Abstract: A method of collecting information via a vehicle, the method including arming a panoramic surveillance system, triggering the surveillance system, obtaining a series of instantaneous 360 degree panoramic images and storing the series of panoramic images. The panoramic surveillance system may include a panoramic camera system mounted to the roof of a vehicle, a control system in electronic communication with the camera system, a processor unit configured to process electronic instructions, data storage configured to store image data, and a short-range receiver configured to receive instructions and pass them to the processor unit.