Cameras raise privacy concerns
Recording faces in public spaces brings privacy reviews, signage and storage rules. Many sites cannot or will not put cameras where they need counts.
Pedestrian and Crowd Analytics for Airports, Streets, Crosswalks, Malls and Shopping Centers
People move in flows. Measure the flow, not just the count.
ASSET-RxCx measures pedestrians and crowds with LiDAR in airports, streets, crosswalks, malls and shopping centers: counts, flows, paths, dwell, queues and occupancy. LiDAR sees people as anonymous 3D points, not images, so it measures accurately day and night without recording faces.
- One system for
- LiDAR
- Edge
- Software
- AI
Anonymous by design3D points, not images
LiDARFull-sphere coverage
- Full sphereOne sensor sees all around it, ground to overhead
- AnonymousNo faces, no license plates, no images stored
- Day or nightLiDAR brings its own light
- Counts to pathsCounts, flows, dwell, queues and occupancy
The challenge
Why counting people in public spaces is hard.
Public spaces are busy, open and sensitive. The methods that work in a lobby often fail at a crosswalk or a terminal.
People overlap in dense flow
In a busy concourse people cross paths, walk in groups and block each other. Door counters and single cameras lose people in the crowd.
Light changes all day
Night, glare, shadows and backlit entrances change what a camera sees. A count that drifts with the light is hard to trust.
LiDAR measures people as 3D points, through crowds and changing light, without recording who they are.
See the approachLive demo
Full-sphere LiDAR in crowded pedestrian traffic.
A CRATUS demo of a full-sphere LiDAR in dense indoor pedestrian traffic, with people constantly moving, overlapping and blocking one another.
- Dense pedestrian flow with crossing paths
- Individual people resolved inside groups
- Coverage all around the sensor, ground and overhead
- A stable, readable point cloud with dozens of people moving
Where it is used
Built for busy public spaces.
The same measurements, tuned to each kind of space.
- AirportsTerminal flows, security and check-in queues, gate areas and baggage claim.
- Streets and crosswalksPedestrian counts, crossing times and conflicts with turning vehicles.
- Malls and shopping centersFootfall per entrance and zone, paths, dwell and occupancy.
- Transit stationsPlatform and concourse density, stairs and escalator flows.
- Plazas and eventsOccupancy and density for public gatherings and street events.
- Campuses and venuesBuilding entrances, corridors and shared spaces.
Side by side
LiDAR vs cameras for pedestrian analytics.
How each behaves in public spaces.
| Cameras | LiDAR | |
|---|---|---|
| What is captured | Images of people, faces and surroundings | Anonymous 3D points |
| Privacy review | Often required, with signage and retention rules | Simpler; no identifiable images |
| Night and glare | Depends on lighting | Unaffected; brings its own light |
| Dense, overlapping crowds | People hidden behind each other in 2D | 3D separation of people in groups |
| Position and speed | Estimated from pixels | Measured in meters and meters per second |
| Coverage per sensor | One field of view | Full sphere around the sensor |
General characteristics. CRATUS adds cameras where a site wants visual verification.
Our approach
From points to pedestrian insight.
LiDAR sensing, edge computing, software and AI, engineered as one system by one team.
LiDAR sensing
Full-sphere LiDAR sees all around the mounting point, ground and overhead at the same time, and measures every person as anonymous 3D points with position and speed. Overlapping sensors cover large concourses and long streets.
- Full-sphere coverage
- People separated in dense groups
- Pole, ceiling or wall mounts
Edge computing
An edge computer at the site merges every sensor into one live picture and computes the analytics locally, so results, not raw sensor streams, leave the site over Ethernet, Wi-Fi or cellular.
- Multi-sensor fusion on site
- Analytics computed at the edge
- Ethernet, Wi-Fi or cellular
Software & dashboards
Counts, flows, heat maps, dwell and occupancy per zone, live and as trends, with alerts and data exports for operations, planning and retail teams.
- Zone counts and occupancy
- Heat maps and paths
- Alerts, reports and exports
AI
AI tracks each anonymous person through the scene, separates people from carts, strollers and vehicles, and forecasts queues and peaks from patterns over time.
- Anonymous multi-person tracking
- People vs objects and vehicles
- Queue and peak forecasting
What we deliver
Pedestrian and crowd analytics.
Choose the measurements each space needs.
Counts in and out
People entering and leaving each entrance, gate or zone, through crowds and groups.
Sensing · Edge
Occupancy and density
People in each zone and per square meter, live and as trends.
Software
Flows, paths and heat maps
Where people walk, where they stop and which routes they take.
Software · AI
Queues and dwell
Queue length and wait estimates at check-in, security, retail and service points.
AI
Crosswalk safety
Crossing counts and times, and pedestrian and vehicle conflicts at intersections.
Sensing · AI
Alerts
Thresholds for occupancy, density and queue length per zone.
Software
The ASSET-RxCx system
Sensors, edge and software for public spaces.
