Buying Intelligence

The long standing technology partnership between Hanwha Techwin and Facit Data Systems has resulted in selected Wisenet cameras being able to take full advantage of Facit’s powerful Calculus server-based intelligent retail video analytics software to deliver Retail Intelligence solutions.

The Wisenet Heatmap and People Counting cameras enable retailers to identify lost sales opportunities by monitoring continuously updated live reports and view comparative hourly and weekly reports on footfall, store hotspots and dwell times, as well as how long customers have to queue. “At a time when competition has never been fiercer within the retail sector, knowledge of customer in-store behavior is crucial to ensure every sales opportunity is seized,” said Tim Biddulph, Head of Product and Solutions for Hanwha Techwin Europe.

Creating Competitive ­Advantage Through ­Intelligence
“The reports that are generated by the cameras and the analytics software will assist retailers, from small convenience stores to superstores, to identify in a number of different ways how to enhance the customer experience and minimize lost sales opportunities. These include comparing the number of people who enter a store with actual sales, customer buying patterns and helping to manage the peaks and troughs at checkouts.
The Calculus solution is designed for large retail stores and supports bi-directional people counting and heat mapping with real time and time lapse viewing functions. Up to 64 cameras can be connected to the system using a single core i7 PC. On-going multiples of up to 64 cameras can be added by installing additional PCs, with almost limitless configuration options to enable the end-user to tailor the system to meet their precise requirements. Reports are available in real-time from anywhere on the network.

Argus Small Store Solution
For smaller store applications, Facit’s Argus analytics solution is available in four variations. These provide a choice of single and two channel aspect view with a bi-directional people counter and a single and two channel real-time/time-lapse heat map, as well as a combined single channel with bi-directional people counter and a single channel real-time/time-lapse heat map option.
“Our aim in pre-loading the Facit applications onto our open platform Wisenet cameras is to save system integrators considerable time and effort in having to research the wide range of video analytics software on the market,” said Tim Biddulph. “Peace of mind comes with the knowledge that Hanwha Techwin has extensively evaluated and tested all the specialist applications which are supplied out-of-the-box with selected cameras.”

Heatmapping and People Counting
The 12 megapixel Wisenet PNF-9010R/FHM 360° Heatmap camera has on-board dewarping, enabling a variety of alternative viewing modes such as single panorama, double panorama and quad views. The 2 megapixel XND-6080/FPC bi-directional people counting camera is part of the X camera series, which features wide dynamic range and a motorized varifocal low light lens. A powerful proprietary chipset enables X series cameras to meet the requirements of any retail environment, regardless of the lighting conditions, from bursts of bright sunlight to almost total darkness, without the need for IR LEDs or supplementary lighting.

Sound Recognition
Depending on the field of view, images captured by the cameras can also be used by security personnel to detect any suspicious activity as well as to provide valuable business intelligence for marketing, merchandising, human resources and retail operations departments. The XND-6080/FPC even has an audio analysis function which recognizes different types of sound, such as gunshots, explosions, screams and broken glass. The cameras are fully supported by the manufacturer’s comprehensive range of video recording solutions. They have also been integrated with Smart Security Manager (SSM) and Facit analytics software to enable people counting and customer behavior data to be monitored in real-time, and for the generation of customized reports covering defined time periods.