MOBOTIX high definition webcams have been installed to monitor Mount Everest as par of the Everest SHARE 2011 research project.
SHARE stands for “Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment”, and a MOBOTIX camera will be used to document the weather conditions.
The public can watch real-time video through the MOBOTIX webcam monitoring the top of Mount Everest using any browser.
According to MOBOTIX, the type-M12 camera installation sets a new record -- the operation of the highest webcam in the world at temperatures reaching minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The Ev-K2-CNR scientific committee from Bergamo, Italy, installed a type-M12 MOBOTIX camera on nearby Kala Patthar (5,675 meters tall). This camera is currently recording images of the 8,848-meter tall Mount Everest. The video shows Mount Everest as well as the South Col Plateau on the right side of the image.
The image is updated every five minutes to track the movement of the clouds around the mountain’s summit. The webcam is only active during daylight hours (6:00am to 6:00pm Nepalese time).
Researchers selected Kala Patthar as the camera location because it offers an excellent view of the western side of Mount Everest, including the north and southwest faces of the mountain and the West Ridge.
The camera uses a wireless connection to transmit images to the Ev-K2-CNR Pyramid Laboratory/Observatory located at an altitude of 5,050 meters.
Here, the video is analysed and then sent to Italy for further evaluation. Researchers hope to learn more about climate change and global warming using this video.
Powered by a solar panel, the MOBOTIX camera delivers high-quality images in spite of the icy temperatures, which can reach minus 30 degrees Celsius.