Project Info
Yacht Shots BVI are Tortola based photography business specializing in eye-catching sailing action shots. They approached us in 2008 with a unique problem and answering in kind, we provided a unique solution.
One of yachts key sales platforms are the various regattas in the BVI and they traditionally carried a couple of laptops sharing photos or attempt to manage duplicates via flash drives, etc. Unfortunately because of the size of the images, the sheer amount of data meant the system was sluggish and unruly, losing them valuable business as frustrated customers were unable to view the photos easily.
We designed a portable network, based around a miniature dual-core Windows 2003 Server (about the size of a hardback book), combined with a wireless access point to create the backbone of the new system.
We then programmed a system (PIPS – Portable Image Processing System) which:
Processed the days photos in to thumbnails, display size images and full screen images
Put the information in to a database, grouping by boat
Built HTML based photo galleries for the boats
Hosted the HTML based photo galleries as one master website, accessible by any laptop joined to the wireless
Created a folder of randomly named high resolution photos to display a random slideshow from the server via projector.
As the system generated content suitable for websites and the internet, the laptops were able to access the image galleries over the portable wireless network from the miniature server almost instantly, providing a great user experience. Customers were also able to view the images ‘by boat’ and click thumbnails to see larger versions along with the image number.
The next revision of the system will create watermarked images of the photos and will allow anyone with a laptop to view the images via the wireless network, turning any customers laptop into a potential selling tool. Customers will be able to “add” photos they like to a shopping cart and when done, send it to the Yacht Shots employees for burning to a DVD or flash drive ready to take home.
