What is occupancy monitoring?
In the post COVID era, our traditional workplace has been shifted to our home. As work from home (WFH) has become the new normal, many companies are beginning to shift their work to the employees’ houses permanently.
As a result, many of the large buildings have always become empty. Corporate real estate takes away a huge chunk of money for offices. Right now, many of the MNCs call their employees to the office only when it is needed. There comes the need for an occupancy monitoring system. With the several sensors and IoT devices, the system can be a game-changer for commercial space management.
Occupancy monitoring systems can also help better energy management with heat sensors, smoke detectors, air quality monitoring and ventilation and intelligent air conditioning. Better use of janitorial staff and better safety standards without compromising the cost and experience of the user and destroying privacy.
There can be several sensors like beacon sensors, RF sensors, door sensors, and room occupancy sensors to manage and track crowd lobby areas, gyms, phone booths, and even restrooms. The occupancy monitoring system can also be deployed in airports or malls where the crowd can be haphazard.
Different sensors of occupancy monitoring system:
- Door sensors: It’s part of the janitorial management system, a component of the occupancy monitoring system. It is a sensor that tracks how many times the door is opened or closed. Along with different sets of data collected from other sensors, the algorithm calculates the accurate traffic flow. Half of the sensor is kept on the door handle, and the other half is kept on the door.
- Room occupancy sensor: It’s a time-of-flight technology that counts the number of people walking in or out of a room. Typically kept on the ceiling, the sensor can track up to 3 meters. The IR sensing direction device helps track a room’s traffic and connects using Bluetooth low energy technology.
- Beacon scanners: It’s a Bluetooth device that constantly sends signals to other Bluetooth enabled devices like mobile phones to track the janitorial staff. It can monitor how much time a particular team spends in a washroom. That’s why along with the occupancy monitoring system, beacon scanners can also be used as a part of the toilet monitoring system.
- Traffic monitoring system: The sensor tracks the target objects, which are human beings in a predefined area. Even in low light areas without the use of cameras and not harming the people’s privacy, the system tracks the crowd flow. It can also track the crowd in an open area like a field.
Why is smart space utilization important?
Space utilization has become a critical need for large business houses. It identifies opportunities for optimized use of limited space and maintains hygiene standards. Occupancy monitoring system also helps in maintaining social distance.
Conclusion:
Different sensors help achieve different causes, but as a whole, the system works with AI and predicts the use of space efficiently. With this system, you can ensure the maximum usage of commercial space, thus reducing the unnecessary wastage of monetary resources.