Full-colour weather images with DarkFighter

Issue 2 2022 Surveillance

Individuals, companies and entire industries make critical decisions based on the weather forecast, whether these are related to events planning, planting and harvesting schedules, logistics operations, travel bookings, or any other aspect of life or business. Additionally, monitoring and understanding changes in climatic conditions over time is critical for informing local and global ‘green’ legislation aimed at reducing the pace and impact of climate change.

To provide the detailed weather and climate data that individuals and organisations need, meteorological research and discovery company, Meteo Regione Lazio, operates 373 weather stations in Lazio, Italy. These facilities are equipped with sensors that detect various weather and environmental conditions, as well as cameras that share video images of local weather conditions with the company’s followers online.

Established in 2014, Meteo Regione Lazio constantly updates its technology infrastructure to optimise the accuracy of its weather updates and to provide the best experience for followers accessing weather data and video image feeds. As part of this strategy, the organisation wanted to equip all of its weather stations in Lazio with latest-generation CCTV cameras that could provide clear, high-definition, colour video images of the weather, even in extremely low-light conditions.

Gabriele Serafini, CEO at Meteo Regione Lazio, says, “To provide the best video images, 24 hours a day, our weather-station cameras need to be highly robust, resistant to any attempts at vandalism and able to continue functioning even during adverse weather events, such as high winds and heavy rain. When choosing new cameras, we had to make sure that all these important boxes were ticked.”

DarkFighter cameras at 373 weather stations

After an in-depth assessment of available solutions, Meteo Regione Lazio chose to deploy Hikvision DarkFighter CCTV cameras at its 373 weather stations. These cameras use large-aperture lenses to maximise natural light, supporting high-definition (8 MP), full-colour video imaging, even at night.

In line with Meteo Regione Lazio’s requirements for vandalism resistance, the Hikvision cameras are reinforced and designed to be vandal-proof. In addition to protecting the cameras from damage, the DarkFighter cameras are also water- and dust-resistant. They will continue functioning even in the worst weather, making them ideal for Meteo Regione’s weather stations.

The 373 cameras, which were sourced from local Hikvision distributor Italtec, were easy to deploy at the weather stations, with plug-and-play features for connecting to the company’s network and FTP servers, which post video images to followers online.

The cameras also allow the organisation to analyse weather conditions across the region on an ongoing basis, providing invaluable data for researchers and policy makers. “When we saw the quality of the Hikvision images, we decided to renew our camera fleet across the region to provide our followers with professional quality video content,” says Serafini.

Rugged technology for all conditions

As an additional benefit, the cameras are providing the extremely high levels of ruggedness and durability Meteo Regione Lazio needed to provide images of the weather from all its weather stations, in all conditions. “With the Hikvision cameras installed at our weather stations, we have peace of mind that our operations will not be interrupted, either by vandalism or by extreme weather events,” says Serafini. “This means we can focus 100% of our effort on our core business of collecting and analysing weather data for our followers.”


Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Safer spaces through smart surveillance
NEC XON Surveillance
Advances in facial recognition technology are transforming surveillance from a mere recording tool into an intelligent, integrated system that enhances real-time safety, moving beyond the traditional expansion of CCTV efforts.

Read more...
Next generation of AI-powered video telematics
IoT & Automation Surveillance Transport (Industry)
Webfleet, Bridgestone’s fleet management solution in South Africa, has launched Webfleet Video 2.0, an AI-powered solution designed to enhance fleet safety, security, compliance with local regulations and operational efficiency through real-time video insights.

Read more...
Key design considerations for a control room
Leaderware Editor's Choice Surveillance Training & Education
If you are designing or upgrading a control room, or even reviewing or auditing an existing control room, there are a number of design factors that one would need to consider.

Read more...
Smart cities and the role of video security
Surveillance Integrated Solutions
As cities around the world continue to embrace smart technology, including IoT that not only connects to people, but also the surrounding activity, the integration of advanced video security systems is crucial to ensure safety and efficiency in environments.

Read more...
How intrusion protection helps secure O&G operations
Surveillance Perimeter Security, Alarms & Intruder Detection Industrial (Industry)
For O&G operators in Africa, physical security remains one of the biggest considerations, particularly when it comes to perimeter protection and the ability to mitigate intruder-related incidents.

Read more...
Axis secures the Waterfront
Surveillance Entertainment and Hospitality (Industry) Retail (Industry)
Axis Communications shares insight into its longstanding partnership with the V&A Waterfront, one of Africa’s premier retail and mixed-use precincts, through its latest, updated customer success story.

Read more...
Advanced surveillance storage from ASBIS
Infrastructure Surveillance Products & Solutions
From a video storage solutions perspective, SkyHawk drives, designed for DVRs and NVRs, offer high capacity, optimised firmware, and a reliability workload rating of hundreds of terabytes per year.

Read more...
Open and collaborative logistics systems
Hikvision South Africa Surveillance Logistics (Industry) AI & Data Analytics
E-commerce and other high-volume logistics operations need open and collaborative technology ecosystems that drive efficiencies, throughput and digital transformation. Hikvision discusses the benefits of harnessing open and collaborative systems in the logistics market.

Read more...
4K HDR camera for mobility
Surveillance Transport (Industry)
e-con Systems has introduced a 4K HDR front-view camera, engineered to deliver reliable, long-range imaging for mobility applications such as delivery robots, autonomous vehicles, and off-road vehicles.

Read more...
The future of the surveillance channel
Duxbury Networking Technews Publishing Elvey Security Technologies SMART Security Solutions Surveillance
The video surveillance market has evolved from camera-based specifications to integrated solutions that solve customers’ problems. Moreover, the growth of AI and cloud has changed the channel even more, with more to come.

Read more...