During the past few years we have set up a wide area camera network, called the SCALLOPSNet (Scalable Large Optical Sensor Network). About 100 stationary cameras covera an expansive area that can be divided into three distinct regions: inside a building, along urban paths, and in a remote natural reserve. Challenging research issues include geo-calibration, multicamera video summarization and anomaly detection, and multi-camera tracking and activity analysis in wide area networks.