It is obvious that in an emergency, knowing exactly how many people are in various areas within your facility becomes paramount. It’s why technology that supports this effort is becoming a “must” for security leaders who are building a holistic security program that protects not only assets – but people – from harm.
However, it is not always as obvious that the collection of population data for those same areas provides the situational awareness necessary to make buildings “smarter” and more efficient. For example, the automatic adjustment of HVAC and lighting systems can save hundreds of dollars a year if they are restricted from running at full power when nobody is in the space.
From a manpower resource perspective, this knowledge helps allocate security personnel more effectively to areas with higher populations for crowd control. Or more importantly, to deploy them to areas where there are people in a space when no one should be there at that time.
Gathering real-time population data within a facility can not only save lives when emergency situations arise, but can also reduce costs when connected to building automation and other systems. Accurately tracking and recording population data for allocated zones, as well as for entire buildings, can improve security and have meaningful, quantifiable impacts on a company’s bottom line.
Here, we define what real-time occupancy management is, along with the core security applications of the technology, how specific industries use it, and what’s next for its use cross-functionally in an organization.
What is real-time occupancy management?
The ability to continually track and analyze the number of people in a space using data collected from sensors and other technologies is real-time occupancy management. At one time, this was a highly manual process, with the need for a person to monitor headcounts in offices or commercial buildings, often holding a manual hand ‘clicker’ to increase the displayed count total with each click. However, various technologies have helped to automate this.
In many cases, the ability to track people entering and exiting a space can help leadership make more informed decisions regarding staffing levels, cleaning schedules, and other operational needs that impact the business’s success. In other cases, such as reporting the number of passengers and crew on a passenger ferry before it disembarks, it is a legal requirement that must be fulfilled.
The rise in the adoption of real-time occupancy management technology is being driven by the need for efficient energy management in smart buildings and the shift toward hybrid work. At its core, the data gathered from this technology can play a role in better space utilization, resource allocation, and overall safety and security protocols. This data can inform leadership about how spaces are being utilized, including during peak times, underutilized areas, and areas where excessive traffic may be causing bottlenecks that can be addressed through improved processes.
How is real-time occupancy data used for security applications?
While the technology associated with real-time occupancy data has broad implications for energy efficiency within a facility – think automatic lights in a hallway or the ability to manage HVAC based on whether anyone is present – there are significant opportunities to use this technology for security purposes:
Entry and Exit Monitoring
Deploying technology that helps control the flow of traffic – and provides valuable automated occupancy tracking – helps security leaders detect unauthorized entries and exits. Not only can this data help drive better traffic flow, but it can also serve as a valuable data point for creating audit trails for security investigations.
However, facility managers have to be aware that the number of people reported in a facility by the access control system for valid card users might not be an accurate total. The number of authorized and unauthorized visitors entering the facility must also be known. How many of us have seen a group of people walking through an unlocked security door after the first person in the group badges in and opens it?
Traffic Flow Analysis for Threat Detection
In some cases, the flow of traffic from one area to another can spike concerns when there are unusual movement patterns or atypical peak times. This could indicate a security risk. Using historical data gathered through average movement and occupancy, the technology can establish baseline behavior patterns that can contribute to the identification of abnormal behavior. Being able to proactively recognize these potential incidents through anomalies in traffic flow can go a long way in protecting facilities from threats.
Crowd Control and Emergency Response
In particularly sensitive areas – or areas where crowding can become a problem, such as at a sporting event – real-time occupancy data can help identify overcrowding that would prevent emergency response from being able to access specific areas if needed.
Managing crowd levels can help security personnel ensure that proper evacuation procedures are in place should they need to use them, and to automatically deploy the appropriate number of staff to manage a crowd of that reported size. These accurate headcounts become extremely critical during emergency situations, providing crucial data for first responders to ensure that no one in a facility is left behind.
How do certain vertical markets use occupancy management data?
The implications of real-time occupancy management technology are broad and can be used across industries to provide additional data for security enhancements. Such industries include:
K-12 Schools
Precise campus occupancy monitoring can protect students by providing accurate counts in the event of an emergency. When students are outside of their classrooms in the cafeteria or in the library, the use of real-time occupancy management technology can identify how many students are present and need to be accounted for in the event of a fire, active shooter, or any another type of emergency. Integrating this technology with lockdown procedures and emergency protocols can add more oversight for compliance purposes. Additionally, the technology can support more streamlined visitor management and prevent unauthorized access by adding an additional layer of protection that ensures compliance with safety regulations and capacity limits.
Commercial Buildings
The data collected from real-time occupancy management technology can be used to ensure adequate levels of protection from on-site security, while maintaining the ability to act quickly in the event of an emergency. Being able to accurately tell when someone might be working late in an office building can help protect that person (or those people) when they’re exiting the building or in case of a fire or emergency.
Additionally, being able to count the number of people in each location when occupancy limits are in place can provide security leaders or facilities managers with the information needed to control the size of crowds in a specific area. The ability to also manage the coverage for workspaces and determine whether additional security guards or resources are needed to protect the area is critical.
Retail and Public Spaces
In retail locations, a significant amount of thought is devoted to merchandising to influence sales, which includes technologies such as heat mapping to analyze traffic flow through a store. Similarly, this technology can be used to strategically monitor traffic flow and enhance retail loss prevention by identifying areas where people tend to congregate. Doing so can allow retailers to allocate more resources to this area as a deterrent for theft or other crimes.
