Webcams

Webcam - a small camera connected to the internet providing a new still image from once every few minutes to several frames a second.

Since small digital cameras with a resolution of about 320 by 240 have become readily and cheaply available, an increasing number are appearing on the web. We seem to have an insatiable fascination for what other people are doing, and so many of these cameras are in people's homes showing them doing, well, not a lot, much of the time! (It amazes me that so many people have such an exhibitionist streak in them that they would want the world to see them - lounging around watching the telly!)

Other cameras, however, are showing the outside world - to the outside world! Many of these can be found showing busy street corners in various cities around the world. BBC Television in London have two broadcast quality cameras on the roofs of Television Centre and Marylebone High Street (where they produce the local London area news). The MHS camera often shows that famous London landmark, the British Telecom Tower - tune in at the right time and you will see their weather presenter, in-shot! (Sadly only Peter Cockroft, not one of the gorgeous girlies!) Half-size images available on their web site:


View from Marylebone High Street	View from Television Centre

The BBC's web site has a list of their other webcams - both roof weather cameras, and some showing inside studios. They also have links to a lot of road cameras, mainly in London, the actual cameras of which are used to show traffic jams in their Breakfast programme.

Here is a selection (at reduced size) - click on any image to show a full-sized picture in a separate window.


Parliament with Big Ben	Trafalgar Square	Kew Gardens Palm House

Chalker's Corner	Richmond Roundabout	Twickenham Bridge

Elephant & Castle	Hyde Park Corner	Paddington Slip (A40M)
Full unindexed list at http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/jamcams/cctv/

Newcastle	Norwich	Plymouth
Full unindexed list at http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/webcams/live/

The ABC television network in the USA also has lots of webcams available from across the continent. The San Francisco Channel 7 News station KGO-TV' has an index of really nice webcams


View from the roof of the ABC-7 News building, often showing the Transamerica Pyramid

View of the Bay bridge from the west (San Francisco) side of the bay

View from the roof of the ABC-7 News building, often showing the Transamerica Pyramid

The East Bay camera showing the Oakland to San Francisco Bay Bridge, Emeryville or Berkeley	Lake Tahoe cam

Finally, stretching the definition of webcam a little, but fully justified as a weather camera, pictures from weather satellites are available. The Met ("Meteorological") Office's web site in England has images from a number of satellites (listed on this index page). A recent infra-red image covering Europe (with superimposed grid line and country outlines) is here, and a current visible light image is also available.

Several other sites can be found that have selections of these satellite images, or links to other sites. Amongst those I found are: