Suddenly, society came to a halt. We were asked to work from home as much as possible, shopping streets became deserted, and sports clubs had to close their doors. Fortunately, the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths has since decreased, and strict measures are being gradually relaxed. We are transitioning from an Intelligent Lockdown to an Intelligent Unlock. However, we will still need to maintain a distance of 1.5 meters from each other for an extended period. But how will you manage this in your organization or institution?

In this situation—where we are all seeking ways to adapt to a 1.5-meter society—we are utilizing our expertise to make working and living easier, better, and safer. In a series of short articles, we outline several examples of how you can use (your existing) security technology to achieve this. In this article, we focus on Crowd Detection using smart camera systems.

To prevent new COVID-19 infections, it is essential that people keep their distance from each other. As a result, fewer people are being allowed in spaces at the same time. In certain spaces or areas, such as corridors, stairwells, and shopping centers, it is more difficult to maintain distance, increasing the risk of people getting too close. In these situations, a smart camera system withVideo Content Analysis (VCA) which alerts when too many people are standing too close together, is an excellent solution.

You may already have this functionality without realizing it. Many video management systems, and an increasing number of cameras, now come equipped with VCA capabilities (with varying levels of sophistication) as standard. If not, this can be an interesting addition to your camera system. VCA analyzes your camera footage in real-time, recognizes certain situations, and can trigger an alarm based on deviations from the norm. You define these deviations yourself, as well as the type of alarm. For example, if your camera system detects that people are standing too close together, an audio message can be played asking them to maintain more distance. An alarm notification can also be sent to your control room, allowing one of your security staff to go to the relevant location.

How does Video Content Analysis work?

VCA detects moving objects and can also observe the direction and speed at which people are moving. Crowd Detection is one of the features of VCA, where a virtual area is defined, and within that area, it can detect if people are standing too close together. This is done by dividing the large area into a matrix of smaller sections and counting the people within those sections. As soon as the number of people in a particular (sub)area exceeds the predefined maximum, the system sends an alarm notification.

A future-proof investment

With a solution like this, your organization can reopen, and employees and visitors will feel welcome and safe. It is hard to predict how long this temporary ‘new normal’ will last. We believe it’s important that the investments organizations make remain cost-effective in the long term. Video Content Analysis can also be a valuable solution after the crisis, for example, to improve your control room’s efficiency or to search through days of video footage in minutes for specific events or data. Read more about this in our article on Video Content Analysis.

We are happy to help you!

Do you have any questions or would you like to discuss these kinds of solutions with us? We offer you the opportunity to have a free, non-binding one-hour conversation with one of our specialists. Remotely, of course. Our specialists can tell you exactly what the best solution is for your situation and challenge.

Call for an introductory conversation: (026) 479 22 33, mail to sales@mactwin.nl or visit our contact page.