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Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document
ARLIS Uniform Cover Page
Title:
About the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project aerial videos and
instructions for obtaining and play
SuWa 3
Author(s) – Personal:
Author(s) – Corporate:
[Alaska Energy Authority]
AEA-identified category, if specified:
2012 Habitat Videography
AEA-identified series, if specified:
Series (ARLIS-assigned report number):
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project document number 3
Existing numbers on document:
Published by:
[Anchorage, Alaska : Alaska Energy Authority, 2012]
Date published:
August 2012
Published for:
Prepared for Alaska Energy Authority
Date or date range of report:
Volume and/or Part numbers:
Final or Draft status, as indicated:
Document type:
Pagination:
3 leaves
Related work(s):
1) Susitna Watana Hydroelectric Project habitat map book
(SuWa 4)
2) [videorecordings -- not cataloged]
Pages added/changed by ARLIS:
Notes:
All reports in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document series include an ARLIS-
produced cover page and an ARLIS-assigned number for uniformity and citability. All reports
are posted online at http://www.arlis.org/resources/susitna-watana/
AERIAL VIDEOS AND INSTRUCTION FOR OBTAINING AND PLAYING
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 1 August 2012
About the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Aerial Videos
And Instructions for Obtaining and Playing
As part of the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project licensing process, Alaska Energy Authority
(AEA) shot low-altitude video of tributaries and mainstem reaches in the Middle and Upper
segments of the Susitna River. The videos are provided by AEA for technical use by Project
scientists and Licensing Participants and for use by the general public to gain a better
understanding of the Susitna River and the Project environment. These video files are public
domain and may be copied without permission.
1. OBTAINING THE AERIAL VIDEO FILES
Videos are high definition (HD) and therefore will not play by streaming over the web. Because
of their large size (39.7 GB), even downloading the files from the AEA public website would
take over 12 hours. For this reason, AEA is providing the video files on a thumb drive for users
to download to their local hard drive (internal or external). Beginning April 1, 2013, the thumb
drives can be temporarily checked out in person or by mail. To arrange to check out a thumb
drive, please contact Sara Nogg at:
Sara Nogg
Data Systems Specialist
AIDEA/AEA
907.771.3953
Sara Nogg SNogg@aidea.org
2. MEDIA PLAYER SOFTWARE
VLC Media Player is the recommended media player. Other media players will generally work
but VLC is most suitable for optimum user control and trouble free playing. VLC is a free and
open source program available from the VideoLan Organization http://www.videolan.org/vlc/.
Versions are available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and portable devices. Both an installer version
(vlc-2.0.5-win32.exe) and a Zip Package version (vlc-2.0.5-win32.zip) are available.
2.1. Installer Version
The installer version requires that the user have administrative rights to install applications. Run
the file vlc-2.0.5-win32.exe and follow the instructions. After installing VLC, the video is
playable by simply double-clicking on the file.
2.2. ZIP Version
The link above will allow you to download VLC and then you can install it using their install
wizard. If you do not have administrative rights you can choose to download the latest “Zip
Package” that allows you to run VLC from any directory you wish without installing it onto your
AERIAL VIDEOS AND INSTRUCTION FOR OBTAINING AND PLAYING
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 2 August 2012
computer http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html. Simply run the file VLC.EXE
in the folder vlc-2.0.5 after unzipping. After starting VLC, open the Media tab on the menu bar
and browse for the video file you want to play.
You may be required to get permission from your I/T department before downloading or
installing any applications. VLC is licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2.
You can find any legal information here: http://www.videolan.org/legal.html
2.3 Playing Without VLC
If your IT Department does not permit you to use VLC, you should be able to view the videos if
you have Windows 7 or better. You can also view the videos using any media player that can
read an MP4 file. The MP4 format is a widely used format for portable devices and desktops
with the latest operating systems.
In Windows, double click on the MP4 video file to open it, or you can right-click on an MP4 file
and choose “Open With” and then select one of the installed video players.
3. ABOUT THE VIDEOS
All but two of the videos were shot in an upstream direction. Two were shot in a downstream
direction because of strong sun glare when flying in an upstream direction. Speed and height-
above-ground of the helicopter varied between 15 and 45 miles per hour and 75 to 250 feet,
depending on the size of the stream and the narrowness of the stream corridor.
Narration between the videographer, narrator/navigator, and the pilot was recorded real-time
onto the videos. Note that instructions to the pilot and discussions in the cockpit refer to the left
and right side of the river from an upstream looking perspective, as opposed to the downstream
orientation adopted for the Project. The obvious reason is that it would have been far too
confusing for the pilot to follow instructions reverse to the direction of flying.
Occasionally the narrator/navigator audibly specifies the rivermile of the helicopter location or
the rivermile of a geographic feature. At the time of the video flight, rivermile maps used by the
narrator/navigator had not yet been updated to the Project Rivermile (PRM) convention adopted
for the Project. Use the Project Rivermiles displayed in the information bar in the lower left
corner of the screen. The PRM of the helicopter is displayed, whether in the mainstem, a
primary, or a secondary tributary. When in a tributary, the PRM of the tributary confluence is
held constant while the PRM location of the helicopter in the tributary is active.
4. WORKING WITH THE VIDEO AND MAPBOOK
While the videos can be used alone, using the video and the Mapbook.pdf (included on the
thumb drive) simultaneously provides an excellent means of following the path of the video on a
map. Two screens are optimal for viewing in this way, but if only one screen is available, VLC
can be set to “Always on Top” and the video image made small enough and moved to a corner to
view both the video and the Mapbook simultaneously on the same screen. Zoom in on the
Mapbook to your preference.
AERIAL VIDEOS AND INSTRUCTION FOR OBTAINING AND PLAYING
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 3 August 2012
Each tile on the Mapbook index is linked to its respective page. Hover over the tile you want to
select and double click. Note that the link goes to the first page of a set of two maps, an
orthophoto and a USGS topographic map. Note also that orthophoto resolution above Devils
Canyon is very poor above approximately 2,000 feet. Hitting “Control Home” takes you back
to the map index.
The information bar at the bottom of each video provides the Project Rivermile, latitude and
longitude, altitude of the helicopter, clock time, and video time code. Use the rivermiles to
coordinate with the Mapbook page. GPS coordinates and PRMs are based on the position of the
helicopter, not the camera view. At the camera angle most commonly used, the view in the
video is approximately 0.1 to 0.2 miles ahead of the location shown in the information panel.
For this and other reasons, spatial measurements of geographic features seen in the video must be
obtained using GIS. Altitude was obtained from the eTrex GPS unit and is accurate to
approximately 30 feet. Use “TimeCode” displayed in yellow in the information bar as the
primary video location referencing tool.
5. TIPS FOR USING VLC
VLC has several useful features and controls, many of which the user can add to the control
panel. These features are accessible from the menu bar or by right clicking on the screen. Some
include:
Always on Top
Image Capture
Jump Forward and Backward
Frame by Frame Advance
Variable Forward Speed
Jump to Specific Time