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Knowledge Base

Business Activity Analytics (BAA) Setup

Feature Notice: Video Analytics offers simpler activity monitoring that is compatible with many cameras and account types. For more information about Video Analytics, see Configure a Video Analytics rule.

Business Activity Analytics overview

Business Activity Analytics is a feature that transforms your security cameras into powerful monitoring devices that help optimize business operations. Business Activity Analytics allows business owners to better understand traffic patterns and improve their business operations.

Requirements

The following Alarm.com video cameras are compatible with BAA:

  • ADC-V523/523X
  • ADC-V723/723X
  • ADC-V724/724X
  • ADC-VC727P
  • ADC-VC827P
  • ADC-VC728PF
  • ADC-VC838PF
  • ADC-VC847PF

For information about these cameras and the requirements to use Business Activity Analytics, contact your service provider.

Camera placement

Business Activity Analytics is only possible due to object detection algorithms found within BAA-compatible cameras. In order for BAA to function correctly, the following requirements must be met:

  • Place the camera at an elevated height so that it can be angled downwards on areas of interest. The camera angle should not exceed 60 degrees.
  • Verify that no objects or people are obstructing the view of a person that should be detected.
    Top-down mounted camera:
    BAA top-down angle.png

    Note: A top-down angle of view is recommended for optimal performance for people-counting.

    Less than 60° mounted camera:
    BAA 60-degree angle.png

    Note: The larger the angle, the higher the probability of false negatives.

  • Verify the lighting supports proper functionality.
    • During the day, verify that the camera view makes it easy to recognize and distinguish people.
    • During the night, verify that the camera's IR lighting stays unobstructed by other light sources/reflections that prevent object detection from working as intended.

BAA rule types

Business Activity Analytics features five individual rules to help businesses collect specific data and receive alerts that matter. Rules may support alerting and reports. Read below for a summary of each rule and what it supports. All notifications and reports are available for both single system and multi-system accounts.

Important: Verify the camera's field of view covers the full person to ensure maximum accuracy of the BAA rule. Any obstacle in the way of the tripwire or ground zone based rules may affect its accuracy.

BAA rule features matrix
Feature Heat Mapping Occupancy + People Counting People Counting Crowd Gathering Queue Monitoring
Rule Type Ground Zone Tripwire Tripwire Ground Zone Ground Zone
Reports - Check Check Check Check
Heat Mapping Page Check - - - -
Report Frequency - Weekly Daily, weekly, monthly Weekly Daily, weekly, monthly
Thresholds - Check - Check Check
Notifications - Check Check Check Check
Max rules per camera 1* 3 3 3 3

 

* Note: A single camera can only have one Heat Mapping rule, but two additional analytics rules (i.e., BAA or Video Analytics) can also be created for the same camera.

Rule creation

Business Activity Analytics rules may be set up using the Alarm.com customer website or Alarm.com app. Using the Alarm.com customer website is recommended because users can more easily draw areas of interest and tripwires.

To configure BAA rule reports and notifications:

Common BAA rules and reports usage

The table below highlights how business owners commonly implement BAA to optimize their business.

User Intention

BAA Rule Type

Explanation 

I want to see which part of my business is the liveliest throughout the week. Heat Maps Heat Maps distinguish the most popular locations within a virtual ground zone. Higher activity zones are shown in red while lower activity zones are shown in blue.
I want to track the total number of visitors within my business. Occupancy + People Counting  Occupancy + People Counting rules keep track of the total number of visitors on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
I want to track the peak time and peak number of visitors within my business. Occupancy + People Counting  Occupancy + People Counting rules keep track of the peak time and peak number of visitors on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
I want to know if the total number of visitors within my business exceeds a certain number.  Occupancy + People Counting  Occupancy + People Counting rules keep track of the number of times the occupancy exceeds a user-set threshold on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
My business has multiple entrances and I want to see which entrance is the most often used.  People Counting People Counting rules can be used to count the number of people passing through each entrance. 
I want to see how visitors move around my business. People Counting  People Counting rules can be used to count the number of people passing through each tripwire. Visitor movement can be determined by comparing the number of entrances shown by multiple People Counting rules.
I want to know the average wait time of my visitors who are waiting in queue. Queue Monitoring  Queue Monitoring rules allow users to learn key insights (such as average wait time) about their queue.
I want to know the average number of visitors waiting in queue.  Queue Monitoring  Queue Monitoring rules allow users to learn key insights (such as average number of customers) about their queue.
I want to know the average number of visitors within a given area of interest. Crowd Gathering  Crowd Gathering rules allow users to create virtual ground zones which measure the average number of visitors within the ground zone. 
I recently added a new attraction (live music, demonstration, arcade, etc.) and want to know the most popular times that visitors gather around the attraction. Crowd Gathering  Crowd Gathering rules allow users to create virtual ground zones which measure the liveliest times within the ground zone. 
Common BAA notifications usage

Business Activity Analytics offers live notifications for users. These notifications are based on BAA rules and will notify the user either through text or email based on user preference.

User Intention

BAA Notification Type

Explanation 

I want to be notified when the number of people within my store exceeds a certain number. Occupancy + People Counting  Occupancy + People Counting notifications will send out an alert if the number of people within a business exceeds a user-defined threshold.
I want to be notified when the number of people in queue exceeds a certain number.  Queue Monitoring  Queue Monitoring notifications will send out an alert if the total number of people within a queue exceeds a user-defined threshold.
I want to be notified when the wait time of a queue exceeds a certain time.  Queue Monitoring  Queue Monitoring notifications will send out an alert if the wait time within a queue exceeds a user-defined threshold.
I want to be notified when the number of people within an area of interest exceeds a certain number. Crowd Gathering  Crowd Gathering will send out an alert if the number of people within a ground zone exceeds a user-defined threshold. 
  1. Log into the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click DetailsOn the Business Activity Analytics card.
  3. Click Reports or Notifications.
  4. Click the desired report or notification and configure it as desired.

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