Spot a sensor in the office, and the first thought is, “Am I being watched?” Legal teams see monitoring and ask, “Are we compliant?” IT worries about another data stream. HR thinks about morale. Deloitte reports only 37% of employees fully trust their organization with workforce data. That’s a big trust gap - and it slows buy-in, efficiency, and savings.
Occupancy detectors fix that. They measure rooms, not people. The right tech counts presence, not identity. Pair anonymous sensors with short data retention and clear notices. You get actionable insights to optimize space and cut costs. At the same time, you’re building trust across your team.
Privacy-first occupancy detectors show peak usage, dwell time, and no-show rates. They never store faces, names, or movement paths. You get the analytics you need for cleaning, energy, and bookings. Plus, the data expires quickly - in weeks, not years.
Trust starts with transparency. Employees need to see clearly what you measure, why you do it, and how long that data sticks around. A simple privacy notice explaining your lawful basis goes far.
GDPR and similar rules mean you need a real reason for collecting occupancy data. Most organizations use legitimate interest - like optimizing space or cutting energy. But there’s a balance. Only collect what you need, and don’t keep it longer than necessary.
GDPR makes data minimization non-negotiable. Building owners should pull in only what’s needed to keep operations smooth - there’s no reason to build a surveillance record.
A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) documents your decisions. It shows risk, your plan to reduce it, and proves you’ve considered other options. Even if GDPR doesn’t apply directly, a DPIA builds trust with employees and gives your legal team a clear roadmap.
Short data retention is a strong trust signal. If you only hold data for 30 or 60 days, you’re showing employees there’s no intention to keep permanent records. You’re focused on ops, not tracking anyone’s history.
Let people know before you put up sensors. Post notices in spaces. Send a quick email explaining what the sensors do - and don’t do. Give employees room to ask questions. When people learn that privacy-first sensors log only presence and patterns, not identity, resistance drops - fast.
Not every sensor works the same way. Some grab extra data. Others demand lots of oversight. Here’s a quick rundown:
Camera systems use computer vision to count people. Modern ones skip faces and store only headcounts. Still, staff see a camera and feel watched.
Cameras need strict rules - who accesses footage, how long you store it, what to do if someone wants it deleted. Some countries require explicit consent. Compliance is heavy.
Wi-Fi analytics track devices by scanning MAC addresses. The goal is to map dwell time and movement. But MAC randomization scrambles the data. Modern phones randomize addresses, so tracking isn’t reliable.
You also have to ask if you’re tracking personal devices without consent. Are employees aware? Some companies need opt-in, which ruins passive sensing. Wi-Fi can fill gaps, but it’s not a solid primary solution.
Bages track entries, so you know who arrived and left. Handy for headcount, but badge data doesn’t show room-level use. Someone can badge in and out, but no idea where they went.
Badges miss visitors, contractors, and people without access. Optimizing rooms or cafeterias? Badge logs won’t help much.
Privacy sensors use thermal imaging, depth, or radar, but never identify people. They just count presence and track movement, not identity.
Occuspace sensors use wireless scanning, install quickly (1-2 days), and integrate cleanly with BMS/IWMS. No cameras, no personal data, just real-time, anonymous analytics.
Thermal sensors catch heat signatures. They work for seated spaces but struggle when rooms are tightly packed.
Radar sensors track movement and distance with precision, in any light. They give you dwell time and patterns - never personal data.
Depth sensors map 3D distance. Again, no images saved. You get counts and patterns, stay privacy-compliant.
All generate only aggregate data:
You never see names or faces. That’s why they’re great for smart buildings that value privacy.
How you store data is as important as how you collect it. Good governance protects trust and privacy.
Short retention periods matter:
Start with brief aggregation windows - 5 to 15 minutes. You get enough detail without building a minute-by-minute log. It’s also harder to reverse-engineer behavior from these chunks.
Store everything at room or zone level, not at the sensor level. For example, “Conference Room B had 6 people for 45 minutes.” That’s all you need. It’s useful, not intrusive.
Share summary metrics only. Dashboards should focus on:
Raw sensor data? Keep it in the backend for admins.
Role-based access keeps data secure:
Set roles and stick to them.
