Display control device, display control method, and computer program

Abstract

To expand a coverage range of a monitoring system that monitors a monitoring area.SOLUTION: A first icon representing a position of the first imaging means and a second icon representing an orientation of the first imaging means are displayed on a map on the basis of information acquired from first imaging means, a third icon representing the position of second imaging means and a fourth icon representing the orientation of the second imaging means are displayed on a map on the basis of information acquired from second imaging means, a fifth icon representing the position of third imaging means and a sixth icon representing the orientation of the third imaging means are displayed on a map on the basis of information acquired from third imaging means having a more limited imaging range than that of the first imaging means and the second imaging means, the first icon and the third icon are displayed in the same manner, and the first icon and the fifth icon are displayed in different manners.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveillance system, and more particularly to a surveillance system having fixed and temporary cameras. [Background technology]

[0002] Surveillance systems, such as video surveillance systems, have been used in some areas for routine surveillance and incident detection, with the intention of capturing abnormal events such as acts of terrorism, riots, thefts, fights, fires, and car accidents.

[0003] However, in some situations, fixed cameras cannot capture unusual events within their surveillance areas due to blind spots, cost constraints, and privacy concerns, so security personnel at the command center cannot see what is happening in areas not covered by any fixed cameras.

[0004] Therefore, what is needed is an improved surveillance system that extends the coverage of fixed cameras and captures abnormal events within the monitored area so that such events can be better understood. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect of the present invention, a surveillance system is disclosed that includes a fixed camera, one or more temporary cameras, and a control means connected to the fixed camera and the one or more temporary cameras. The control means is configured to extend the coverage area of ​​the fixed camera using the one or more temporary cameras connected to the fixed camera. Each of the one or more temporary cameras includes one or more sensors, and is configured to adjust its position based on sensor data acquired from the one or more sensors of the one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed camera.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method is disclosed for monitoring one or more areas of interest using a fixed camera and one or more temporary cameras and a control means connected to the fixed camera and the one or more temporary cameras. The method includes acquiring sensor data from one or more sensors of the one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed cameras. The method also includes adjusting the position of each of the one or more temporary cameras based on the acquired sensor data to extend coverage of the fixed cameras using the one or more temporary cameras.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing a computer to execute a method for monitoring one or more areas of interest using a fixed camera and one or more temporary cameras and a control means connected to the fixed camera and the one or more temporary cameras, the method including acquiring sensor data from one or more sensors of the one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed cameras, and adjusting the position of each of the one or more temporary cameras based on the acquired sensor data to extend coverage of the fixed cameras using the one or more temporary cameras. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the different views, and which, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated into and form a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments and serve to explain various principles and advantages associated with the present embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 1] This shows an incident captured by a fixed camera in a conventional surveillance system.

[0010] [Figure 2] 10 shows an example of coverage areas of fixed cameras and temporary cameras according to this embodiment.

[0011] [Figure 3] 1 shows an example of connection between a fixed camera and a temporary camera according to this embodiment.

[0012] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a system according to an embodiment.

[0013] [Figure 5] 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a system according to an embodiment;

[0014] [Figure 6] 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a system according to an embodiment;

[0015] [Figure 7] 1 shows a block diagram of Example 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0016] [Figure 8] 10 shows a block diagram of Example 2 according to the present embodiment.

[0017] [Figure 9] 10 shows a block diagram of Example 3 according to the present embodiment.

[0018] [Figure 10] 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method according to the present invention;

[0019] [Figure 11] 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of a method according to the present invention;

[0020] [Figure 12] 1 illustrates a computer system that implements a method for monitoring incident-related data according to an embodiment.

[0021] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the size of some of the elements in the visualized simulations or steps in the flowcharts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help better understand the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or its applications and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by the preceding background of the invention or the theory presented in the following detailed description. The present embodiments are intended to present an improved method for monitoring incident-related data.

[0023] 1 shows an incident captured by a fixed camera in a conventional surveillance system. As shown in FIG. 1, the field of view (FOV) 106 of the fixed camera 102 in the conventional surveillance system is limited and is unable to capture the entire scene 110 of the incident 108. In a conventional surveillance system with a fixed camera 102, only limited information 104 is available to security personnel in a command center. Therefore, it is difficult to understand an incident 108 that is not completely captured in the field of view 106 of the fixed camera 102.

