Collective broadcasting based on geo-localized video streaming

Abstract

A method for providing streamed video data from a plurality of sources within a known geographic area includes receiving at a server, via a communication network, first video stream data captured within the known geographic area using a first user device and second video stream data captured within the known geographic area using a second user device. The first video stream data is provided from the server to a display device associated with a user for being viewed by the user. An indication that the second video stream data is available to be viewed in addition to the first video stream data is also provided, from the server to the display device, via the communication network.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving at a server, via a communication network, video stream data captured within a known geographic area using a plurality of user devices;   selecting by a user first video stream data of the video stream data, the first video stream data captured using a first user device of the plurality of user devices;   determining by the server second video stream data of the video stream data, the second video stream data captured using a second user device of the plurality of user devices and the second user device having at least one of a geographic relevance and an event relevance to the first user device;   providing from the server to a display device, via the communication network, the first video stream data for being viewed by the user via the display device; and   providing from the server to the display device, via the communication network, an indication that the second video stream data is available to be viewed in addition to the first video stream data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user devices of the plurality of user devices are provided by a plurality of different owners, and wherein each user device provides to the server location data indicative of a location of said user device during capturing of the video stream data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the known geographic area is defined by the user and wherein determining is performed based on the location data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the known geographic area is associated with an event that is of interest to the user. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first user device and the second user device are smartphones. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first video stream data is private and wherein providing the first video stream data from the server to the display device comprises authenticating the user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the second video stream data is public and is available to be viewed absent authenticating the user. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  comprising displaying advertising content in association with displaying of the second video stream data. 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising:
 receiving at a server, via a communication network, video stream data provided from each one of a plurality of user devices, the user devices other than of a same user;   defining a first event comprising video stream data provided from a first subset of the plurality of user devices, each user device of the first subset being located within a same first predetermined geographic area during providing of the respective video stream data;   defining a second event comprising video stream data provided from a second subset of the plurality of user devices, each user device of the second subset being located within a same second predetermined geographic area during providing of the respective video stream data;   receiving a request from a user for video stream data captured within one of the first predetermined geographic area and the second predetermined geographic area; and   in response to the request, performing one of:
 providing to the user at least a portion of the video stream data of the first event when the request relates to the first predetermined geographic area, and 
 providing to the user at least a portion of the video stream data of the second event when the request relates to the second predetermined geographic area. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the first predetermined geographic area and the second predetermined geographic area other than overlap one with the other. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the first predetermined geographic area and the second predetermined geographic area partially overlap one with the other and some user devices of the plurality of user devices are common to the first subset and to the second sub set. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein each user device of the plurality of user devices is spaced apart from every other user device of the plurality of user devices. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein a spacing between any two user devices of the first subset of the plurality of user devices and a spacing between any two user devices of the second subset of user devices is small relative to a spacing between any user device of the first subset of user devices and any user device of the second subset of user devices. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the first event and the second event includes video stream data that are tagged private and video stream data that are tagged public. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  comprising authenticating the user prior to providing video stream data that is tagged private. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  comprising providing to the user the video stream data that are tagged public and in association therewith providing advertising content for being displayed to the user with the video stream data that are tagged public. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 providing a plurality of video cameras, each one of the plurality of video cameras providing a video data stream to a first server via a communication network, and the plurality of video cameras other than arranged in a single group for surveillance of a single geographic area or event;   defining by a user a geographic area or event;   automatically determining a subset of video cameras less than the whole of the plurality of video cameras relating to the defined geographic area or event; and   streaming video data to the user from a first video camera of the subset while providing an indication to the user of another video camera of the subset whose video stream data is available to be viewed and is related to the known geographic area or event.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein automatically determining comprises performing video analytics on the video data stream that is provided from each video camera of the plurality of video cameras. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18  wherein performing video analytics comprises binning the video stream data from the subset of video cameras based on content relating to the defined geographic area or event that is identified within each of said binned video stream data. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 18  wherein performing video analytics comprises identifying common video elements within the video stream data captured using different video cameras having overlapping fields of view. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein automatically determining comprises identifying locations of each of the plurality of video cameras and grouping them in dependence upon their geographic locations.