The World of Tech: From CCTV Camera Systems to Image Mapping Programs

The devices that we are so used to these days all run based on two main types of components: hardware and software. If you are unsure about what these two groups of items actually entail, think about it in this way. Hardware includes devices such as security cameras that you can pick up and hold. These items actually interact with the physical world, by filming a thief breaking into your home, as an example. Something such as a computer monitor or a spy camera are also instances of hardware. On the other hand, software is the digital way that a system does what it needs to do. In the case of image mapping programs, this will enable you to take an image and place hyperlinks within that picture that lead to other parts of your webpage.

Unlike a CCTV camera, we cannot touch and handle software as opposed to the more physical hardware components that we know of. Most systems are made up of both of these things. For example, a camera is linked to a computer program so that the user can control it by zooming in and out as well as panning. Similarly the icons and cursors in some image mapping software are controlled using a physical tool, in this case a computer mouse. As you can see, both hardware and software are vital for a number of systems and, by working together, can make our lives so much easier, from networks of home security cameras to complex image mapping applications.