[0024] To improve upon traditional surveillance systems with fixed cameras, according to this embodiment, temporary cameras are deployed in locations outside the coverage area of ​​the fixed cameras where crime is increasing or where major events are planned. This is very important because commanders at the command center need to know what actually happened on the scene if an incident is not captured by the fixed cameras. The newly deployed temporary cameras connect and register themselves to the current network so that footage can be shared and commanders can know where the temporary cameras are located.

[0025] 2 shows an example of coverage areas of fixed and temporary cameras according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition to fixed camera 202, four temporary cameras 208, 212, 216, and 220 are placed outside fixed camera coverage area 206. As a result, the four temporary cameras 208, 212, 216, and 220 enable the surveillance system to cover FOVs 210, 214, 218, and 222.

[0026] 3, newly placed temporary cameras 308, 312, 316, and 320 are connected to existing fixed camera 302, for example, via a data relay ad hoc network 324. Data relay ad hoc network 324 gives the surveillance system flexibility in terms of the placement of temporary cameras 308, 312, 316, and 320. Data acquired from temporary cameras 308, 312, 316, and 320 is sent to fixed camera 302 and then forwarded to command and control center 326.

[0027] Figure 4 shows an example architecture of the system according to this embodiment. Regarding the registration process, each camera automatically registers its location to the system. Some important information, such as location information and FOV information, is shared within the system.

[0028] 4, a Camera Management Client (CMC) 416 in temporary camera 402 collects sensor data such as position data and orientation data from sensors in temporary camera 402, such as a GPS receiver 410, a gyroscope 412, and an acceleration sensor 414, and transmits the collected sensor data, along with surveillance camera images captured by camera 408 of temporary camera 402, to control means 406 via network 404. Similarly, CMC 446 in fixed camera 448 transmits sensor data collected from sensors 440, 442, and 444, along with surveillance camera images captured by camera 438 of fixed camera 448, to control means 406 via network 404. Additionally, temporary camera 402 may include a microphone for capturing audio data.

[0029] A camera management server (CMS) 418 in the control means 406 receives data from the CMCs 416 and 446 and registers the data from the CMCs 416 and 446 in the control means 406. The CMS 418 sends adjustment data 432, such as the latitude and longitude of the temporary camera 402 and fixed camera 448, to a camera position database 422, which then transfers the data to an FOV estimator 420. The CMS 418 also sends orientation data 430, including the horizontal direction 434 and vertical direction of the temporary camera 402 and fixed camera 448, to the FOV estimator 420. The FOV estimator 420 estimates the FOV of the cameras 402 and 448 based on the horizontal direction 434 estimated by the gyroscopes 412 and 442 and the distance 436 estimated from the depression angle (vertical direction) by the acceleration sensors 414 and 444. Furthermore, a compass is used to determine the north direction. The compass is used to determine the camera's orientation.

[0030] Based on the estimated FOV, the situation processing device 424 calculates the area not captured by the estimated FOV (blind spot). Based on the blind spot calculated by the situation processing device 424, the attitude adjustment device 426 sends feedback to all or some of the cameras 402, 448 via the network 404 to adjust the position and / or orientation of the cameras to cover the blind spot. After the position and / or orientation are adjusted, the estimated FOV is sent to the application 428 for the security commander.

[0031] 5 shows an exemplary block diagram of a system 500 according to this embodiment. In this configuration, the system 500 continuously receives sensor data via sensor data receivers 502, 504 and estimates the FOV to be displayed on a map. In a first step, the position sensor receiver 502 receives calibration data from a position sensor module, such as a GPS receiver. In addition, the attitude sensor receiver 504 receives data from an attitude sensor, such as a gyroscope, accelerometer, or compass. In a second step, the FOV estimator 506 uses the sensor data to estimate the FOV. In a third step, the FOV estimator 506 sends the estimated FOV to an application 508 for displaying the information on a map or providing the information in another format.

