Overview

What is People Counting?
People counting is an automated technology that provides the number of people either based on a single image or based on the multiple images over a period of time.

One of the ways to count people is to use video analytics. The deep learning AI inside the cameras can count the people using the visual indicators.

Area Counting or Accumulated Flow Counting?
Area counting represents the technology where the camera counts all the people appearing in a single video frame. There will be a total count per frame. The counting result can either become a metadata or an event, if there is a target threshold associated with the count. For example, if the threshold is 10, then the camera will only send an alarm event to the NVR when it sees at least 10 people on a single image.

The accumulated flow counting means that the camera counts people entering the area or crossing the virtual line, one by one, throughout the period of time. The camera may also count people leaving the area or counting those who cross the virtual line in the opposite direction. The result of the accumulated flow counting is metadata.

Counting Metadata or Counting OSD?
ACTi's cameras can deliver counting data in two ways - either using a text-based metadata in parallel with the video stream, or embedding the live counting values onto the video overlay (OSD).

The benefits of the counting metadata is that the text-based counting numbers stored on the server side can later be used to generate counting reports by the time periods, whereas the OSD-based counting numbers are good for instant assessments by looking at the video, furthermore, such OSD-based counting display method does not require any special integration between the camera and the management server.

In fact, you could even use the camera alone, and simply observe the video stream with embedded counting using camera's own web interface.

Counting Alerts
Counting solution can be used for a High Occupancy Alarm. There are two solutions for that. Single camera based solution counts the difference between incoming and outgoing people, resulting with the current occupancy in the premises. Together with the pre-defined threshold levels (low warning, medium warning, critical warning), the camera will send the alarm to the video management system when the threshold has been surpassed.

ACTi also has a multi-camera solution where the occupancy is calculated using several cameras on several entrances at the same time. In such cases, the occupancy situation is calculated by the NVR, having received the information from the related cameras.

Business or Security Counting?
While most counting applications are related to the business analysis where the people traffic numbers by time periods help make some useful business decisions, the high occupancy alarms are often used for the security reasons - when the area exceeds the permitted maximum capacity of the people, then the security personnel should automatically be notified. Single image page counting detects unexpected crowds within the view of the camera. Having the alarm about such crowd is also a very helpful security feature.

Applications

The area counting is used most commonly for the crowd detection and the crowd prevention. The security personnel sets up the threshold condition above which the situation is considered crowded and requires response. When the crowd appears, the camera will alert the control center.

The accumulated counting can be used to assess the crowd situation in the premises when people arrive one by one and they do not appear in the camera view together. By doing the accumulated counting, the camera would be able to assess how many people have already entered the premises and whether there are too many people already.

Features

• Area Counting of People
• Accumulated Flow Counting of People
• Counting Metadata Transmission
• Video Streams with Embedded Counting Values
• Push and Pull Metadata
• Counting Alarms by Thresholds
• Single Camera Occupancy Counting
• Multi-Camera Occupancy Counting

Solutions

ACTi's people counting solution consists of people counting cameras and NVR. There is a wide range of camera options to choose from.
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We recommend using ACTi's NVR 3 Corporate or ZNR-424 as the main management server of receiving either people counting metadata or events from the camera. There is no AI license required. The regular video channel license is applied.
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