A Light Bulb Goes On, Over the Mall
Using a combination of LEDs and big data technology, public lighting is the potential backbone of a system that could use billions of fixtures to collect data about traffic congestion at an intersection or a consumer walking down the cereal aisle, to name just a couple of applications.
Sensity Systems, a small start-up that builds and manages smart-lighting networks, is announcing on Monday that it has attracted money and partnerships from a group of major businesses, including Simon Property Group, the leading mall developer; General Electric; Cisco; and Acuity Brands, a leading maker of LED lighting.
Simon has begun adding cameras to read and analyze traffic and pedestrian patterns in its parking lots and plans to design and test a parking spot locator, said Tim Earnest, executive vice president for mall operations.
Simon recently ran a test with Swirl and its own beacon network, Mobiquity, that showed that a relatively high proportion of customers would move from the common areas of the mall to Lord & Taylor if they received an offer for a deal there. For executives at Simon, the addition of Sensity’s network will allow them to have contact with customers as they come into the properties until they leave.
Executives say they are excited by the prospect of broader adoption of these tracking abilities, but privacy advocates have raised concerns about the technology racing ahead of considerations about how to use it responsibly. Mr. Reece acknowledged that concern, saying that most retailers were designing their programs so that shoppers would opt in.
See the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/technology/a-light-bulb-goes-on-over-the-mall.html?_r=0