From: The Prisoner <null@void.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 19:02:49 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Last word: auto video surveillance report[long]
Message-ID: <3212CCB0.27EA@void.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I know this is pushing it as far as crypto-relevance.  I won't bring up 
the subject again. But this was too much to not pass along - there are 
some interesting insights into the mindset at work, and if I had to 
justify the cryptorelevance it would be by promoting the value of 
knowing the mind of Brother ... both Little and Big.


For those not familiar with Calif. bureaucratese: "HOV" is "High 
Occupancy Vehicle" and an "HOV Lane" is a carpool lane.
Edited doc. follows (from http://www.bts.gov/smart/cat/274.html):


                 Use of Videotape in HOV Lane Surveillance and 
Enforcement: Final Report

                                 USE OF VIDEOTAPE
                                        IN
                                     HOV LANE
                           SURVEILLANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
                                   FINAL REPORT
                                         
                  By John W. Billheimer Ken Kaylor Charles Shade
                                         
                                         
                                   Submitted to
                                         
                                State of California
                           Department of Transportation
                                         
                              under Contract 55 G710
                                         
                                         
                                       D232
                                    March 1990
                                         
                                         
               SYSTAN,INC.              in               ATD,INC.
            343 Second Street       Association   6431 Independence 
Avenue
               P.O. Box U              with      Woodland Hills, CA 
91367
           Los Altos, CA 94023



                           PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

        This report covers a six-month study designed to explore the use 
of
     vidoetape in HOV lane surveillance and enforcement.  The study is 
an
     extension of an earlier investigation of the effects of different
     enforcement strategies and engineering designs on violation rates 
on
     California's mainline HOV lanes.

        The report has been prepared in the Los Altos, California 
offices
     of SYSTAN, Inc. under Contract No. 55 G71 0 with the California
     Department of Transportation (CALTRANS).  The project was jointly
     sponsored by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).  Mr. Philip Jang,
     Chief of the HOV Systems Branch of CALTRANS Division of Traffic
     Operations served as project administrator, while Scott McGowen of
     CALTRANS acted as the project's technical monitor.
...
     SYSTAN wishes to thank all those who provided information and 
insights
     on the enforcement and operation of California's mainline HOV 
lanes,
     and acknowledges full responsibility for the analysis, 
interpretation,
     and presentation of the data they provided.

...
 
     1.1.1 Background

 ...
        It has been suggested that using video equipment to assist in 
HOV
     lane enforcement could reduce the requirements for patrol officers,
     increase citation rates, and minimize freeway disruption.  The 
current
     investigation has been designed to extend past studies of HOV lane
     enforcement by testing both the feasibility and accuracy of the use 
of
     video equipment in HOV lane surveillance.

     1.1.2 Objective

        The objective of the current study has been to demonstrate and 
test
     the use of video equipment in determining vehicle occupancy,
     documenting violator identity, and aiding enforcement of HOV lanes.
...
        Field tests showed that it is technologically possible to record
     several accurate views of vehicles traveling in mainline HOV lanes. 
     Specifications and costs of the equipment needed for videotape
     surveillance are summarized below.

        Cameras.  Best results are obtained with high speed color 
cameras
     capable of achieving exposure times of 1/1000 of a second.  A 14:1
     zoom lens is needed to focus on oncoming vehicles at distances of
     approximately 1200 feet.  Cameras placed at eye-level on the 
freeway
     itself should be small and unobtrusive.

        Auxiliary Equipment.  Two monitors with split screen capability 
are
     required in the control van.  One monitor provides an on-line 
review
     capability, while the other provides a permanent record of all 
camera
     views.  A special effects generator should be used to make the 
exact
     time and location a permanent part of the videotape record.

        Polarizing filters help to solve problems with glare from shiny
     cars and windshields, although they reduce the light-gathering
     capability of the cameras.  Infra-red cameras and light sources can 
be
     used to document license plates after dark by videotaping the rear
     license plates of departing cars.  However, it does not appear
     feasible to videotape oncoming vehicles under conditions of 
darkness
     or low visibility.  Results are not clear and the infra-red light
     source can distract oncoming drivers.
...
   1.3.3 Potential Applications

        Although it is technologically possible to record a series of
     accurate views of vehicles traveling in mainline HOV lanes, no
     combination of recorded views currently provides enough information 
to
     support prosecution for occupancy violators.  Even so, videotape
     surveillance of HOV lanes can provide useful information for a 
variety
     of other purposes.  These include:

        1. Support for on-line enforcement.  In cases where there are no
           refuge areas adjacent to mainline HOV lanes, videotape
           surveillance provides a means of alerting officers stationed
           downstream from the cameras to the presence of oncoming
           violators.

        2. Support for remote ticketing . Although videotape by itself 
does
           not appear to be accurate enough to provide a basis for
           citations, the combination of videotape and an observing 
officer
           could conceivably provide the accuracy needed for a system of
           mailed warnings and citations.  If a system of mailed 
warnings
           or citations can be installed, the officer would not have to 
pursue
           violators, and a videotape record of driver, occupancy, and
           license plate would be available for court hearings.  Such a
           system would be more cost-effective than the current system 
of
           freeway pursuit and roadside citing, and will reduce the
           congestion caused by rubbernecking.

        3. Performance Monitoring.  There are several applications in 
which
           videotape surveillance appears to provide a marked 
improvement
           over current practice.  These include:

           (a)   Freeway monitoring to document vehicle type and 
occupancy
                 over time;
		 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  ...
        The cost of videotaping HOV lane activity is more than double 
the
        cost of monitoring operations manually.  However, videotape
        provides more accurate records, a consistent data base, and a
        permanent, verifiable record of traffic activity.  It also 
provides
        information on the vehicle mix, traffic speed, and the license
        plates of carpoolers and suspected violators.


     1.3.4 Public Reaction

        In a state in which radar cannot legally be used to enforce 
speed
     laws on state freeways, videotape surveillance of HOV lanes has
     significant legislative and public relations implications.  These
     implications are beyond the scope of the current study.  However, 
two
     pieces of information related to the current study may shed some 
light
     on the potential reactions of the public and the media to the
     possibility of videotape surveillance.

  ....
      Press Coverage.  The field tests undertaken during the current
     study attracted the attention of the Los Angeles media and resulted 
in
     a limited amount of press coverage.  Articles in the Los Angeles 
Times
     and Ontario Daily Report/Progress Bulletin were both balanced and
     informative.  To the extent that these stories can be viewed as an
     indication of press and public reaction to the use of videotape in 
HOV
     lane enforcement, there was no suggestion that CALTRANS and the CHP
     would be exposed to a massive public outcry if videotape proves to 
be
     technologically and legally feasible as an enforcement tool. 
     Furthermore, it can be assumed that the articles themselves made
     potential HOV lane violators in the Los Angeles area more cautious.
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

...
        Video cameras operating in conjunction with officer observation 
may
     provide sufficient accuracy to support mail-out citations for HOV 
lane
     occupancy violations.  An officer stationed downstream from the 
video
     cameras is in a position to verify the occupancy of vehicles which
     appear suspect to observers monitoring camera output.  ...

     Moreover, the presence of an observing officer
     may remove some of the "Big Brother is watching" stigma from the 
use
     of videotape.