What a hectic week this has been, and it is only Wednesday. As I look at the number of emails or contact form submissions I decided it might be worth posting this information once and for the benefit of everyone.
There are two main points to note:
The VisitScotland iCentre closed at 5pm on Monday 18th November
The Town Centre cameras live streams ended around the same time.
There is a cause-and-effect scenario going on here. The building has been sold.
When you sell your home or your office you move out together with your belongings and usually someone else moves in. You cease your broadband, take the meter readings and make your final payments - then it is someone else’s responsibility to have the lights turned on again when they move in.
A little history…
The live streaming of the Market Cross started as an experiment back in 2004 with the pioneering support of Shetland’s first and only local Internet Service Provider (ISP). It was from behind the glass of the upstairs window of the Tourist Office and there it has remained having had two major camera upgrades during this time – one as recently as this year and before the changes for the Tourist Office were known.
As with all IT projects they tend to evolve over time as geeks like me like to play, experiment etc. We added two additional views. One to cover the entrance to the Tourist Office as it was a vibrant and busy place. The main reason was to show people that Tourist Offices were indeed used by visitors.
They came in their thousands each year and were amazed at the quality of service, local knowledge and something called WiFi.
Back in 2004 we did not install a live stream for the view…we installed the camera to show the world that Shetland actually had ‘good’ internet connectivity at a time when very few did - only possible by thinking out the box in partnership with our local ISP – Shetland Broadband LLP.
The Public WiFi was the business case, and the live stream was bolted on to sweat the asset and to ever so politely and quietly demonstrate that Shetland was capable of this…despite its geographical location.
The second view was of the Taxi Rank – later renamed to Esplanade. It became one of our most popular live streams – the reason was simple. It showed people going about their daily business against the backdrop of the harbour and the Bressay ferry. The Lerwick “rush hour” peak of cars also resulted in a peak of viewers.
Another peak was when the Taxi Rank filled with revellers heading home and in the winter when it snowed then it helped endorse the decision to stay at home.
I guess this was the start of something that became Shetland Webcams.
Fast forward to 2024..
Tourist Office – Market Cross – Esplanade
All 3 streams went offline on Monday 18th November as the Tourist Office closed its door for the last time as a VisitScotland iCentre due to the fact they all link back to the same communications infrastructure located in the Tourist Office IT room. They will be taking their meter readings and getting ready to leave, switching off the lights as they depart.
It was ALWAYS a single point of failure - one I was fully aware of. It worked pretty well for 20 years - so don’t fix what isn’t broken. However, from Monday evening it is pretty obvious - it is broken now.
These buildings are old…with thick walls and no modern structured cabling available. The place where an internet service is delivered is rarely where it is needed and these days it is not so easy to get the installation engineer to run cable through internal walls without incurring a pretty hefty bill.
One location has ‘special’ window glass that prevents microwave signal passing through, so it has been challenging. An attempt was made to maintain service, but this was deemed not viable in the short term.
To be clear…the arrangement Shetland Webcams has is with VisitScotland. They have been extremely helpful in maintaining continuity of service for a very long time, so it is wrong to blame them for these streams going offline.
Several options have been looked at but ultimately the decision is mine as to what is economically viable. My equipment, however, needs to be removed.
We have a sponsor for the Esplanade live stream so getting a stream back online that allows them to continue to provide support is currently receiving the highest priority.
The view looking towards the Tourist Office does seem irrelevant now – it is currently closed.
The view from the original upstairs window of the Tourist Office was a favourite for people waving whilst on their phones to family and friends…for the Christmas Tree…Santa…and the Bill on Up Helly Aa Day…oh, and to check the parking spaces before heading into town. I don’t think it was the greatest of views personally…but many did.
The feedback is crystal clear though. Viewers from all over the world enjoyed them. If I can make this a commercially sustainable location, then I would want it all re-engineered from a blank canvas. Until Monday 18th November these views were a nostalgic nod to the past.
The original arrangement has come to a natural end. That chapter is now closed.
I look forward to writing the next chapter.
“Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”
