2021.07.12
Live streaming of volcanic activity — Iceland
Hanwha Vision’s camera streams live to viewers worldwide images of volcanic activity near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik
«We are pleased to share with viewers worldwide the images of volcanic activity near Reykjavik through Hanwha Vision’s high-quality Wisenet cameras. It will entertain the general public and provide a valuable resource for geology students and volcanologists.»
— Hafliði Jónsson from Hafnes ehf, Hanwha Vision Europe’s authorized distributor in Iceland
♦ Challenge
Icelandic media company MBL was looking for a camera to stream live volcanic eruption via its website to a global audience in the expectation that the project can serve as an opportunity for the general public to observe volcanic activity and also a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in the field of volcanology.
Straddling the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, Iceland is a volcanic hot spot, home to more than 100 volcanoes. A long dormant volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland has flared to life since March 2021, the first eruption in the region in nearly 800 years.
A high-quality, durable camera was required to monitor volcanic activity remotely even in poor conditions, amidst the risk of an unexpected earthquake event.
♦ Solution
MBL decided to install a robust and reliable camera of Hanwha Vision. As a result, three Wisenet cameras — XNO-8082R, XNP-6120H, and PNM-9030V — manufactured by Hanwha Vision, which you might expect to see installed at airports, car parks, stadia, industrial estates or within city centers, has been deployed to monitor activity at a volcano erupting near Reykjavik, Iceland. The cameras were installed within a weather-proof housing and are powered by solar panels and wind turbines as it is a remote area with no buildings around.
The three cameras capture clear visuals, deliver a wide range of features for intelligent analysis, and withstand harsh conditions. XNO-8082R camera features up to 6-megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. PNM-9030V camera supports both 180˚ and 220˚ view modes. XNP-6120H provides 2-megapixel resolution, 12x optical zoom, and 32x digital zoom.
Moreover, the Defog feature fine tunes images covered by a volcanic fog or smog. A built-in gyroscope compensates for shakes caused by wind or vibration, providing sharp and stable images.
The Day and Night feature automatically selects the mode appropriate for light settings, switching to Color mode in daytime conditions and B/W mode in low light. With its outstanding WDR performance, the Wisenet cameras capture high-quality, clear visuals in any lighting conditions.
♦ Result
Hanwha Vision’s Wisenet cameras are proving to be more than up to the job by continuously capturing clear images of the volcanic activity despite the exposed conditions.
Close collaboration among the members of the project has allowed geology students and volcanologists as well as the public to remotely monitor live images of volcanic eruption through the Wisenet cameras.
