People counting: What is a footfall counter?
Optimizing a space relies heavily on an understanding of how the space is used and identifying which areas can be used more efficiently without having an impact on users of the space. The information that footfall counters offer can be employed at every level of business, from front-line activities to driving sales and marketing decisions.
Traditional footfall counting systems
Traditionally, footfall counting systems were limited to ultrasonic sensors, WiFi tracking, infrared sensors, CCTV, stereovision and thermal cameras. Each of these methods has significant limitations, creating concern regarding accuracy and the privacy of people who are moving around in a space.
The benefits of footfall counters from Terabee
Footfall counters (also known as people counters) from Terabee are always GDPR compliant, can optimize value and minimize costs for retail operations, smart buildings and office spaces. Terabee footfall counters use advanced Time-of-Flight technology which offers 98% or higher accuracy data by monitoring people entering and leaving doorways.
Unlike standard footfall counters, our algorithm can filter out static objects and count numerous people passing in both directions as they leave or enter a space. This solution is made up of an IoT footfall counting device sending data to a local, on-premise, backend, or to a cloud-based IoT platform.
Because the footfall counters use active Time-of-Flight technology to sense distances, the footfall counter sensor gathers non-intrusive depth image data, which means that personal identity cannot be recorded.
These footfall counters record workplace usage and footfall traffic, offering real-time and historical data on how a room is used. It enables remote monitoring of when a room is empty, full or under capacity. Our footfall counters also do not require ambient lighting for high levels of performance and can be used in low light.
How do footfall counters work?
Terabee footfall counters use cameras which illuminate a space with pulsed light which cannot be seen by the human eye. People and other objects reflect this light to a sensor in the camera and the time taken for the light to travel from the camera to the object and back again is measured. This then enables the calculation of the distance to all objects in a scene and captures the depth and intensity information at the same time.
If you would like to read how our people counters have been used at the Terabee office, click here. If you would like to find out more about how Terabee’s people counting solutions could benefit you and your business, contact us today.
