BAM Chase Team Captures Video of Tornadoes with OnSSI's Ocularis

With several high-resolution cameras, an on-board server and OnSSI's Ocularis video management software  to simplify capture of multiple high-definition video images of tornadoes and severe weather, the BAM Chase Team’s 2003 GMC Yukon is well-equipped to take storm chasing video to new levels. In use for about a year, the system has helped to track 15 to 20 notable storms during that time, providing one of the clearest storm-related video streams online with the ability to capture multiple angles of high-resolution video of any storm or severe weather event.

Bryan Kilgore, his wife Amanda Kilgore and Michael Clark formed the BAM Chase Team to build on their interest in weather and storm spotting. The team watches computer models and data to forecast when a storm could happen and sometimes travels to multiple storms in one day, although they all have day jobs that can limit their availability. “If we see something, we chase the storms as they're developing,” said Mr. Kilgore.

In the cargo area of the team's GMC Yukon is a custom-built server rack with 3 Terabytes of storage, which serves as the center of a Power over Ethernet (PoE) network. A flat-panel monitor is also mounted in the back of the vehicle.

OnSSI's Ocularis CS software, running on the server, enables the BAM Chase Team to capture all video from six cameras at one time. Ocularis also makes it easy to retrieve video after a storm. Based on when a storm occurred, the team can use Ocularis to specify a time and see video from multiple cameras on screen at once in a quadrant view or a full view of any one camera. The product's ease of use, with features such as the Time Slicer function, simplifies finding the needed video.

“Ocularis allows us to record and manage the video, easily and quickly,” said Mr. Kilgore. “We can save a video clip from Ocularis and then package it in a zip file, send it to an FTP server or put it on our website and provide a link.” Ocularis also allows the team to export the video and distribute it to anyone, with the ability to edit it after the fact.

Four IQinVision 2-megapixel (1080p) mini-dome cameras are mounted on the Yukon’s roof to provide a combined 360-degree video view in all directions surrounding the vehicle. A fifth camera, an IQinVision 1080p camera on a tripod, is located on the vehicle's dashboard and can be positioned by the driver or front seat passenger in the direction of a storm. A sixth camera on the network is a custom-built IQinVision wireless handheld 1080p camera that enables a team member outside the vehicle to capture video. The cameras record straight to the server hard drive.

The BAM Chase Team provides a live online video stream to the Severe Studios website, and the team's videos are also sold to a variety of television stations and turned over to weather professionals at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and National Weather Service (NWS) for study. BAM Chase video has been featured on the Weather Channel, CNN, ABC, CBS and multiple local media television stations around Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Minnesota.

“Mother Nature is very unpredictable, so there's always an element of danger because you never know what a storm is going to do,” said Mr. Kilgore. “Because of the element of surprise, we try to help warn the public by giving data and alerting the NWS.” Warnings can also be more personal, such as when the BAM Chase Team warned onlookers of a storm coming on March 2, 2012 while traveling through Henryville, Indiana. “We went back to the buildings and those people were fine. We feel we're saving people's lives with what we're doing.”


 

Featured

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Nothing Artificial About this Intelligence

    I have been looking forward to this year’s GSX show in New Orleans, the Cresent City, or if you prefer The Big Easy. It seems like quite a while since we’ve been here. Twenty years ago, ASIS, as it was known then was literally washed out of the city by someone known as Katrina. It is a good thing to come back to NOLA. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.