Infrared cameras
Webcam, infrared spotlight or infrared camera – which technology is best used when? Webcams are ideal by day, and infrared spotlights can make them useful even at night – but the field of view is limited to about 20–30 m. When this is not sufficient, infrared cameras can be employed.
Background
Webcams can provide useful views of hazard zones at any time of day, and if needed, they can be complemented with infrared spotlights, to provide some night time sight (limited to about 20–30 m).
In cases where this is not enough, infrared cameras that visualize temperature differences provide a valuable alternative: For instance, they make people well visible at night time or in fog (given that the air is less than 37°C). During heavy rain, dense snowfall or thick fog, the range of infrared cameras is also reduced. If people or other moving objects need to be reliably detected under all weather conditions, a people radar can be added.
Examples of infrared images:
A backcountry skier and his dog are clearly visible on the infrared image:
The motionless dots in the background are rocks that have been warmed by the sun.
On a normal camera, the same scene looks like this:
Additional technologies
Infrared cameras can be paired with any number of other technologies: