Camera System Description

The Berkeley Highway Lab (BHL) testbed has a system of eight video cameras. It uses Sony DFW VL-500 firewire cameras which have a resolution of 640x480 pixels and can capture video at up to 30 frames per second. The cameras are mounted on the roof of the 100 meter tall Pacific Park Plaza (PPP) condominiums building in Emeryville, CA near Interstate 80. Our cameras are mounted in the corner closest to the highway with a continuous view of I-80 down below. There were two requirements that had to be met when the cameras were installed and aimed. First the images and video have to be free of obstructions (like building corner and mounts) and second there has to be an 80 feet overlap between the images of any two consecutive cameras. The last requirement is dictated by the NG-SIM project, for which the cameras were also used.

The angle and coverage area of each camera is adjustable, depending on the requirements of ongoing projects. The current setting can be seen by looking at the snapshots page at "Real-Time Traffic and Info".

BHL keeps a weekly archive of one-frame-per-second video that can be accessed through the Video Data page. To request longer recordings, modify camera coverage, or to record higher frame-rate video, please contact bhl@calccit.org. A preview of the video quality and some of the specific situations (i.e. morning peak, afternoon peak) is available below.

With nominal settings, the cameras cover about 2 miles of I-80 between Ashby Avenue and Powell Street. The on and off ramps at Ashby Avenue and Powell Street are part of the coverage area. Of the coverage area, a human can make out individual vehicle motions for about a mile, and NG-SIM can get trajectories for a third of a mile or so.

The first photo shows the West Bound (locally North Bound) covered portion of I-80 and the second photo shows the East Bound (locally North Bound) covered portion of I-80.

Several short videos (about 30 seconds) can be accessed through this page. These videos show different camera views, during various periods during the day. The weekly archive of recorded videos can be accessed through the Video Data page. To see the current coverage area of each camera, check the Real-Time Traffic and Info page.