German ferry traffic monitored by IP cameras

The Glückstadt-based ferry line has installed a system that uses cameras from Basler Vision Technologies (Ahrensburg, Germany) and video gateways from HeiTel Digital Video (Molfsee bei Kiel, Germany) to monitor the volume of traffic waiting at ferry docks.

The ferry link between Wischhafen in Lower Saxony and Glückstadt in Schleswig-Holsteinin Germany is the most northwesterly crossing of the Elbe River and a favorite alternative to Hamburg's frequently used and congested Elbtunnel.

Engineers from the Thiele Hauselectronic—part of the Thiele Unternehmensgruppe (Hamburg, Germany)—installed eight Basler BIP-D1300c-dn IP 1-Mpixel CCD progressive-scan cameras with vandal-resistant dome housings along the dock's access road. The dome cameras were mounted on a series of poles in pairs, facing in opposite directions to image as much of the road as possible.

Because the cameras employ an automatically retractable infrared-cut filter, they can operate both day and at night even in poor lighting conditions, allowing the traffic flow to be continuously analyzed. The HeiTel CamServer 2c video gateway has an integrated web server for video transmission, so operators working for the Elbfähre Glückstadt Wischhafen ferry service can access the camera images directly using a mobile phone whenever they require a manual estimation of traffic volumes.

The installation of the IP cameras allows the ferry operators to monitor current traffic conditions and react quickly when traffic volumes increase.

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