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[April 10, 2006]

Camera-pole images develop: But early kinks in system make it unreliable for now

(Florida Keys Keynoter (Marathon) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Apr. 8--Images from the state camera system that keeps an electronic eye on U.S. 1 are now flickering onto the Internet recently.

"We're just bringing it on now," said Rory Santana, a state Department of Transportation traffic-operations engineer working on the Intelligent Transportation System known.

The $9.5 million network remains less than fully operational, however.

Three of the eight Monroe County and 18-Mile Stretch cameras, between mile markers 126 and 106, listed on the state's SunGuide Traveler Information Web site did not display an image Friday.

The other five listed locations produced an image that appeared frozen and unchanging.

Eventually, the system will let people see live streaming video from highway camera locations all along the Keys, Santana said.

"We're pretty far along but it's not all up and running yet," he said.

Currently, much of the system operates like a string of Christmas-tree lights - the entire network must be functional before images become available.

Efforts are underway to make as many cameras as possible able to broadcast its signal independently, Santana said.

"We want to have as many working as possible before hurricane season," he said.

The system will be used to monitor storm evacuations but may prove more useful after a "hurricane event," Santana said.

"Getting out is the easy part," Santana said. "This will feed back information on the conditions there so we have a better idea when people can start coming back."

He noted, "The [camera] towers are huge but they were meant to last through winds of 150 mph." Backup power systems for the system also are planned.

Plastic barrels now seen around many of the camera towers are being replaced by guardrails.

Local governments and many Keys residents criticized the ITS system as excessive for Monroe County, and said the large Dynamic Message System signs and tall camera towers detract from the scenic appeal of the Keys.

To see the camera images as they now stand, go to http: //host.maptuit.com/fdot/?config=TrafficW.FDOT&aoi=0

Interference?

Meanwhile, Digital Sail, a wireless Internet provider based in Marathon, was knocked off line at 9 a.m. Thursday by interference, and remains off, said Digital Sail president Michael Ford. He suspects the ITS system is the cause.

"We may be knocked off for good," Ford said. "If this persists, we're out of business because of the interference."

The local provider, founded four years ago, handles about 1,000 accounts, he said.

"Over the past six months to a year, more government systems being used by city, county and state agencies are going on," Ford said. "It's caused an increasing amount of interference and degraded our service."

Thursday morning, the Digital Sail system was "suddenly overcome," Ford said. "We're almost certain another system was turned on. We can't say what it was, but we have our suspicions."

The ITS system uses a wireless system to transmit its digital images from the towers to the monitoring center in Miami-Dade County.

Santana said the agency has received one complaint but does not believe the ITS system is at fault.

The loss of a service provider "is a personal thing for a lot of people," Ford said. "They're very loyal."

Digital Sail operates on "license-free frequencies" dedicated to individuals and private companies, while governments have their own frequencies.

"We're getting crowded out by these government agencies not using government frequencies," Ford said.

The company has appealed to the Federal Communications Commission for a new frequency, but the appeal could take months, Ford said.

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