Smart building technologies have revolutionized how facilities managers approach efficiency, safety, and productivity. The increasing popularity of smart buildings has illustrated a pressing need to adapt to the changing needs of individuals and businesses in an ever-evolving industry.
Among the many innovations that have gained traction in recent years, people counting systems have emerged as a particularly vital tool for facilities managers looking to scale and optimize their operations. This is just one advanced technology that can augment teams in these spaces and make them more adaptive and responsive, enhancing the experience by providing real-time data on occupancy and usage patterns.
These systems can be used to make crucial decisions about the space, its traffic flow, and safety, which can be critical in situations that require decisive crowd and inventory management, to name a few.
Understanding People Counting Technology
People counting systems go one step further than simple motion detection and sensors. These systems use highly sophisticated sensors to detect more than just occupancy. They don’t just count the number of people entering and exiting a facility, but also their specific movements, allowing facilities managers to make more informed decisions about space utilization and resource management.
Facilities managers can utilize people counters to uncover a wealth of important information beyond basic headcounts, including:
- Real-time occupancy data;
- Traffic flow patterns;
- Dwell times in specific areas; and
- Siloed areas of energy consumption.
Benefits of People Counting Solutions in Smart Buildings
Let’s look at the specific ways that decision-makers can use people counting technology to improve their productivity, safety, and efficiency.
Safety Compliance: Real-time occupancy data allows facilities managers to comply with all relevant safety regulations and minimize the risks of overcrowding. This is crucial for emergency response and evacuation situations when preserving safety is vital. Regular health and safety audits, supported by accurate occupancy data, can also support compliance and identify safety improvements.
Energy Management: People counting technology can be integrated within an existing facility’s building management and real-time asset tracking systems. The data derived from people counting software can then, for example, be used to influence what temperature the air conditioning or heating system should be set to, based on how densely populated a specific zone is. This can also be done with lighting controls, switching on and off based on nearby personnel, which grants facilities managers more control over energy usage and conservation. A recent study found that occupancy counting systems could save 17.8% of lighting and HVAC energy consumption within buildings.
Space Utilization: Managers can optimize their facilities in the most logical and free-flowing layout for people, assets, vehicles, and equipment. Demand for space hit record highs in 2022 and the development pipeline increased dramatically in most U.S. markets. People counting data can reveal the most utilized areas or identify areas of possible overcrowding, which could prompt a redesign or expansion. This is crucial for long-term facility strategy planning and can lead to substantial cost savings.
Staffing Levels: In larger facilities like wholesale warehouses, retail spaces, and public buildings, real-time people counting data can be used to inform staffing decisions. Managers can ensure more staff are deployed in high-traffic areas, ensuring sufficient crowd management while avoiding overstaffing during quieter, off-peak times.
Security Improvements: Tracking movement patterns and unusual activity allows facilities managers to improve their existing security measures and strategies. Any anomalies or false positives can be identified, while alerts can be triggered due to untimely or unexpected floods of foot traffic in a facility.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: People counting systems provide a plethora of useful data to empower facilities managers to make crucial decisions with hard evidence and information. This can relate to shift scheduling, routine maintenance, appropriate signage, entry and exit routes, and other important facets of facilities management.
How to Successfully Integrate People Counters in Smart Buildings
While each facility has its own setup and incumbent technology considerations, facilities managers should consider the following steps as a guide when setting up people counters:
- Assess your facility’s specific needs, purpose, and objectives.
- Identify the key areas where people counting data would be most beneficial.
- Address any unique challenges that your building may present, such as complex layouts, intermittent signal coverage, blind spots, etc.
- Select a suitable people counting system that aligns and is compatible with your facility’s current requirements.
- Determine how you will collect, store, and analyze the data obtained through your people counting system.
- Ensure that your data management processes comply with relevant privacy regulations.
- Where applicable, integrate your people counting technology with your existing smart building management systems.
- Provide comprehensive training and upskilling for staff members who need to utilize this new system, for both its technical controls and how to make sense of its data.
- Conduct regular audits of your system to ensure its validity, accuracy, and effectiveness.
- Align your people counting solution with your business goals and needs as they evolve.
Points to Remember
It’s no secret that people counting technology offers many benefits, but the road to success will likely have some bumps. Facilities managers should always endeavor to choose systems that take data protection and security seriously, not to mention clearly communicating with and gaining consent from building occupants about the purpose of these systems. Establish what safeguards you plan to uphold with the deployment of this technology.
Once deployed, your solutions will likely work autonomously as intended. However, that doesn’t mean the job is finished; they will require regular calibration and maintenance to maintain their accuracy. Make sure to also conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis to justify your upfront investment in this technology, but don’t look exclusively at the bottom line; think of the return on investment (ROI) you will get too.
Implementing this type of solution requires methodical planning and mindful consideration of multiple factors. However, despite some upfront teething issues being likely, the long-term benefits of improved efficiency, productivity, and safety can make this investment hugely worthwhile for facilities trying to remain competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
Chester Avey has over a decade of experience in business growth management and cybersecurity. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with other like-minded professionals through his writing. You can connect with Chester by following him on X (formerly Twitter) @ChesterAvey.