# People counting & space use Understand demand, compare spaces and bring visit patterns into planning. Reviewed: 2026-10-15 Source: https://facilitysight.io/product-reference#people-counting Measure entries, exits and visits at entrances, or occupancy in rooms and defined areas with suitable sensors. Explore traffic at different intervals, hour-of-day and day-of-week comparisons, and seasonal changes. Current, average and maximum occupancy describe use of the measured space; they are different from a total of visits over a period. Compare entrances, rooms and branches over consistent periods to inform opening hours, service coverage, space layout and resource discussions. When opening periods differ, account for them before comparing raw totals. Counts provide evidence for a decision; a change in visits alone does not establish its cause. Supported sensors provide aggregate adult/child estimates. Turnaround and repeated-movement filtering reduces unwanted movement counts at the counting line. These measurements do not identify returning patrons or count unique people. Exclude staff movements from visitor totals using Bluetooth fobs or specialty lanyards with black-and-white or red-and-white stripes. Staff exclusion requires a compatible sensor setup. Pass-by counting measures people walking past an establishment without stopping. Compare passing traffic with visits inside while keeping the two measurements distinct. This requires suitable sensor coverage of the area being measured. People-counting data is anonymous before it leaves the sensor: no recorded video, stored images, captured faces or tracked identities. This applies to counting data; staff records, contact forms and photographs deliberately attached to Work Items have a different purpose and privacy scope. ## Buyer questions ### Can we compare busy times and different spaces? Yes. Review visit and occupancy patterns at different intervals, and compare entrances, rooms or branches over matching periods. The available measurements depend on the sensors and area covered. Visits over time and occupancy of a space are different measures. Details: [People counting & space use](https://facilitysight.io/product-reference#people-counting) ### Does filtering repeated movement identify returning visitors? No. Turnaround and repeated-movement filtering operates at the counting line. It does not recognize a returning patron or establish unique visitors. Adult/child figures are aggregate estimates from supported sensors, not personal profiles. Details: [People counting & space use](https://facilitysight.io/product-reference#people-counting) ### Can we exclude staff from visitor counts? Yes. With a compatible sensor setup, staff can use Bluetooth fobs or specialty lanyards with black-and-white or red-and-white stripes to keep their movements out of visitor totals. Details: [People counting & space use](https://facilitysight.io/product-reference#people-counting) ### Can we count people who pass by without stopping? Yes. With suitable sensor coverage, pass-by counting measures people walking past your establishment without stopping. Passing traffic is a separate measurement from visits inside. Details: [People counting & space use](https://facilitysight.io/product-reference#people-counting) ## Further reading - [People counting and occupancy](https://facilitysight.io/insights/real-time-occupancy) - [FacilitySight for libraries](https://facilitysight.io/libraries/people-counting) - [Sensor options](https://facilitysight.io/sensors)