Are you installing CCTV cameras in your business? Here’s how to set it up for Intelligent Operations
All businesses employ some form of video surveillance, and because of developments in technology , we can now process this video footage into actionable information with the help of AI video analytics software.
Automation powered by AI increases efficiency in the workplace by taking over tedious, repetitive tasks previously performed by humans. This frees up resources for human-centred, higher-value tasks that contribute to the expansion of businesses.
If you’re thinking about installing CCTV at your business, but aren’t sure where to put the cameras or what kinds of use cases there are, this #AIforLife blog will help you out.
In order to automate the inspection process and create important insights to aid organisations in making data-driven decisions to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency, these IP cameras can be simply linked with AI-powered video analytics software.
The type of analytics on the video footage is dependent on the camera being mounted at the appropriate height and angle with ambient light conditions. The question then becomes how to best put your CCTV system to use in order to gain useful information.
How to Position the Surveillance System for Optimal Utilization of AI Video Analytics Software?
While installing the security camera in your business premises, if you know the most efficient place to position your cameras, including the best height and angle, then it will help you to make optimal utilization of AI video analytics software.
Here, we share the optimal camera position and key places that are vital to cover in the workplace for security and video data insights.
1. People Count
For small format stores, the camera placed on the billing counter can be aligned to capture the visitors entering through the gate
Place a camera above at the entry gate diagonally capture the in-count of people
The people counting feature lets you know how many people are coming into or leaving your premise. It allows you to gain insight into visitor trends over weekdays, weekends, sales seasons and understand the visitor-to-conversion ratios. With the help of these insights, you can make a data-driven decision that can improve your marketing program and advertising campaign.
In order to capture proper insights, it is advisable to install security cameras 10-12 feet away from the front entry gate to provide the best image of any object or person, enabling AI video analytics to extract data on the number of people entering the premises over a given time period. Also, position the camera in such a way that it does not record pedestrian footage outside the business premises. The best-recommended camera installation height is approximately 10-12 feet from the floor.
2. People Demographics
Place the camera with varifocal opposite the entry gate in the center to capture demographic insight
People demographic detection allows businesses to collect accurate insights, such as how many customers are male versus female and their age range. This insight helps businesses to build effective targeted marketing campaigns based on demographics visiting the store.
To get accurate people demographic insights businesses require cameras with zoom-in-out capabilities installed 20-22 feet away from the entrance gate, improve tracking of who enters the premises and provide a clear view of the person’s facial features with sufficient lighting.
When installing the camera near any entrance area, consider pointing the camera in a way that does not cover the pedestrian outside the business premises. Also, think about how the light changes throughout the day. Bright light saturating the sensors on the camera can make the image black, making it hard to see or impossible to recognize the face. To capture the best image quality, position the camera 12 feet above the floor, pointing away from the source of light.
3. Uniform Detection
The camera can be placed in a way to diagonally capture the billing counter
Staff uniform detection helps measure compliance if staff members are wearing uniforms or not. With this insight, you can determine whether your employees are following uniform regulations during working hours, this can also be used to eliminate employee counting from visitor count, which helps you get accurate customer insights.
The work area must be clearly visible to obtain accurate insights on uniform detection. To capture such a view, the camera should be mounted on a wall 10 feet from the floor and diagonally across from the staff counter. The surveillance system can thus collect clear footage of the staff at the billing counter.
4. Staff Engagement / Service time
Place the camera in the middle of the counter to capture staff-customer engagement at the counter
Place the camera diagonally at the billing counter for clear visibility of staff-customer engagement.
Detecting staff engagement is the process of tracking the amount of time that a staff member spends providing customer service at the billing counter. Using these insights, you can analyze average staff-customer interaction time and attended vs. unattended customers, which can help you improve customer service and optimize store operations.
Positioning the camera diagonally on the billing counter can help you get proper visibility of the staff and customer areas of the billing counter. To properly cover the billing area, the camera should be placed at a height of 10 feet from the floor.
5. Staff Interaction
Place the camera at the top of the adjacent wall to capture staff-customer interaction in the store
Place the camera diagonally on the wall so staff-customer interaction is clearly visible
Detection of average staff-customer interaction time in high-traffic areas such as retail sales floors can provide real-time insights such as the average time spent by staff on customer interaction, unattended customers, and much more. These insights can help you enhance the customer experience and improve operational efficiency.
To get clear video footage, It is important to mount the cameras at least 10 feet from the floor so that you can capture the majority of the workspace. Choosing a corner location with a camera angled downwards is an ideal position so that staff uniforms and customers are clearly visible.
6. Heatmap
Place the camera diagonally to each aisle to generate heatmap insights
Heatmap insight is generated by analyzing the traffic patterns throughout the business premise, highlighting the most or least visited pathways and aisles by the customers. Business owners can use this actionable insight to develop strategies, plan campaigns and plan store layout.
The specific region of interest (ROI) area should be clearly visible to get accurate insight, and for that, the camera should be placed at a height of 10 feet above the floor, providing high-quality images for identification. Pointing the camera lens slightly downwards will give you a better view of both the staff in their uniforms and the customer area.
7. Queue Detection
Place the camera diagonally on the billing counter to clearly detect the queue length
Queue detection provides vital insights such as average queue length, queue length exceeding detection and average wait time in a queue. By analyzing these insights you can optimize crowd formation and improve customer experience.
Placing the camera diagonally on the queue counters will give you a wider view and clearly capture queue length and the number of persons waiting in the queue. It is recommended to position the camera so that customer’s heads are clearly visible.
8. Access Authorization
Place the camera diagonally at the entry gate to capture visitors entering through the gate
Authorization detection uses facial recognition algorithms to separate authorized from unauthorized personnel, allowing only authorized personnel to enter the restricted area. This insight plays a critical role in enhancing safety and security across various industries. For instance, in the banking sector where only authorised persons are allowed to enter bank vaults or the staff area in an industrial unit where only authorized personnel are allowed to enter.
In order to get accurate authentication insight, it is advisable to place the camera diagonally at the entry gate at a height of 10 feet above the floor and with sufficient light to get high-quality images for identification. Positioning the camera angle slightly downwards helps to capture the face of each person properly.
9. Intrusion Detection
Place the camera at the top of the entry gate to capture intrusion detection
Intrusion detection alerts if a person tries to enter the business premise during non-working or specific hours then the system automatically identifies that personnel and sends real-time alerts to the concerned personnel which helps in increasing situational awareness and reducing response time to threats. These insights can be extremely useful in a variety of industries, such as in healthcare where you want to keep track of visitors who enters the patient room during non-visit hours, or in a large industrial unit where identifying intrusion can help you take prompt action.
To get a clear view of an intruder, it is recommended to place the camera with day and night vision capturing all entry points to the premise. The camera should be at a height of 10 feet above the floor.
Conclusion
A CCTV camera integrated with AI-powered Inspection automation platforms not only protects your business from intruders and thefts but also gives your business real-time insights and boosts its operational efficiency that opens new opportunities for growth. However, merely having cameras is not enough, they need to be installed at the right angle and position to ensure you get the best viewing angle and prevent blind spots.
Considering the above use cases and benefits, leveraging AI-based video analytics software with a surveillance system empowered businesses to accelerate performance and harness the full potential of their data. AIVIDTechvision offers an AI and deep learning-based Automated inspection platform for multiple industries, including manufacturing, retail, highways, hotels, and healthcare, and it covers the most common use cases for surveillance, security, and customer intelligence. To know more, get in touch with us.