Thursday, March 26, 2009

It's offiical ~ a live webcam for the Parrsboro harbour!

Of all the cool tech inventions, I think live webcams are among the best! And I can't think of a better place to put one than at a tidal harbour. There's just so much to see: tide in, tide out, tide in any stage, lighthouse, boats coming and going, ice cakes in winter, etc.

I'm on the town's Tourism Committee and we recently went after some Nova Scotia tourism funding to see if we could pull this off for the Parrsboro harbour.I'm pleased to report that we've got a deal! A live camera should be up and running within the next two weeks. It will operate year round and will 'live feed' into the town's new website.

I'll also have a live feed into this blog...er, assuming that's possible...we'll find out! I'll post again once it's set up.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Terrific idea, long overdue .... the world can see whats up in Auckland NZ or New York NY - now they / we can see whats happening in the town that matters.....Parrsboro NS. No joke BTW.

What about a camera aimed on main street - perhaps at the Co-op towards HWY #2.

Terri said...

haha yeah, I think we'll enjoy having this camera. I must remember to contact the innkeepers and get them to add it to their websites too. I'm also working on a timed tide animation of the Parrsboro harbour-just the one in the new provincial tourism TV ads.

Anonymous said...

I think that the idea is a good idea but I don't believe that its in the right spot at all.
There are many wonderful sopts in Parrsboro where a live feed camera would work out great!!
Those who work on the wharf are being invaded of their privacy.Would you like a live camera feed overlooking your work place 24/7,knowing your every move,who was at your desk,when you were coming and going,see any valuables you would have...??? Fishermen are very private with their work. Some use bait that they don't want others to know that they are using and when the catch is sold noone needs to know how many crates or a estimate of pounds that have been sold for the world to see.This might not mean anything to some people but to someone who knows what to look for this could become a serious problem!! Its almost the same idea of having your pay stub added to facebook/google...where the world can see it.
This is totally unfair to the fishermen who PAY to dock their boats at this wharf!! They should have been consulted first!!!!

Terri said...

thanks for all your comments (and concerns). Just to clarify a couple things: we did check with the harbour commission (and got approval) well before initiating the webcam idea. Also, the camera will be placed on the inside of the wharf (opposite to the side of the wharf where the fishing boats usually moor). The camera is intended to face out to the left of the wharf toward the intertidal zone so people can see the low tide. The intention is certainly not to spy on anyone (I wouldn't like that idea if I worked at the wharf either...!). Viewers will rarely see anyone in the image and they would not be recognizable because if they are walking on the beach at low tide, they will be too far away.
I actually think we would have had more privacy issues from residents if we placed the camera say, on Main St or something.
Working as I do throughout the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, I can say that possible visitors to the Bay of Fundy are actually VERY interested in looking at the tides. I know this may seem puzzling to those of us who live here but it's true!
Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Cynthia said...

Great idea, people can see what we loved seeing when we were in Parrsboro. As a kid and even now I love to sit and watch the tides. Its hard to tell people how fast they go up and down. Its better to see for your.
One of the first things we like to do when we go to Parsboro is to go to the resturant by the wharf and set by the window and see how much the tide moved during our meal. ( Fresh flounder followed by their great home made coconut cream Pie).......Cynthia