[0032] FIG. 6 shows an example block diagram of a system 600 according to this embodiment. In this configuration, a camera management client (CMC) 610 collects sensor data via sensor data receivers 602 and 604 during a registration process, and a camera management server (CMS) 612 analyzes the sensor data. In a first step, the position sensor receiver 602 receives position data from the position sensor module, and the orientation sensor receiver 604 receives data from the orientation sensor module. In a second step, the CMC 610 receives data from all sensor data receivers 602 and 604 and sends the sensor data to the CMS 612. In a third step, the CMS 612 sends the orientation data to the FOV estimation module 606, which uses the data to estimate the FOV. In a fourth step, the CMS 612 stores the position data and estimated FOV in a camera position database 614. In a fifth step, the camera position database 614 sends the position and FOV data to a situation processing module 616 for parameter calculations to identify both camera coverage and non-coverage areas. In a sixth step, the pose control module 618 adjusts the pose of the temporary camera to point the temporary camera toward the region of interest based on the estimated FOV data from the database 614. In a seventh step, the pose control module 618 sends the position and FOV data to the application 608 to indicate the camera position, region of interest, and FOV and to play back real-time video.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of Example 1 according to this embodiment. In a first step, a position sensor receiver 706 receives position data from a GPS sensor module. Also, attitude sensor receivers 702 and 704 receive compass data and acceleration data from compass and acceleration sensors. In a second step, an FOV estimation module 708 estimates the FOV by estimating the camera direction 712 using the compass data as shown in a top view 718, the depression angle using the acceleration data as shown in a side view 720, and the distance 714 using the depression angle and the typical height of the camera installation. Then, the geolocation 716 of the camera on a map 722 can be estimated from the position data 724. In a third step, the estimated FOV is sent to an application 710 to indicate the camera position, FOV, and play real-time video.

[0034] 8 shows a block diagram of Example 2 according to this embodiment. In a first step, the position sensor receiver 806 receives calibration data from the GPS sensor module. Also, the attitude sensor receivers 802 and 804 receive compass data and acceleration data from the compass and acceleration sensors. In a second step, the camera management clients (CMCs) 812 and 814 receive the calibration data, compass data, and acceleration data from the GPS receiver module 806, the compass data receiver module 804, and the acceleration data receiver module 802, and then send these data to the camera management server (CMS) 816.

[0035] In a third step, the camera management server (CMS) 816 sends multiple pieces of compass and acceleration data from each camera management client (CMC) 812, 814 to the FOV estimation module 808 so that the FOV estimation module 808 can estimate the FOV for each camera by using the compass data to estimate the camera's orientation, the acceleration data to estimate the depression angle, and the depression angle together with the typical height of the camera installation to estimate the distance, and return the results to the CMS 816.

[0036] In a fourth step, the camera management server (CMS) 816 sends each camera's ID, geolocation adjustment, estimated direction data, and estimated distance data to the camera location database 818. In a fifth step, the camera location database 818 sends each camera's geolocation and FOV information along with an ID (Identification) number to the situation processing module 820 to calculate angular, spatial, and positional parameters to identify both covered and uncovered areas. In a sixth step, the attitude control module 822 adjusts the horizontal rotation angle using a 3-axis gyroscope, adjusts the vertical rotation angle using a 3-axis accelerometer, and controls the height of the temporary camera using pressure and altitude sensor data to orient the temporary camera toward the area of ​​interest. In a seventh step, the attitude control module 822 sends each camera's geolocation and FOV information along with an ID number to the application 810 to indicate the camera's position and FOV and play back real-time footage.

[0037] 9 shows a block diagram of Example 3 according to this embodiment. In Example 3, the system 900 uses precise height information from a height data receiver module 934 instead of the preset height information used in Examples 1 and 2. The precise height information is useful for improving the accuracy of FOV estimation.

[0038] In a first step, the position sensor receiver 906 receives position data from the GPS sensor module, and the acceleration data receiver module 902, compass data receiver module 904, and height data receiver module 934 receive compass data, acceleration data, and height information from the compass sensor, acceleration sensor, and height sensor. In a second step, the camera management clients (CMCs) 912, 914 receive the calibration data, compass data, acceleration data, and height data from the GPS receiver module 906, compass data receiver module 904, acceleration data receiver module 902, and height data receiver module 934, respectively, and then transmit these data to the camera management server (CMS) 916. In a third step, the camera management server (CMS) 916 sends multiple pieces of compass, acceleration and height data from each of the camera management clients (CMC) 912, 914 to the FOV estimation module 908 so that the FOV estimation module 908 can estimate the FOV of the cameras 924, 926, 928, 930 and 932 by estimating the camera orientation using the compass data, the depression angle using the acceleration data, and the distance using the depression angle together with the precise detected height of the camera installation, and return the results to the CMS 916.

[0039] In a fourth step, the camera management server (CMS) 916 stores each camera's ID, geolocation adjustment, and estimated directional distance and height data in a camera location database 918. In a fifth step, the camera location database 918 sends each camera's geolocation, FOV information, and height along with its ID number to a situation processing module 920 to calculate angular, spatial, and position parameters to identify both covered and uncovered areas by the camera.

