

a) What Camera resolutions do you think I should aim for?
b) Can you recommend any other motion detection software that might do the job and not wake us up on false alarms?


Thanks,
Eran

 

[bp2008]

8 megapixel (4K) is about the biggest you can get without going into crazy high price territory.

No, I can't recommend motion detection software tuned for bird flocks. I doubt such a thing exists.

 

[Eran]

Thanks,
How about this one?
http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/productDetail/17491

Thanks,
Eran

 

[bp2008]

You probably don't need it to be ptz, especially not with that poor of a zoom range.

 

[Eran]

Hi.

I need to cover 180 degree view (everything above the surface, like a Dome shape), How can I manage without a PTZ?


Thanks,

 

[tangent]

Hi.

I need to cover 180 degree view (everything above the surface, like a Dome shape), How can I manage without a PTZ?


Thanks,

multiple cameras.

 

[Eran]

Thanks Tangent.

Is there any benefit of installing ~4 static Cameras instead of a single PTZ?


Eran.

 

[bp2008]

A ptz can only look one direction at a time.

 

[Eran]

Thanks bp2008.


Yes, I agree but I don’t mind set few preset points on a PTZ and have it continuously scanning, it would also be cheaper that way, We have 8 large fish ponds, I cannot afford 32 cameras… it makes things complicated for us, after all we are farmers J

Is there any PTZ you believe I can use for this purpose?


Thanks,

Eran

 

[tangent]

Is there any PTZ you believe I can use for this purpose?

Most PTZ can't tilt more than about 20 degrees above horizontal. This camera is good or looking at the sky: PTZ1A225U-IRA-N 2MP 25x Starlight