18 | SUCCESS STORIES www . boschsecurity . asia
MIC cameras cover the Bat Caves of Borneo ’ s Mulu National Park
In 2006 , the original “ Batcam ” project was completed against the most gruelling of installation environments possible . In 2016 , the project required a refresh with a camera that could handle the extreme conditions .
The Gunung Mulu National Park covers an area of about 544 sq . km , as big as Singapore and about half the size of the Blue Mountains National Park in NSW , Australia . Crowned a World Heritage Area by UNESCO in 2000 , this tropical rainforest is home to some of the largest documented cave systems on the planet . Operating as a national park since 1974 , Mulu obtained UNESCO world heritage status in 2000 .
Borsarmulu Park Management Sdn . Bhd is an international company , based in Sarawak , that provides complete tourism services for the industry and the Borneo Government , and manages Mulu .
The Mulu Batcam project ’ s broad requirement was to enable the capture of clear video images and sound from selected sites within the cave network to observe and monitor wildlife , and to provide real-time surveillance of the remote sites . Within this giant space , the environment is oppressive ; daytime temperatures typically hover around 300C , with humidity ranging up to 99 %.
In 2006 , CTG Security Matrix Pty
Ltd facilitated the initial installation , including the back-breaking task of cabling kilometres through the inhospitable jungle environment .
When the Batcam project required an update in 2016 , Mr Charles Tomas , Principal and Specialist Operational Security Advisor at CTG Security Matrix , was called upon once again . Having some recent experience working with the Bosch MIC cameras , he recommended them for the challenging task - to place 3 ROV cameras inside the largest cave passage in the world , to be connected and remotely controlled via a fibre optic line some 3.8 km away .
The images were also required to appear on an all-weather TV screen at the so-called Bat Observatory , situated next to Deer Cave .
An extremely robust camera was required to function in total darkness , in a remote cave set in the depths of a tropical rainforest . The cameras were to be placed in the biggest cave chamber in the world ( 175 metres wide and 120 metres high ).
Mulu is truly a wilderness , accessible only by plane or boat . All tools and equipment had to be flown in , then carted or carried to the destination , and painstakingly installed in the cave system .
The Bosch MIC cameras were the perfect choice for this harsh environment , and more than met the requirements . Park visitors , Borsarmulu Park management and scientists can now observe the bats ( as well as other creatures that dwell in the cave system ) up close without disturbing their habitat .
Borsamulu Park management and CTG Security Matrix agree that the Bosch MIC cameras are an amazing product , working in a very challenging environment .
Equipment : Bosch MIC PTZ Cameras
Security Integrator : CTG Security Matrix Pty Ltd PO Box 891 , Prospect East , SA 5082 www . ctgsecuritymatrix . com Ph : 0400 552 403