How to Get Involved

If your school is interested in hosting a camera, or just willing to share some time accessing the results of the camera for a period of time so that you can fulfil your Space Science part of the curriculum, you should contact Dr James Whitehead, at St Thomas University: jamesw@stu.ca and 452-0610.

Option A. Hosting a Camera

If you want to host a camera at your school you will need to be able to support the following hardware/installation costs. There are currently no more funds in the original APEGNB outreach grant to facilitate installation. However, if further outreach funds become available, we will announce it here. Keep checking back!

Here are some guidelines of what you will need:

1. A flat roof or gable end of a building upon which the camera will be attached. If on a flat roof, we can attach the camera to a plaform that will be weighted down with sand bags/rocks so that no drilling through roof sheathing is required (school custodians will be appreciative of this!). The site should be relatively dark, away from lots of light pollution.
2. There needs to be nearby power for the camera, or the capability to get power to the roof via an extension cord. Permission will be required by your school custodian to drill any holes to feed this wire if there is no outside power socket. You will have to supply the power extension cord.
3. There needs to be a way to get a coaxial cable from the camera to the computer inside (is a hole required in a wall, or can you run it through existing conduit or through a partially opened window?
4. We will try to supply a computer, if you cannot, though currently this is not guaranteed. The computer needs to be at least a 350MHz Pentium II, with an ethernet card. We will supply the necessary video card.
5. Your school will have to supply the power cord and coaxial cable in whatever length is required. You need therefore, to have an idea of how great a distance there is between the camera's tentative position and the computer that will run it.

We will supply: The camera system, VNC connectors for your coaxial cables, power unit for the camera, computer video card, installation assistance and remote support. Possibly supplied by us: dedicated computer and external hard drive. All deployed equipment remains the property of AllSky.ca and the Atlantic AllSky Camera system.

Option B: Accessing a Camera remotely

Accessing the camera for a short period of time to engage students in dealing with real data and distinguishing real results from lightening, insects or birds etc, can be an experience in itself. Together with the Worksheets we have provided, this should be a useful exercise.

It is possible to give access to a remote camera for a period of time, say two weeks, or a month. If a longer period is requested, students can be arranged into groups to take responsibility for assessing the data over different time intervals. Contact the programme Director (see the contact info at the top of the page) with preferred date range and we'll try and arrange access to a remote camera.