Video analytics and artificial intelligence to assist authorities in counting people

Loihde delivered a video analytics service to the City of Helsinki, which reports the number of people on the move in the city’s central outdoor spaces at different times. The mass calculation service improves the security of the city by helping the authorities to allocate resources where they are needed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the service also helps the city to ensure that the recommended number of people in a certain area is not exceeded during events. The system generates an alarm about a significant and unexpected increase in the number of people in any location.

The cameras and the related AI measure the average number of people in the field of view over a ten-minute period at an agreed time. After the measurement, the head count data is stored in the database and a real-time visual snapshot of the data is produced.

The image material of the solution is used only for the calculation of the number of persons and does not include any functionalities related to the identification or classification of persons. The field of view and distances of cameras for mass calculation are large and therefore individuals cannot be identified from the image.

Helsinki started testing the service in connection with the Senate Square summer event in mid-August, and a second measuring point was opened at Kansalaistori in the beginning of September.

“The mass calculation service helps reduce the work of the authorities and allocate resources to areas with large numbers of people. From different safety perspectives, it is valuable to know the number of people in key urban spaces, such as city center squares or parks, and also the development of the population over time,” says Anssi Vuosalmi, City’s head of preparedness.