For the novel by Philip K. Dick, see Eye in the Sky (book). For the recording by The Alan Parsons Project, see their album Eye in the Sky.

The eye in the sky is a term given to casino and other commercial security closed circuit cameras. In casinos, they are positioned to monitor seats, tables, hallways, restaurants, and even elevators closely, often accurate enough to read the time on the watch of a player at a table. They are also known as a Pan Tilt Zoom camera, or a PTZ, an industry standard term.

The camera is covered by a semitransparent plastic globe which makes it impossible to see the direction the camera is facing from a distance. The camera is mounted on a series of interconnected gears and levers which allow almost two axes of 360-degree movement. This movement can either be controlled manually by an operator using remote-control, or can be automated using motion sensing technology. In most commercial and civic applications, both control methods are used simultateneously to allow automated surveillance of general movement, while allowing specific movement of interest to be more closely monitored.

Surveillance