On the positive side, knowing where there is more traffic flow can help retailers with product placement decisions to increase “impulse buy” decisions by customers.
Public and Event Venues
Large crowd sizes at concerts or sporting events come with their own unique challenges for security leaders, but real-time occupancy management can tell a clearer story about the necessary resources for venue safety and crowd management. The data collected can tell a story about how visitors enter and exit the facility, as well as the volume at any given point in time, allowing processes to be adjusted to better manage this in the future.
The ability to analyze this data not only helps create a better atmosphere, but also allows security leaders to have actionable data for better controlling the flow of people in and out of a facility.
What else is possible with real-time occupancy management technology?
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- Monitoring traffic flow for predictive security: using patterns to predict and prevent security incidents, identifying (and addressing) bottlenecks that create vulnerabilities, and optimizing security staffing based on real-time data for coverage.
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- Integrating with comprehensive security systems: the ability for security leaders to connect occupancy management tech with video surveillance, create automated alerts and response using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and being able to ingest the data through comprehensive security dashboards that are easy to interpret for actionable intelligence.
- Integrating with various threat detection technologies: The ability to receive inputs from systems like fire alarms, weapons detection, flooding, or even biohazard technologies, and merge them with real-time population data, to automatically initiate emergency responses to the threat and provide protective measures for people in various parts of the facility.
What’s next for real-time occupancy management technology?
While AI is used a lot in conversations around emerging trends, it’s also making a significant impact on the real-time occupancy management technology platforms. Driven by the need to make sense of a massive amount of data being collected by any number of security solutions – this technology included – AI-driven technology can enable businesses to optimize the use of space within a facility, energy consumption trends, and occupant behavior. Taken together, this data can paint a high-level picture of how a facility is being used – or not used, in some cases – to better allocate resources and potential cost savings that drive better business decisions.
For security, the rise of more intelligence-driven technology in real-time occupancy management use cases will lead to the development of more fully integrated smart security ecosystems that utilize incoming data from a variety of sensors to determine proper security staffing levels, optimize emergency response protocols, and more.
How Smarter Security Supports Real-Time Occupancy Management
Modern organizations aren’t looking for static tools that only solve one problem. They’re seeking dynamic, intelligence-driven solutions that can automate occupancy measurement, provide real-time data for informed decision-making, and create spaces that are not only functional but also safe and secure.
Comprehensive Population Tracking Solutions
Population counting with technologies from Smarter Security accurately tracks and records population data for allocated zones, as well as for entire buildings. These solutions work seamlessly with most Fastlane turnstiles and Door Detective® models to monitor and record the number of people passing through lanes, along with the changes in population in different zones. And they even count the number of people who entered and exited the space without presenting a badge, sometimes as an authorized escorted visitor, and sometimes as an unauthorized “tailgater” through unlocked doors.
Integrated Software and Hardware Solutions
FastCount is a Windows application that works specifically with Fastlane turnstiles and Door Detective products to deliver complete population monitoring across your entire facility. The software allows users to track and record the number of people passing through lanes and monitor population changes in different zones in real-time. Using Fastlane Connect, the system communicates over your local network, receiving live count data from multiple zones and giving security leaders the real-time visibility they need to make informed decisions.
The hardware foundation centers around proven Fastlane turnstiles and Door Detective Plus models, which use acclaimed multi-beam infrared matrix technology for accurate passage detection and alarm information. The Fastlane Multilane Controller serves as the command center, capable of communicating with and monitoring up to 63 lanes via IP connectivity. This provides the scalability required for large facilities while maintaining precision in population tracking across every entry and exit point.
Rapid Deployment for Immediate Security Needs
Recognizing that some organizations require immediate population control capabilities, our Door Detective Compact provides a cost-effective solution that can be deployed in approximately 15 minutes. This “plug-and-play” system uses proven infrared optical technology to monitor doorways and provides instant visual feedback – green lights for safe entry, red lights when capacity limits are reached, and flashing red with audible alarms when thresholds are exceeded.
Beyond Basic Counting – Enhanced Security Intelligence
What makes our occupancy management solutions particularly valuable for security applications is their ability to provide the comprehensive data needed for entry and exit monitoring, traffic flow analysis for threat detection, and crowd control during emergency response situations. The technology supports all the critical security applications discussed earlier – from detecting unauthorized entries to establishing baseline behavior patterns that help identify potential security risks.
Building More Intelligent, Safer Facilities
When integrated with Building Automation Systems, our population counting solutions deliver the dual benefits of enhanced security and operational efficiency. This integration enables the automatic adjustment of HVAC and lighting systems based on actual occupancy, creating the cost savings and energy efficiency that make buildings truly intelligent while maintaining the security oversight that protects people and assets.
Utilizing this technology has the potential to establish a more robust security posture across the entire organization. Centered around the strategic use of occupancy data, this technology can be used to better protect people within a facility, creating a safer and more proactive environment that addresses the evolving security challenges facing today’s organizations.
Ready to transform your facility’s security and operational efficiency with intelligent occupancy management?
Contact Smarter Security today to learn how our proven solutions can be customized for your specific needs and security requirements.
This article was reviewed for accuracy by Colin Wright, the President of Integracom Management Consultants Inc., and Sales Channel Development at Smarter Security.
Colin Wright is the President of Integracom Management Consultants Inc. with over 30 years of experience in management consulting, specializing in business architecture, strategic planning, and innovative security solutions, including patented drone technology and solar-powered perimeter detection systems. His extensive career spans leadership roles across telecommunications, government IT planning, and security industry business development.
