Minutes:
Graham Rose, Strategic Senior Policy Officer:
a) presented Performance Scrutiny Committee with an insight into the Geo-sense footfall data available to City of Lincoln Council and partners
b) invited members comments and questions.
Question: Members asked whether the range of the sensors would reach the opposite side of the road if they were placed on the other for example.
Response: The sensors had a good range and could cover a large area. For example, the sensor located outside Boots would cover the area to the railway crossing on the High Street up to M&S.
Question: Members asked if the sensors could recognise if a person had left an area.
Response: The sensors did know when a person had left an area so data could be gathered on how long people were spending in certain areas.
Question: Members asked if the system would know if each person was a new visitor or a repeat visitor.
Response: The system has the functionality to determine whether an individual had been detected before or whether they were a new visitor.
Question: Members asked how repeat visitors could be checked as the only way to recognise repeat visitors was by their MAC address.
Question: Was it possible to see where people had travelled from to arrive in Lincoln?
Response: No, we were not able to tell anything about the person.
Question: Members asked the life expectancy of the sensors.
Response: The sensors were purchased with a maintenance agreement attached to them so if one of them failed then it would be replaced straight away. The cost of the system was low.
Question: Members asked if there was any chance of an income stream from this.
Response: No as the data was owned by Lincoln Big.
Question: Members asked whether the system would pick up multiple people if one person walked down the street with a smart phone, smart watch and a tablet.
Response: Yes, this would pick up three people as the system would pick up three MAC addresses from the different devices.
Question: Members asked if signs needed to be put up to say that visitors were entering an area which was monitored.
Response: No as it was no different than providing free WIFI within the City. It was very hard to track a MAC address back to an individual.
RESOLVED that:
Supporting documents: