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Surveillance Cameras Used To Study Customer Behavior

Posted by samzenpus on from the unseen-mechanized-eye dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Technology Review reports on a startup with software used by stores to track, count and log people captured by security cameras. Prism Skylab's technology can produce heatmaps showing where people went and produce other statistics that the company claims offer tracking and analytics like those used online for the real world. One use case is for businesses to correlate online promotions and deals — such as Groupon offers — with real world footfall and in-store behavior."

5 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Re:soon: citizens with rfid to be tracked by every by TheSpoom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think this story illustrates that the RFID is completely unnecessary.

    --
    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs
  2. The outrage... by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You know with all the outrage Slashdot has with this type of stuff...
    You got to admit it is pretty cool use of computer science....

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:The outrage... by scot4875 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You got to admit it is pretty cool use of computer science....

      No, we don't. I had the opportunity upon completion of my degree in computer science to go work for the NSA. I chose not to because I don't believe that's a "cool" use of my ability. Similarly, the work being done here is by people with dubious ethics.

      I suppose that you'd think that malware is a "cool" use of computer science as well because of all the work and research that goes into producing it?

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
  3. Possible Abuse Pattern by roguegramma · · Score: 3, Insightful

    step 1: observe correlation: the more time people spend in your store, the more they buy

    step 2: optimize placement of stuff so that people stay longer in store

    step 3: profit!

    side effect: waste time of peoples' time.

    --
    Hey don't blame me, IANAB
  4. Re:soon: citizens with rfid to be tracked by every by Dhalka226 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You're complaining that he pronounced the acronym? That's a pretty common thing in English, at least in the last few decades.

    Unless you say L-A-S-E-R, N-A-T-O, A-I-D-S and S-C-U-B-A, among others--and though I don't know you, let me say I officially doubt it--then you're really just judging somebody over his decision on where to draw the line between acronyms that should be pronounced and those that should be spelled out. Frankly I have no problem with pronouncing any acronym that pronounces smoothly. (Yes, Slashdotters, I typically pronounce "SQL" -- run in abject horror!)