[0040] In a sixth step, the attitude control module 922 adjusts the horizontal rotation angle using the 3-axis gyroscope, the vertical rotation angle using the 3-axis accelerometer, and controls the height of the temporary camera using the pressure and altitude sensor data to control the direction of the temporary camera toward the area of ​​interest. In a seventh step, the attitude control module 922 sends the geolocation information and FOV information of each camera together with the ID number to the application 910 to indicate the position and FOV of the cameras 924, 926, 928, 930, and 932 and play back the real-time video of the cameras.

[0041] Examples 4 and 5 are based on Examples 1, 2, and 3. The difference lies in the applications 710, 810, and 910. In Example 4, the applications 710, 810, and 910 can reside in a command and control center and display the location of one specific or multiple temporary cameras along with the camera's real-time footage, ID, and monitored area. The applications can issue alerts if they detect any unusual events.

[0042] In Example 5, the application 710, 810, 910 may be a mobile application, including for a moving vehicle or for a smartphone, that displays the location of one specific or multiple temporary cameras along with the camera's real-time footage, ID and monitoring area, and can generate an alert if an unusual incident is detected.

[0043] 10 shows an example flowchart 1000 of a method according to this embodiment. As shown in step 1002, sensor data is acquired from one or more sensors of one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed cameras. Then, as shown in step 1004, the one or more temporary cameras are each adjusted based on the acquired sensor data to extend the coverage area of ​​the fixed cameras using the one or more temporary cameras.

[0044] 11 shows an example flowchart 1100 of a method according to this embodiment. Sensor data is acquired from one or more sensors of one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed cameras (step 1102). The field of view (FOV) of each of the fixed cameras and the one or more temporary cameras is then estimated based on the alignment data, horizontal data, vertical data, and elevation information by an FOV estimator of the control means (step 1104). One or more regions within the region of interest that are not covered by the estimated FOV of each of the fixed cameras and the one or more temporary cameras are then determined by a situation processor of the control means (step 1106). Then, the horizontal and / or vertical rotation angles and / or heights of the one or more temporary cameras are adjusted by one or more actuators of each of the temporary cameras using gyroscopes and / or accelerometers and / or altitude sensors to cover some or all of one or more areas within the area of ​​interest that are determined by the situation processing device to be not covered by the estimated FOV of each of the one or more temporary cameras (step 1108).

[0045] In accordance with this embodiment, one or more temporary cameras are repositioned according to alignment data, horizontal data, vertical data, and height information obtained from one or more sensors of the one or more temporary cameras and one or more fixed camera sensors co-located with the fixed cameras.

[0046] In one example, a command and control center can send commands to on-site security personnel to reposition temporary cameras by moving them to additional locations or raising or lowering them to better capture an area of ​​interest.

[0047] Temporary cameras may be mounted on tripods, high or low, or temporarily attached. Temporary cameras may be flexibly relocated with or without human intervention. If the area of ​​interest expands or moves due to additional incidents, some of the temporary cameras may be relocated and / or new temporary cameras may be deployed to capture the expanded or moved area of ​​interest. An ad-hoc network may also be established for relocated or newly deployed temporary cameras, and data from the temporary cameras may be transmitted to a command and control center via the ad-hoc network.

[0048] According to this embodiment, in order to make the current surveillance system flexible and robust and enhance the coverage area of ​​limited fixed cameras, temporary cameras play a supporting role compared to fixed cameras, especially in blind spots or areas where crimes are expected, and are very effective and efficient to deploy in areas without network infrastructure, reducing the time and effort required for manual configuration.

[0049] In accordance with this embodiment, a camera management client (CMC) module integrated into the temporary camera communicates with a camera management server (CMS) installed in a command and control center to automatically recognize and register the temporary camera, as well as process and adjust its attitude. This allows not only a single temporary camera to support a fixed camera, but also allows multiple temporary cameras to communicate over a network and self-register in a self-managed manner, and includes remote control functions for calculating areas of interest, process the situation, and adjust its attitude.

[0050] The described exemplary embodiment methods and systems can be implemented on a computer system 1200, shown generally in Figure 12. They can be implemented as software, such as a computer program, that runs within the computer system 1200 and directs the computer system 1200 to perform the exemplary embodiment methods.

[0051] In some portions of the description that follows, the description is explicitly or implicitly in terms of algorithms and functional or symbolic representations of data operations within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and functional or symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical operations on physical quantities, such as electrical, magnetic or optical signals, capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated.

