Grand Rapids Video Surveillance Camera Map

“You Are Being Watched” is a map of video surveillance cameras located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The purpose is to track the increasing usage of surveillance systems in the United States and to discover how Grand Rapids fits into the trend of increased usage of CCTV (closed-circuit television) systems.

Map

Note: As of 2014, this map is ten years old. Another group has published a newer map at http://grcameramap.noblogs.org

camera-map

Methodology

During July of 2004 Media Mouse searched downtown Grand Rapids for surveillance cameras. We only tracked outdoor cameras, and of those, we only mapped cameras in areas where one has a reasonable expectation of being able to move without being recorded by a camera, such as driving and walking on public roads and sidewalks. In order to define the “downtown area,” we used a map available on the City of Grand Rapids webs ite, although we made one alteration and ended our survey at Wealthy instead of Logan.

While we could only identify visible cameras, there is the possibility of “hidden” cameras being used in the downtown area, as they are used in many other cities. It is also worth noting that all buses operated by The Rapid have video and audio monitoring systems.

Report

The map of surveillance cameras in Grand Rapids, Michigan was published as part of a report produced by MediaMouse titled “You Are Being Watched: Surveillance Cameras in Downtown Grand Rapids.” The report includes the map as well as additional contextual information and various links for further information.

Follow Up Maps

Some time in 2005, MediaMouse began updating the initial camera map using a Google Map and overlaying camera locations. Unfortunately, this map has been lost. However, when Mediamouse.org stopped publishing in 2009, the map provided the locations of over 150 cameras. The cameras included “Dome Cameras (112 cameras), Semi-Rotational Cameras (43 cameras), Fixed Cameras (17 cameras), Web Cameras (1 cameras), and ATM Cameras (3 cameras).” This was an increase in the total number of cameras found during the initial mapping project.

Additional Resources on Mediamouse.org