AI solution from VIVOTEK tracks people flow for the Japanese city of Ise

AI camera solution from VIVOTEK has been tailored to track people flow for the Japanese city of Ise. We hear more from VIVOTEK on the installation…

The City of Ise in Japan has both oceanic and mountainous landscapes and has ‘rich history and renowned attractions’. Ise’s tourist spots, like Ise Grand Shrine, and delicious food like Ise Ebi (lobster), oyster, and Matsusaka beef, are all ‘well-known’ around the world.

To revitalize the City of Ise, local official agencies have planned a series of activities, and the mascot, Hanaterasu-Chan will also help with Ise’s promotion of tourism, activating the development of local commercial districts. Known for Ise Grand shrine and surrounding streets, the city has dedicated much effort to revitalize the region, promoting tourism since the pandemic. In collaboration with Ise Machi Zukuri Kabushikigaisha (Ise-Machi Development Corporation), this project launched a series of activities, and looks forward to recruiting new businesses and stores to set up operations in Ise and facilitate urban development, hoping to regain pre-pandemic glory.

Ise conducted traffic flow investigations once a year, mainly through manual and visual observations, counting the local flow of people flow in a ‘primitive’ way which was ‘insufficient’ to be used for the purpose of analysing business and sales, according to VIVOTEK. Therefore, the city planned to adopt scientific methods and combine traffic flow data with IP cameras and AI analysis for around-the-clock investigation.

VIVOTEK installed SC8131 Stereo Counting Network Camera at seven locations in downtown Ise, including shopping streets in various downtown districts, as well as an old restaurant with a history of 150 years. The camera is equipped with deep learning and video surveillance functionalities and is capable of counting people and tracking traffic dynamics, achieving an ‘accuracy of over 98%’.

Through machine learning, the camera’s analytical ability will be ‘continually optimised’. Video images will be converted into data, and will reportedly be provided to shopping street shops and stores as references for store layout and promotion, enabling precise business decision-making and enhancing operation efficiency.

According to VIVOTEK, business owners previously could only look at customer checkouts to find out how well their businesses were doing; since installing SC8131, they can ‘immediately’ learn the changing traffic flows outside their shops, and make quicker judgements on whether the sales growths are driven by store promotions or people flow in front of the store.

Both the video surveillance company and Ise-Machi Development Corporation strive for revitalization of downtown Ise. Through its AI security and safety solution, VIVOTEK converts video images into data, and has ‘helped local tourism and commercial activities’. They have also partnered with ForceMedia to ensure ‘seamless integration’ and cooperated with local company EBILAB to integrate weather conditions, people flow characteristics, and event influences, to offer high-efficiency management guidelines.

The SC8131 AI camera installed in Ise’s shopping streets will reportedly measure the traffic flow from December 13, 2021 to March 31, 2024.

EBILAB President & CEO Haruki Odajima said: “Fortunately, the store has two VIVOTEK cameras installed. The cameras convert the traffic in front of the store into data, which enables us to simultaneously learn the situation and make timely adjustment to our sign displays, maximizing the effect of the cameras.

“Because of our successful application of VIVOTEK cameras, the local government has also procured more VIVOTEK products, expediting the development of local businesses and communities. In the future, we will continue to use VIVOTEK cameras to promote data-based commercial applications and activities.”

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