WebCams

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WebCams

• By Dave Booth and
• Joanna Washburn

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Project Goals

• Ultimate goal of project
• To provide streaming live video of ECE 345 lab
  across http protocol
• To provide a searchable database of a rolling 24
  hour archive
• High-level timing goals
• To be completed in one semester

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Description

• This project will allow users of the world wide
  web to view continuous video of the lab
• It will also allow users to view static images of
  the lab for any time period in the last 24 hours

FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Competitive Analysis

• Competitors
• There exist many Webcam software packages for
  various applications
• Most all of these allow an image to be captured
  and updated according to a specific time
  interval. For example, the webcam used by
  Beckman Institute captures an image every 5
  minutes for display to the Internet.
• Strengths
• Our project allows real time video to be
  broadcast over the internet, as well as
  time-based archiving and querying.
• Weaknesses
• This project does not scale down very easily, and
  may be considered overkill for some
  applications. We also utilize our own hardware
  configuration which may be considered an extra
  expense to the average PC user.
• Due to the nature of streaming video, a fast
  internet connection is needed in order to view it
  effectively.

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Technology

• Hardware configurations
• We are using a parallel port version of
  Logitechs QuickCam VC.
• The parallel port version was chosen as many
  embedded boards do not include USB
  compatibilities.
• We have isolated parts of a standard PC to create
  an affordable embedded hardware configuration
  capable of running Windows 95 as well as standard
  DOS applications. There is no need to use
  resources of a fully featured PC for this
  project.
• SCSI hard drive
• 64 MB Memory
• Pentium 133 processor / Intel chipset on standard
  motherboard
• Parallel port, mouse, keyboard (standard I/O)
• ATX power supply
• Ethernet adapter
• VGA adaptor (used for initial set-up)

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Technology

• Software utilization
• For the web based portion of the project
• A JAVA applet is used to broadcast the video to a
  web browser.
• Visual Basic Scripting (VB Script) edition within
  an ASP (Active Server Page) shell
• SQL (Standard Querying Language) is used to
  access and maintain a SQL compliant database
  residing on a Windows NT server
• HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) used for basic
  page design
• For the embedded system
• ISPY Webcam 32 software is used to perform JPG
  conversion of images and upload to http server
• C DOS application for archiving and time-stamping
  particular images based on time interval of 10
  minutes.

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Technology

• Standards specifically being ignored
• From a Hardware perspective, we have excluded
  many portions of a PC usually found. This is a
  bare bones solution where unnecessary
  functionality has been discarded as a trade off
  for cost.
• Serial ports
• Any external drives
• Speakers
• Power management
• Any peripheral device not previously mentioned
• Post start-up, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are
  NOT needed

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Team/Resources

• Personnel
• Dave Booth, Joanna Washburn
• Equipment
• Microsoft Personal Web Server Equipped
  development machine
• Logitech camera
• ISPY image software
• Locations
• ECE345 lab, s/w accessible on any connected PC
• Support and Outside Services
• CSIL (server space, retired PC components)
• ECE Stores (camera, machined parts for casing)

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Procedures
Camera
Camera
Windows based System
Windows based System
SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
Real Time/ Static Capture Time-stamping,
database insertion JPEG Conversion Server Upload
Real Time/ Static Capture Time-stamping,
database insertion JPEG Conversion Server Upload

• Two tier system
• Embedded Hardware
• Windows NT server

H/W Server Connection
H/W Server Connection
Ethernet
Ethernet
NT Server
NT Server
REQUIREMENTS
IMPLEMENTATION
REQUIREMENTS
IMPLEMENTATION
ASP Shell MS Access MS Access ODBC Drivers
ASP / SQL (Access Driver) Archive / Query
Functionality Dynamic Page Creation
ASP Shell MS Access MS Access ODBC Drivers
ASP / SQL (Access Driver) Archive / Query
Functionality Dynamic Page Creation
FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Procedures - Hardware

• Embedded PC
• Locate parts, test, find minimum system
  requirements for tasks
• Assemble in single unit with camera for easy
  mounting in ECE 345 lab
• Re-design based on test results
• Graphics component of ISPY s/w used much of
  original systems resources, etc.

FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Procedures - Software

• Embedded PC
• Configure ISPY software for networked upload
• Write/ Test/ Debug C routine for time-stamping
  and archiving images on strict time interval
• Write scheduler for Windows
• BIOS tweaking for minimal hardware boot and
  functionality

FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Procedures - Software

• Web Server (Windows NT)
• Set up development server
• Dont want to crash entire NT system
• HTML coding of static components
• ASP / VBScript development for ODBC (database
  client) and SQL querying
• MS Access database skeleton
• JAVA applet for video stream

FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Procedures - Other

• Build Encasement Structure
• Try machine shop were advised to do it
  ourselves.
• Bought parts from ECE Stores and machined them
  ourselves to attain a box including all hardware
  as well as camera and camera enclosure.

FOR MORE INFO...
Contact Dave Booth d-booth_at_uiuc.edu Joanna
Washburn jwashbur_at_uiuc.edu
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Schedule

• Week Of 2/6
• -Proposal
• -Order cameras and third party software
• -Set up development machine
• Week Of 2/13
• -Find space on NT server
• -Install / ramp on ISPY software
• Week Of 2/20
• -Design Review
• -Write JAVA applet
• Week Of 2/27
• -Test/ Debug JAVA applet
• Week Of 3/5
• -Write/ Test/ Debug HTML code
• Week Of 3/12
• SPRING BREAK
•  
•  

• Week Of 3/19
• -Set up ODBC Client with MS Access
• -Set up Access skeleton
• Week Of 3/26
• -Write/test/debug C script
• Week Of 4/2
• -Write/test/debug VB, ASP, SQL
• Week Of 4/9
• -Write/test/debug VB, ASP, SQL
• Week Of 4/16
• -Complete system testing
• Week Of 4/23
• -Build Encasement
• -Demos
• -Presentations

We kept very close to our schedule and completed
On Time!!!
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Problems/ Setbacks

• CSIL Deletes all of our progress in routine
  upgrade of lab systems
• All work on development machine lost, luckily
  still fresh in mind, and after an intense weekend
  of round the clock work, we were able to catch
  back up to schedule.
• Machine shop
• For reasons unbeknownst to us, we had to deal
  with all mechanical machining issues ourselves,
  on the advice of machine shop personnel.
  Unexpected workload.

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Problems/ Setbacks

• Functional limitations of chosen tools
• Some algorithms were not possible within
  limitations of http protocol. Creative
  re-evaluation of these designs was needed as
  situations arose.
• Time stamping in C (rolling 24 hour soln)
• Deciphering time/ day on query page
• Streaming video frame considerations (balancing
  limited functionality of hardware with image
  quality/ speed)
• These (though not specifically) were expected and
  worked through very smoothly.

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Testing Stages

• Software
• JAVA
• MS PWS (Personal Web Server) development
  environment
• Trial and error of update timing to optimize
  performance for web audience (different
  buffering, cache manipulation, and internal
  functions were used)
• C
• MS Visual Studio development environment
• Physically simulated 24 hour period to detect
  numerous errors not easily recognized in
  algorithm planning
• Ran on test machine for 24 hour periods to detect
  more logical errors

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Testing Stages

• Software
• ASP/ VB/ SQL/ ODBC
• MS PWS development environment
• Trial and error database connectivity, querying,
  string manipulation
• Creative algorithms for maintenance of
  time-stamped data with time of page creation
• Trial and error in dynamic page creation
• HTML
• MS PWS development environment
• Straightforward static page generation

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Recommendations

• For others interested in similar projects, we
  recommend
• Having a strong background in the chosen
  development languages
• Work closely with CSIL as they can provide many
  resources
• Isolate a development machine and use whatever
  means possible to instinctively mark your
  territory.
• Dont ever tell people the camera is on. Lie
  instead so they dont cover it up with something
  or point it at the ceiling when youre not there.
• As whenever dealing with software, anticipate
  logical errors and leave plenty of time for
  testing and debugging