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Track Building Visitors by their Cell Phones
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The UK company Path Intelligence has developed a pedestrian path measurement technology which automatically monitors the routes that visitors take within a building from their cell phone signals, (these signals do not reveal user identities). This technology aggregates these visitor movements and presents them within a continuously updating interface indicating visitor concentration levels at different times within different areas of the building. The technology is meant to be used as a way to optimize building layouts and staffing levels by providing insight into where people are naturally going, and also to quantify the impact of marketing campaigns by monitoring foot traffic to particular areas.
The technology may eventually integrate the ability for visitors to link up their actual cell phone number to the currently anonymous signal so that they can receive special offers, etc. according to TechCrunch. I can think of a million uses for this type of technology in libraries – patrons automatically receiving a stacks guide on their mobile phones as they enter the stacks area, etc. The program also tracks the weather with foot traffic as well as whether or not a specific event is happening. Libraries would be able to track whether their traffic levels in some areas are heavier when it’s raining outside, when an author talk is happening, etc. Check out a demo of the software here.
