Satellite cams
Not so long ago web cams were heralded as being THE way to monitor the surf conditions at your favorite break.
With this latest technology they are now appearing to be decidedly "old hat". According to last Sundays (20 Aug) Sunday Times Scientists are now offering satellite surveillance that will provide the ultimate way of checking not only your local break but any break on the planet. For less than £100 people will be able to spy on their neighbors using cameras in the sky that beam live pictures to their to their Internet screen.
The system uses up to 12 satellites orbiting Earth, it will enable subscribers to look at anything from the house next door, a terrorist training camp in Libya or your favourite surf spots ANYWHERE on the planet. The name of the system is "Observing Radar for Whole Earth Lowcost Looking", the acronym rather alarmingly being ORWELL. It operates by using Radar so it is unaffected by darkness or poor weather and has a maximum resolution of 2.5 meters.... more than enough for the average surf spot.
The potential for the system is of course almost limitless, it won't launch until 2005 so in the meantime we'll have to stick to more traditional "web cams".
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