Hanwha Techwin develops licence-free Occupancy Monitoring solution

Compatible with the recently introduced Wisenet P Series of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras, the edge-based Occupancy Monitoring application simultaneously counts the number of people entering or leaving a building. When the maximum permitted number of people has been reached, the application generates alarm outputs to control automatic doors or a traffic beacon, as well as ‘wait’ or ‘enter’ messages which can be displayed on a monitor.

The Occupancy Monitoring application has the power to aggregate and process data from multiple cameras, rendering this solution ideal for buildings with multiple entrances and exits. As a serverless solution, it negates the need for system integrators to spend time configuring complicated server-side software. It also significantly reduces the capital cost of a project as the end user does not need to incur the cost of buying a server.

With the support of deep learning AI built into the cameras, the Occupancy Monitoring application offers the additional benefit of being able to accurately count people even when a camera is wall-mounted. Unlike less accurate people counting solutions which use conventional video analytics, the camera does not have to be mounted on a ceiling to provide an overhead field of view. This means the camera can be simultaneously used for security purposes and people counting, while end users are also able to take advantage of a host of additional video analytics applications which can be run on-board the camera, including heatmap and intrusion, loitering and people/object detection.

The Wisenet Occupancy Monitoring application is compatible with the following cameras:

*PNB-A9001: 4K AI box camera

*PNO-A9081R: 4K AI bullet camera

*PNV-A9081R: 4K AI vandal-resistant dome camera with built-in IR illumination

*PND-A9081RF: 4K AI flush-mount dome camera with built-in IR illumination

*PND-A9081RV: 4K AI dome camera with built-in IR illumination

Time and cost savings

The dome cameras have a four-part magnetic modular design which makes them extremely easy to install. The ability to pre-configure IP network settings without the need to remove the camera modules from their packaging also reduces the time an engineer has to spend on site, thereby enabling companies with multiple sites to rapidly roll-out the application with minimal disruption to their business.

The Wisenet P Series AI cameras will continue to deliver significant benefits beyond the immediate requirement to support the Occupancy Monitoring application during COVID-19. In addition to being used to detect and monitor any criminal activity, they can easily be redeployed to capture valuable business intelligence and help companies improve productivity. Retailers in particular can analyse the impact of any marketing activities on footfall and, by identifying a store’s busiest times, better manage the peaks and troughs of customer flow at checkouts.

In this respect, the cameras are supported by Wisenet Retail Insight (v2.0), a business intelligence solution which uses people counting, heat mapping and queue management applications to display statistical analytics on a centralised dashboard, along with other practical information such as weather reports. With the help of AI algorithms on-board the Wisenet P Series AI cameras, Retail Insight is also able to display an estimated age and gender of store visitors.

Licence-free solution

“At this most challenging of times for our communities and the economy, we are proud to have the opportunity to contribute to the efforts being made to recover from the effects of COVID-19 by offering the Occupancy Monitoring application as a licence-free solution,” explained Uri Guterman, head of product and marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe. “With the security budgets of many businesses being stretched, we have felt a social responsibility to offer the application licence-free and, in doing so, help maximise the number of end users who are able benefit from it.”

Guterman concluded: “Hanwha Techwin has always been able to rapidly respond to changing market demands and, with countless businesses extremely eager to re-open, we have yet again been able to rise to the challenge. This rapidly deployable, innovative and highly effective solution can offer peace of mind by assisting with the implementation of social distancing rules at any building open to the general public.”