Occupancy data fuels smart decisions. Here’s where you’ll see wins:
Auto-Release Ghost Bookings
Ghost bookings eat up space. Someone reserves a room and never shows. Sensors find no-shows and release the space. More rooms open up, no policy changes needed.
Demand-Based Cleaning
Old cleaning schedules assume every room is in use every day. Sensors show real traffic, so you clean based on use. High-traffic gets extra care; unused areas get skipped. Labor costs drop, and clean stays consistent.
Some teams trigger cleaning as soon as occupancy hits a certain number. Rooms hosting a few meetings get cleaned; empty rooms don’t. It’s all tied to actual use.
Lighting and Demand-Controlled Ventilation
Lighting and HVAC waste energy in empty rooms. Sensors give real-time data, so lights dim and HVAC adjusts as soon as a space empties out.
Smart sensors can cut HVAC energy use by up to 30%. Demand-controlled ventilation tailors fresh air to occupancy. Instead of running full blast, systems scale up and down in real time.
You need the right numbers to prove occupancy detectors deliver. Here are the KPIs that count:
Peak Usage and Average Occupancy
Peak usage pinpoints your busiest hours. Average occupancy shows how busy spaces are week by week. Together, they help you right-size your footprint. If a building peaks at 60% full, you probably have space to spare.
Dwell Time by Zone
Dwell time is how long someone stays. Short in halls, long in meetings. Dwell time analytics help design spaces that match real work habits.
No-Show Rate and Auto-Released Hours
No-show rate shows missed bookings. High rates signal gaps between schedules and reality. Track how many hours you auto-release rooms. See exactly how much capacity you’re getting back.
Energy per Occupied Hour
Energy per occupied hour normalizes energy based on use. If you cut total use but occupancy drops, maybe you’re just using less space. This KPI confirms that efficiency is improving—not just occupancy dropping.
Room Availability Uplift
Room availability measures how often a space is ready when needed. Auto-releasing rooms increases availability - no extra build-out or space required. Watch this metric before and after rollout to prove your case.
Occupancy detectors shine when they integrate with your current systems. Goal: create a feedback loop where live data drives actions, automatically.
Start by comparing foot traffic with meeting schedules. Find no-shows, chronic overbookers, and underused spaces. You’ll spot new ways to balance workloads and cut costs fast.
Feed occupancy data into IWMS to fine-tune space allocation. If one floor's at capacity and another is empty, shift teams or consolidate. Utilization data unlocks savings and trims costs.
Link sensors to your BMS for real-time controls. When people enter, adjust lights and air. When they leave, scale systems back. That’s on-demand energy - waste drops, comfort stays high.
Bring in HR, Legal, and IT from the start:
When teams align up front, rollout is smooth and adoption is high.
Want more details? Explore our Solutions for deployment options, or read about our smart building tech approach.
Sensors measure presence, not identity. Thermal sensors catch heat, radar sees motion and distance, and depth sensors map space - never images. There’s no capture of faces or names. You see how many people use a room, for how long, and that’s it.
Hold occupancy data for as long as you need it. The longer you keep it, the more you see. Seasonal swings, holiday effects, budget cycles, and year-over-year patterns all get clearer with time. Collect it with privacy-first sensors, and you’ll stay fully compliant with data privacy laws.
Send aggregated counts into booking and cleaning systems. Use role-based access to control details. Auto-release rooms on no-shows, trigger cleaning after busy stretches. Keep raw sensor data for admins only. You get the benefits - never the personal data.
HR: Approve your privacy notice. Legal: Review DPIA, retention policy, and the legal basis. IT: Approve security, integrations, and access controls. Having all three teams ready upfront makes deployment fast and trusted.
Now’s the time to act. Empty desks cost real money. Ghost bookings waste space. Energy runs in empty rooms. Surveillance? That does more harm than good.
Occupancy detectors give real insights - room-level, privacy-first, no tracking individuals. Pair sensors with quick data expiry and clear rules. You boost trust. You optimize space. You save dollars. Proven tech. Measurable benefits. Compliance that just works.
Occuspace delivers privacy-first sensors that work with your systems. They report presence and patterns only. No faces, names, or private info. Get live data in 1-2 days.
See our Solutions to see it in action. Learn about our Privacy standards. Check practical applications for real results.
Ready to go? Contact us to plan your rollout.
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