Big Brother's Blind in China: Air pollution blocking surveillance cameras

Photo: tiverylucky/freedigitalphotos.net

Air pollution in China has become a matter of national security, according to an article in the South China Morning Post.

Apparently the smog that blankets most of the country is so heavy that on some days that it actually blinds the country's huge network of security cameras.  The problem is so substantial that the government is actually concerned terrorists may choose to strike on a bad smog day.

Existing technology, such as infrared imaging can penetrate fog and smoke to a certain extent, but China's smog pollution is so dense with particles that it blocks light like a wall.

One engineer told the paper: "According to our experience, as the visibility drops below three metres, even the best camera cannot see beyond a dozen metres."

The National Natural Science Foundation of China has funded two teams, one civilian and one military, to study the issue. The experts have been ordered to come up with a solution (ironically for the cameras not the pollution) within four years.

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