Thermal imaging for waterside surveillance at dam sites

America's infrastructure is vital to everyday life, whether it be through transportation networks, energy systems, or even dam facilities. Therefore, protecting such critical infrastructure is one of the highest priorities for national security. Dams fall within one of the 18 critical infrastructure sectors mandated by the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), which is in place to protect against terrorist attacks. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate beneficial and economical surveillance and security for our nation's dams and related infrastructure. This paper presents a summary of analysis that evaluates the use of thermal imaging for surveillance and security of dams. Thermal imaging can be used for night and other low-light situations because it captures the heat of an object and transforms it into a visible image. This paper presents a discussion on the theory behind thermal imaging, a brief discussion of the components associated with the imaging devices, and an overview of the fundamentals of thermal cameras. This study is intended to be a reference tool for dam owners for employing thermal imaging technology for surveillance and security at their facilities.