HoistCam Director Provides Construction Managers with Upgraded Technology and Licensing Options for Jobsite Monitoring

Netarus LLC has launched HoistCam Director enterprise fleet monitoring software. HoistCam Director enables construction owners and managers to remotely monitor an entire job site via HoistCam, SiteCam and other cameras or drones. By capturing data from integrated sensors, the software provides GPS recording, geofencing, and searchable archives of recordings.

Following two years of beta testing with customers around the world, the full-scale launch of HoistCam Director includes some technology improvements and expanded licensing options for customers.

“We’re confident that HoistCam Director is robust, accessible, and reliable, enabling contractors to make better, more informed decisions,” said Chris Machut, chief technology officer for Netarus LLC. Among the upgrades are multiple camera angles, shake-resistant video, and clear line-of-sight monitoring.

“In addition, customers provided feedback that they were interested in flexible licensing options. We listened, and now offer two levels of licensing—Basic and Enterprise,” said Machut.

Providing a centralized monitoring point, HoistCam Director is more than just a one-way camera system. A fully integrated system allows construction owners and general contractors to view and manage hundreds of job sites or equipment operations, improving productivity and safety.

Among the benefits for project managers is the ability to align written assignments with current real-time visual comparisons of the job progression. They can also collaboratively manage work flow and share information within the organization or with various sub-contractors. Operations managers or CEOs can increase productivity and profits by deploying or re-deploying personnel or equipment assets based on real-time needs.

Risk managers can quickly assess operations to reduce opportunities for accidents or retrieve archived data following an accident for efficient incident investigation. In addition, certain insurance carriers may provide premium discounts to contractors who use HoistCam Director to capture critical activity on the job site.

HoistCam Director transfers video and images to a mobile digital video recorder (MDVR), which captures and stores data from up to eight HoistCam cameras. The MDVR can be configured to automatically upload to the cloud for analysis or archive.

Components and Features

• HoistCam Director includes one mobile digital video recorder (MDVR) with 4 channel video input, a Video Receiver Box (VRB) with three video inputs and one wireless receiver for HoistCam, one SiteCam with 20 ft. extension cable, and 5 Amp 12VDC power supply.
• Among the customizable alarms and interfaces are geo-fencing, Shock/G-Sensor, temperature sensor, voltage output triggers, and RS485/RS232 monitoring.
• Other system considerations include choice of cellular, Wifi or Ethernet communication, site tracker services with custom safety or logistics reports, and storage on in-house servers or HoistCam hosted servers.
• HoistCam Director is currently supported for Microsoft Windows® 7 and 8. Coming soon is support for Mac, IOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android.
• Two licensing options provide users with flexibility to customer according to the size and scope of their projects. A Basic License allows for one concurrent user and MDVR at no additional cost. An Enterprise License supports multiple concurrent users, MDVRs and remote access to recordings.

“Aside from actually witnessing a particular activity in progress, knowing when materials arrive from a supplier or when mission-critical tasks are being completed on site can greatly increase our management team’s ability to track construction progress on any given project from any location,” said Geoff Bean, virtual construction coordinator for W.M. Jordan Company, which participated in the beta testing of HoistCam Director.

HoistCam Director enables construction owners and managers to remotely monitor an entire job site via HoistCam, SiteCam and other cameras or drones. This screen shot displays the equipment in use, each crane’s geographic location, and live video feeds from the cameras on site. Up to 16 feeds can be displayed in one window.

W.M. Jordan is a regional general contractor serving Virginia and the Carolinas; the company is regularly ranked on Engineering News Record’s Top 400 Contractors list. While HoistCam Director is ideal for construction job sites, it also has application in heavy industry and manufacturing where overhead cranes are used or in maritime logistics operations.