Occupancy Count Tool Reaches into Ed Settings

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/08/21

BlueZoo, a provider of WiFi-based occupancy measurement solutions, is attempting to reach into schools and colleges. The company's BlueFoxCount uses sensors to continuously count probes from mobile phones to measure how many people are visiting a space in real time. For every 15-minute period, the program reports on the number of visits begun and ended and the minimum, maximum and average number of visitors during that time slot.

When the number of people in a space exceeds the preset threshold, the application notifies on-site staff. It also predicts the wait time, based on tracking of historical data.

A single BlueFox sensor surveys areas up to 300,000 square feet, sensing all mobile devices located within a distance of up to 300 feet from the sensor, and reports how many phones are detected within the space. The range can be configured for smaller areas, and "always-present " devices can be excluded from the count with a "SmartDetect" feature. Sensors are small, measuring two inches by two inches by one inch.

The product collects no personal information, including phone numbers, according to the company.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • close-up illustration of a hand signing a legislative document

    California Passes AI Safety Legislation, Awaits Governor's Signature

    California lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved a bill that would impose new restrictions on AI technologies, potentially setting a national precedent for regulating the rapidly evolving field. The legislation, known as S.B. 1047, now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. He has until the end of September to decide whether to sign it into law.

  • illustration of a VPN network with interconnected nodes and lines forming a minimalist network structure

    Report: Increasing Number of Vulnerabilities in OpenVPN

    OpenVPN, a popular open source virtual private network (VPN) system integrated into millions of routers, firmware, PCs, mobile devices and other smart devices, is leaving users open to a growing list of threats, according to a new report from Microsoft.

  • interconnected cubes and circles arranged in a grid-like structure

    Hugging Face Gradio 5 Offers AI-Powered App Creation and Enhanced Security

    Hugging Face has released version 5 of its Gradio open source platform for building machine learning (ML) applications. The update introduces a suite of features focused on expanding access to AI, including a novel AI-powered app creation tool, enhanced web development capabilities, and bolstered security measures.