Recently, I came across a tender specification of which says smart thermal camera with real-time video and body temperature screening system which made me think about body temperature screening systems being sold or deployed in India.
Here is the screenshot of the tender document which outlines the specification of the “Body Temperature Screening System”
The specification number 1 and 2 makes sense as they are going to be useful for record keeping as well as any future analysis.
While all thermal cameras can detect hot spot, I am not sure what is the requirement of the connecting it to mobile or tablet while I can understand it could be connected to TV, smart or otherwise!
Specification 4 asks for power backup which is understandable again, but I wonder why should a thermal camera have 128GB of SD card built into it! While I am not aware if any thermal camera can work independently as body temperature screening system without PC based software!
Specification 6 says, provision of mobile based application! I am not sure how can a mobile process thermal camera data and generates alarms real time. Or why should one use Mobile Phone for a Body Screening devices while there are options of using industrial grade PCs or any other similar rugged equipment ?
Specification 7 Now says about CMS software ( I am assuming CMS stands for Camera Management Software) which can access multiple cameras over LAN! Well, All thermal Cameras normally have either Ethernet or USB. And any Industrial Grade Thermal Cameras will have Ethernet connectivity!
The specification 8 beats me! Why do you need a two way communication in thermal camera ? I can understand the specification 9 though!
Now this specification does not mention anything about technical specification of thermal camera or anything technical requirement for body screening! That the Thermal Camera has to be capable of temperature measurement with certain accuracy! This specification is absent altogether! While this specification must be the main technical specification for any body temperature screening system!
Assuming, this body screening device will be used for elevated body temperature detection during this COVID19 time, this technical specification should have mentioned about temperature measurement. and accuracy of measurement which should be at least -/+0.5 Degree C. Without this requirement in the thermal camera, most probably, this body screening device is not only an eyewash, but it could also put people at risk!
I think, government agencies or offices should consult thermal camera specialists or companies for required specification for elevated body temperature measurement systems.
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