Sensor types and positions are chosen per site; the analytics are the same everywhere.
CRATUS
Full-sphere LiDAR
All-around coverage
- Ground and overhead
- People in groups
- Day or night
Covers a concourse, crossing or atrium from one mounting point.
CRATUS
Long-range LiDAR
Streets and plazas
- Longer reach
- Directional
- Outdoor mounting
Reaches along streets, platforms and open plazas where people are farther from the sensor.
ASSET-Rx
Edge computer
ASSET-Rx EDGE
- Sensor fusion
- Tracking
- Runs on site
Fuses the sensors, tracks people anonymously and computes counts and flows at the site.
ASSET-RxCx
Analytics dashboard
Live and historical
- Zones
- Heat maps
- Reports
Counts, occupancy, flows and queues for operations, planning and retail teams.
ASSET-RxCx
Alerts
Per zone
- Occupancy
- Density
- Queue length
Thresholds per zone with notifications to the people who act on them.
CRATUS
Integration
Your systems
- Data exports
- Building systems
- Engineering services
Data delivered to the systems you already use, with CRATUS engineering for custom integrations.
One system
Sensors, edge, software and AI from one team
CRATUS plans the coverage, supplies the sensors and edge computer, runs the software and supports the system after commissioning.
All CRATUS productsASSET-RxCxStack
AI
- Tracking
- Classification
- Forecasting
Software
- Dashboard
- Alerts
- Exports
Edge
- Sensor fusion
- Counts
- Flows
Sensing
- Full-sphere LiDAR
- Long-range LiDAR
- Mounts
What to send us
These details let CRATUS plan coverage for your space.
- Type of space: terminal, street, crosswalk, mall, station
- Floor plan or site plan with dimensions
- Entrances, gates and zones to measure
- Mounting options: poles, ceilings, walls
- Peak traffic and busiest times
- Indoor, outdoor or both
- Power and network near mounting points
- Systems the data should feed
How we work
Planned for your space, then installed.
Coverage is planned from your site plan so every entrance, zone and crossing you need is measured.
- 01
Site details
Plan, zones, entrances, mounting options and traffic levels.
- 02
Coverage plan
Sensor types and positions chosen for full coverage of the zones you need.
- 03
Install
Pole, ceiling or wall mounting with power and network.
- 04
Commission
Zones, counting lines, thresholds and reports set up and checked.
- 05
Operate & support
Live analytics, trends and alerts, with engineering support.
Standards & practices
Privacy and safety built in.
Pedestrian analytics in public spaces has to respect privacy and work with existing safety references.
- GDPRAnonymous measurement; no identifiable images
- CCPA / CPRACalifornia privacy requirements
- Fruin Level of ServicePedestrian density grades A to F
- NFPA 101Life Safety Code occupant load
- IEC 60825-1Eye-safe laser classes
- IEC 60529Ingress protection for outdoor sensors
- ISA/IEC 62443Security for networks and devices
- Data retentionRetention periods set to your policy
Privacy obligations depend on your jurisdiction and use. CRATUS designs the system to measure anonymously and supports your privacy review; we don’t certify compliance.
The basics
How does LiDAR count people?
LiDAR measures distance with laser light and builds a 3D point cloud of the scene. Software separates each person in the cloud, tracks them anonymously and counts them as they cross lines or enter zones.
Is LiDAR people counting anonymous?
Yes. LiDAR captures 3D points, not images, so faces, clothing details and license plates are not recorded.
Does it work in crowds where people overlap?
Yes. Measuring in 3D from above or from several viewpoints separates people walking in groups, which is where door counters and single cameras lose count.
Use cases
Can it measure airport security and check-in queues?
Yes. Queue length, occupancy and dwell are measured per zone, and wait times can be estimated from how fast the queue moves.
Can it be used at crosswalks and intersections?
Yes. LiDAR counts crossings, measures crossing times and detects pedestrians and vehicles in the same scene, including conflicts between them.
What do malls and shopping centers get from it?
Footfall per entrance and zone, paths through the center, dwell and occupancy, with trends by hour, day and season.
Installation
How many sensors does a space need?
It depends on size, ceiling or pole height and obstructions. A full-sphere LiDAR covers a large area around one mounting point; CRATUS plans the count from your site plan.
Does it work outdoors at night and in rain?
It works at night without added lighting. Heavy rain, snow and fog reduce range; outdoor layouts are planned with overlap to account for weather.
Working with CRATUS
How do we get a proposal?
Send us the site layout, what you need to measure and how the space is used. A CRATUS engineer replies with questions, a sensor layout and a phased plan.
Can you work with our integrator, security or IT team?
Yes. CRATUS works directly with operations teams, system integrators and IT departments, and provides network requirements, installation instructions and remote support during commissioning.
Talk to a CRATUS engineer
Need to know how people move through your space?
Send us the site plan and the zones you need. A CRATUS engineer will reply with a LiDAR coverage plan.