We've added an archive/rollback feature to the webcam on the Wells Harbour website. The harbour's webcam uploads an image to its website every 15 minutes via a local area
network with ADSL broadband connection. Our 'backcam' program calls in at fixed intervals to
copy and store the camera's current image, if necessary retrying several times to ensure it has a
complete and good file should there be communications problems or a timing conflict. The software
keeps the past 96-hours' worth of images immediately to hand on a rolling basis, archiving off older
images to make a complete archive.
Sample recent images from the camera...
At present, backcam images can be displayed for the past 3 days on the harbour website
just by stepping backwards and forwards through time. This works really well on this particular camera
as it's possible to see the rise and fall of the tide (and even to get a good estimate of tide times
and heights over the next day) as well as nightfall, daybreak and boat movements in and out of the quay.
We're also considering adding a user-controlled instantaneous snapshot/grab feature and discussing ways
in which we can make use of the image record, with complete access to the archive for users or perhaps
a downloadable movie sequence.
The backcam service runs automatically from our server independently of the camera and
its software for easy-of-installation, reliability and easy maintainance. This means we can add a
backcam feature to almost any conventional webcam setup with a minimum of fuss no matter what its
location or configuration.
More small business websites
10 May 2006
We've been doing more website design for local small businesses and have
just created a site for the new cafe at Burnham
Deepdale and for an award-winning luxury B&B down
the road in Thursford. Both sites benefit from a smart design, some quick digital photography and
careful key-wording of the text to help the sites show up well on search engines (such as
"B&B for thursford show" on Google).
Both sites already generate a stream of bookings and enquiries.
RHS Orchid Awards CD unlocks treasure trove
2 October 2003
Strange Software has developed a new CD-ROM for the Royal Horticultural Society which
provides easy access to a treasure trove of information about Orchids. The main database details some 13,000
Orchid varieties, with over 6000 paintings. The disc also has a unique and comprehensive index to over 100
years of The Orchid Review. Many scientific libraries and collections have complete or part sets of this
authoratitive journal but until now there was no easy key to the information it contained.
This was a classic specialist CD project, combining a demanding data set with a restricted budget.
Strange adapted our tried-and-tested card index database to the task, to economically produce a customised
front-end that is easy to learn and fast in operation. The disc autoruns without any prior setup or installation on
the vast majority of Windows PCs, helping users to get to the data with the minimum of fuss and minimising
technical support calls.
The RHS Orchids CD is available from the RHS.
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