"Parents Will Be Able To See Live Feeds From CCTV Cameras On The Buses On Their Mobile Phones"

I actually think it's a good idea and possible to accomplish. You send one stream up, via cellular, and then have a server to replicate / stream it to users. It may not be super high resolution nor frame rate, but it should be good enough to give parents peace of mind.

I find it hard to believe that this is the first time anyone has thought of this type of solution, as school bus surveillance and cellular technology aren't exactly new things.

The fact that I've never heard of anyone else employing this type of solution, tends to make me think that there are barriers to viability that are just not being mentioned. Also, even if it technically works at an acceptable level, can you imagine the support nightmare this set-up has the potential to provoke?

Without specifics of the plan, it's difficult to predict the outcome - but without monetizing the remote viewing by parents, where's the money coming from for support? As they mention hard costs upfront, I imagine they are not using a VSaaS-like solution, but who knows....

Are there other, similar applications utilizing this type of solution?

If so, what works - and what has proven that it does not?

Does anyone have school bus surveillance experience?

I'm not sure how Indian school busses differ from those in the US, but it seems difficult to cover the bus properly with just 2 cameras. I question if the watchers will REALLY be able to see anything, or even worse, what if they misinterpret something and end up calling out some kind of a lynch mob?

They'll still need some kind of recording system, because even if you see an event live, you're most likely going to need to go back and get the video for proof purposes.

Also, how do the parents notify and intervene if they DO happen to see something? The article wasn't very clear on what happens when a problem is spotted.

Brian - You bring up a really interesting point. In my integration days I provided several high rises in the area a solution that allowed for video of the front door (controled) to be viewed on residentional televisions throughout the complex. Fairly common and simple. However, what we found was that the people who lived there loved to watch the front door. Several had us install a television specifically for the front door. (Two TV's so they could watch Price is Right and the video feed at the same time)

The results were astonishing, in the first 6 months the problems basically vanished Any time the door was propped open a resident would come down and close it. Any one who entered that wasn't permitted often had a 911 call at the time of entry. The fact is the establishment now had a very comprehensive security team with out spending a penny.

For busses already equipped with cameas, this would seem to be a no brainer. And you would sitll have the recording.