[0052] Unless otherwise indicated, and as will become clear hereinafter, throughout this specification, discussions of terms such as "scanning," "calculating," "determining," "replacing," "generating," "initializing," "outputting," or similar terms will be understood to refer to operations and processes of a computer system or similar electronic device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical quantities within the computer system into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system or other information storage, transmission, or display device.

[0053] This specification also discloses apparatus for performing the method operations. Such apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or may comprise a general-purpose computer or other device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose machines may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein. Alternatively, it may prove appropriate to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The structure of a conventional general-purpose computer will appear in the description below.

[0054] In addition, this specification also implicitly discloses a computer program, in which it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the individual steps of the methods described herein can be implemented by computer code. The computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular programming language and its implementation. It will be understood that a variety of programming languages ​​and codings thereof can be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure contained herein. Furthermore, the computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular control flow. There may be many other variations of the computer program that use different control flows without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0055] Furthermore, one or more steps of a computer program may be executed in parallel rather than sequentially. Such a computer program may be stored on any computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media may include storage devices such as magnetic or optical disks, memory chips, or other storage devices suitable for interfacing with a general-purpose computer. Computer-readable media may also include wired media, as exemplified by the Internet system, or wireless media, as exemplified by the GSM mobile phone system. When the computer program is loaded and effectively executed on such a general-purpose computer, it becomes an apparatus for performing the steps of a suitable method.

[0056] The computer system 1200 includes a computer module 1202 , input modules such as a keyboard 1204 and a mouse 1206 , and a number of output devices such as a display 1208 and a printer 1210 .

[0057] The computer module 1202 is connected via suitable transceiver devices 1214 to a computer network 1212, allowing access to, for example, the Internet or other network systems such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).

[0058] The computer module 1202 in the example includes a processing unit 1218, a random access memory (RAM) 1220, and a read only memory (ROM) 1222. The computer module 1202 also includes a number of input / output (I / O) interfaces, for example an I / O interface 1224 to the display 1208 and an I / O interface 1226 to the keyboard 1204.

[0059] The components of the computer module 1202 typically communicate via an interconnected bus 1228 in a manner known to those skilled in the relevant art.

[0060] The application program is typically provided to a user of the computer system 1200 encoded on a data storage medium such as a CD-ROM or flash memory carrier and is read using a drive corresponding to the data storage medium in the data storage device 1230. During execution, the application program is read and controlled by the processing unit 1218. Intermediate storage of program data can be provided using the RAM 1220.

[0061] While exemplary embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be understood that numerous variations exist. For example, those skilled in the art will recognize from the teachings herein that the present technology can be applied to any portion of other types of chemical sensors.

[0062] The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and are in no way intended to limit the scope, applicability, operation, or configuration of the present invention. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that various changes can be made in the function, arrangement of elements, and method of operation described in the illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. This application claims the benefit of priority from Singapore Patent Application No. 10201505251X, filed on July 2, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 Incidents captured by conventional fixed cameras 102 Fixed Camera 104 Incidents Captured on Fixed Cameras 106 Fixed Camera Field of View 108 Location of the incident 110 The whole incident Coverage area of ​​200 fixed cameras and 4 temporary cameras 202 Fixed Camera 206 Fixed Camera Field of View 208 Temporary Camera 1 210 Temporary Camera 1's Field of View 212 Temporary Camera 2 214 Temporary Camera 2's Field of View 216 Temporary Camera 3 218 Temporary Camera 3's Field of View 220 Temporary Camera 4 222 Field of view of temporary camera 4 300 fixed cameras and four temporary cameras connected 302 Fixed Camera 308 Temporary Camera 1 312 Temporary Camera 2 316 Temporary Camera 3 320 Temporary Camera 4 324 Ad-hoc Network for Data Relay Link to 326 Command and Control Center 400 System Architecture 402 Temporary Camera 404 Network 406 Control Measures 408 Camera 410 GPS receiver 412 Gyroscope 414 Accelerometer 416 Camera Management Client 418 Camera Management Server 420 FOV Estimator 422 Camera Location Database 424 Situation Processing Device 426 Posture adjustment device 428 Applications 430 horizontal and vertical data 432 Adjustment Data 434 Horizontal 436 distance 438 Camera 440 GPS receiver 442 Gyroscope 444 Accelerometer 446 Camera Management Client 448 Fixed Camera 500 Systems 502 Position Sensor Receiver 504 Attitude Sensor Receiver 506 FOV estimator 508 Application 600 System 602 Position Sensor Receiver 604 Attitude Sensor Receiver 606 FOV estimator 608 Applications 610 Camera Management Client 612 Camera Management Server 614 Camera Position Database 616 Situation Processing Module 618 Attitude Control Device 700 Example Block Diagram of an Embodiment 702 Acceleration Data Receiver 704 Compass Data Receiver 706 GPS Data Receiver 708 FOV estimator 710 Applications 712 directions 714 distance 716 Geolocation information 718 Top view 720 Side View 722 Map 724 longitude, latitude 800 Example Block Diagram of an Embodiment 802 Acceleration Data Receiver 804 Directional Data Receiver 806 GPS data receiver 808 FOV Estimator 810 Application 812 Camera Management Client #1 814 Camera Management Client #N 816 Camera Management Server 818 Camera Location Database 820 Situation Handling 822 Attitude Control 824 Fixed Camera 826 Temporary Camera 1 828 Temporary Camera 2 830 Temporary Camera 3 832 Temporary Camera 4 900 System 902 Acceleration Data Receiver 904 Directional Data Receiver 906 GPS Data Receiver 908 FOV estimator 910 Application 912 Camera Management Client #1 914 Camera Management Client #N 916 Camera Management Server 918 Camera Location Database 920 Situation Handling 922 Attitude Control 924 Fixed Camera 926 Temporary Camera 1 928 Temporary Camera 2 930 Temporary Camera 3 932 Temporary Camera 4 934 Height Data Receiver Module 1000 Flowchart according to an embodiment 1002 Acquire sensor data from a sensor co-located with the camera 1004 Adjust the temporary camera based on the acquired sensor data 1100 Flowchart according to the embodiment 1102 Get sensor data 1104 Estimate the FOV of each camera 1106 Determine areas not covered by the estimated FOV of the camera 1108 Adjust the temporary camera 1200 Computer System 1202 Computer Module 1204 keyboard 1206 Mouse 1208 Display 1210 Printer 1212 Computer Network 1214 Suitable transmitting and receiving equipment 1218 Processing equipment 1220 Random Access Memory (RAM) 1222 Read-Only Memory (ROM) I / O interface to 1224 display 1226 I / O interface to keyboard 1228 Interconnect Bus 1230 Data Storage Device

Claims

1. a process of displaying on a map a first icon representing a position of the first photographing means and a second icon representing a direction of the first photographing means based on information acquired from the first photographing means; a process of displaying a third icon representing a position of the second photographing means and a fourth icon representing a direction of the second photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the second photographing means; a process of displaying a fifth icon representing the position of the third photographing means and a sixth icon representing the orientation of the third photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the first photographing means and a third photographing means having a more limited photographable range than the second photographing means; A process of displaying the first icon and the third icon in the same manner; A process of displaying the first icon and the fifth icon in different modes; A computer program that causes a computer to execute the following:

2. The above aspects include size.

2. The computer program product of claim 1.

3. The process of displaying the first icon and the fifth icon in different modes includes a process of displaying the fifth icon smaller than the first icon.

3. A computer program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. By computer, displaying a first icon representing the position of the first photographing means and a second icon representing the orientation of the first photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the first photographing means; displaying a third icon representing the position of the second photographing means and a fourth icon representing the orientation of the second photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the second photographing means; displaying a fifth icon representing the position of the third photographing means and a sixth icon representing the orientation of the third photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the first photographing means and a third photographing means having a more limited photographable range than the second photographing means; Displaying the first icon and the third icon in the same manner; The first icon and the fifth icon are displayed in different modes. Display control method.

5. The above aspects include size. The display control method according to claim 4.

6. By displaying the fifth icon smaller than the first icon, the first icon and the fifth icon have different appearances. The display control method according to claim 4 or 5.

7. displaying a first icon representing the position of the first photographing means and a second icon representing the orientation of the first photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the first photographing means; displaying a third icon representing the position of the second photographing means and a fourth icon representing the orientation of the second photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the second photographing means; displaying a fifth icon representing the position of the third photographing means and a sixth icon representing the orientation of the third photographing means on a map based on information acquired from the first photographing means and a third photographing means having a more limited photographable range than the second photographing means; Displaying the first icon and the third icon in the same manner; The first icon and the fifth icon are displayed in different modes. Display control device.

8. The above aspects include size. The display control device according to claim 7.

9. By displaying the fifth icon smaller than the first icon, the first icon and the fifth icon have different appearances. The display control device according to claim 7 or 8.

Images