Handy View of The Future

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Cops and federal agents might find it useful to get aerial views from a helicopter or unmanned drone on their iPhones. There’s not an app for that yet. But there will be soon, thanks to a local company.

Helinet Aviation Services LLC of Van Nuys has rolled out a technology that allows viewing of live aerial scenes from cameras on a BlackBerry or PDA. The company will soon have its technology adapted for the iPhone.

Helinet is billing the technology as a way for police officers and other law enforcement officials to view footage from helicopters and other aircraft in the palms of their hands. The company has already licensed the technology to a federal agency, though Ron Magosci, chief technology officer, wouldn’t say which one.

The technology, called HT 4sight, downloads encrypted footage from any linked airborne camera. Viewers can watch it in real time on their hand-held devices.

Magosci said HT 4sight can allow police officers to monitor standoffs or car chases from their BlackBerries and PDAs.

Theoretically, it could one day become a means for parents to keep an eye on their kids – provided they have a helicopter.

“The expensive part of this is the aircraft,” Magosci said. “I don’t think the private individual is going to have the helicopter flying around overhead, at least not your typical private individual.”

But Helinet executives said HT 4sight isn’t restricted to aerial surveillance. City engineers could use it to view intersections via traffic cameras or parents could us their iPhones to monitor their nanny cams.

“We’re pushing the aerial use because that’s what we specialize in,” said Magosci. “But we can really stream any type of video imagery.”

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