[Quartus]

"March 26, 2003: FBI and other law enforcement officers, whose investigations are normally down-to-Earth, recently have been seeking the help of two NASA scientists who study the Sun and storms like hurricanes.

Why are specialists from such different worlds working together?

The NASA researchers--using their expertise and equipment for analyzing satellite video--have created a new crime-fighting software tool called VISAR. Short for Video Image Stabilization and Registration, VISAR transforms dark, jittery images captured by security systems and video cameras in police cars into clear, stable images that can reveal clues about crimes. This new technology is expected to benefit medical research and improve home entertainment, too."



Full article. (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/26mar_visar.htm?list874840)


All in the name of law and order, which is fine when you have people who love liberty running the show. However, that's not always the case...

[Schuey2002]

Big Brother just got BIGGER!!! :barf:

[hksw]

I don't know. I personally do not see a problem with this, enhancement of an unclear image. Certainly, like all tools including firearms, it can be used for good or evil. But, like guns, IMO it will be mostly of use for good. A lot of the images i've seen from store cameras, cruiser cameras, etc. filming a crime have been pretty blurry and jagged due to poor equipment and/or numerous re-writing of the tape. This tool would help clear them up. I don't see it any more intrusive than using a camera with image stabilizer like the camcorders of a few manufacturers like Sony.

[cuchulainn]

Don't get me wrong -- I do see the potential for misuse.

However, if we are not afraid of video cameras in patrol cars or security cameras in 7-11s, then I don't see it as a big deal. If I read this right, it's about enhancing systems that have been in place for years (and none of us were afraid of), not adding more surveillance.

Hey, it will make the images of DUI stops more clear in the next episode of "World's Funniest Traffic Stops."

[longeyes]

I say we install them immediately in government bureaucracies--to see if anybody's working.

What I want to know is can anyone do anything abou the "dark, jittery images" in my head?:D

[boing]

I wouldn't exactly call clearer video a threat to Liberty.

[DeltaElite]

Oh my God, now the video is clearer.
This will end our country in short order. :rolleyes:

Anything can be abused, even tinfoil hats. :neener:

[Don Gwinn]

I could have sworn this was reported several years ago.

[longeyes]

Hey, comrades, there's a cheaper, low-tech solution: Bigger and brighter lights, EVERYWHERE!

[Quartus]

Anyone noticed how many cameras are focused on our STREETS and freeways?

[DeltaElite]

Anyone noticed how many cameras are focused on our STREETS and freeways?

Yah, I have been at Big Brother Central and watched the video.
They claim they are watching traffic patterns, but I think they are looking down women's low cut blouses. :what:

The technology can definitely be abused, hopefully it won't, but I am not confident that it won't be abused in some way by someone.