Notes and Ramblings

Gspy - a gnome security camera application

"Gspy retrieves images from a video4linux device and processes these into a daily mpeg movie on the disk drive. Each image is recorded with a time stamp to insure accurate real world correlation. Special motion detection algorithms are used to reduce the size of the daily movies by eliminating pictures with similar content as well as the normal compression obtained via the mpeg process. The result is a time lapse video per day with nonlinear time compression using only the images of interest. This program will only run on Linux machines which support a video4linux-device in 640x480 capture size. This software has been tested with the 2.4.0-test1 kernel, 2.4.0-test4 and the 2.2.16 kernel with the usb backport patch. You should have the Berkeley MPEG Tools installed if you wish to generate the MPEG files. Gspy can be used without the MPEG tools, as it will fill a directory with jpg images that can be processed or viewed at a later time. Versions from 0.1.6 include a user defined command that is executed on each alarm. This command string can include a token(s) '%f%' that will get replaced with the alarm picture filename. Typical uses would be to copy the alarm picture to a remote site using ftp or scp, email the picture to someone, play a sound annoucement... 'Step away from the keyboard!', turn on lights using a parallel port or X10 interface, or ???. Have FUN"

Hmmmm.... This could be fun to try out on the USD Access Grid Node - just to make sure no one messes with the machines when I'm not around.