Visitor Flow Management via Real-Time Risk Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to effectively manage and anticipate the impact of visitor flow on indoor environments, such as museums and hospitals, leading to adverse effects on artwork preservation and patient safety due to uncontrolled temperature, humidity, and air quality changes caused by visitor presence.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a wireless sensor network to collect real-time data on visitor presence and environmental conditions, generating risk maps through computational fluid dynamics and human body modeling, and alerting staff to take proactive measures to adjust airflow, temperature, and humidity to mitigate these impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air conditioning systems are used to control temperature and humidity, then environmental conditions are maintained, but the systems can only react to changes after they have already occurred
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by using CFD modeling to predict future environmental conditions based on current visitor flow patterns. The risk map identifies potential hotspots and environmental degradation before they occur, allowing air conditioning systems to be adjusted proactively rather than reactively, thus maintaining reliability while reducing response time delays
2Reliability
If objects are packaged in enclosures to protect them from environmental fluctuations, then artwork is protected, but aesthetic appreciation is altered and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the protection function from physical enclosures and transfers it to the environmental control system. By using CFD modeling and risk maps to predict and control environmental conditions, the artwork remains exposed and aesthetically accessible while being protected through proactive environmental management rather than physical barriers
Solution Approach 2:
The risk map and CFD modeling system acts as an intermediary between visitor flow and environmental conditions. Instead of directly enclosing artwork, the system mediates environmental fluctuations through predictive modeling and coordinated air conditioning adjustments, protecting artwork while maintaining aesthetic accessibility
3Productivity
If visitor flow is increased to improve museum accessibility, then more people can appreciate art, but environmental conditions deteriorate faster
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic environmental control that adapts to real-time visitor flow patterns. The CFD model continuously updates the risk map based on current occupancy, and air conditioning settings are dynamically adjusted to counteract the thermal and humidity load from visitors, enabling high visitor throughput without environmental degradation
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where visitor flow data feeds into the CFD model, which generates updated risk maps that inform air conditioning adjustments. This closed-loop control enables the system to respond to changing visitor patterns and maintain environmental conditions even as visitor throughput increases
4Reliability
If isolation precautions are taken to reduce infection risk, then patient safety is improved, but costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by creating zone-specific risk maps that identify areas with high infection risk based on visitor flow patterns and airflow dynamics. Instead of implementing universal isolation precautions throughout the facility, resources are concentrated in specific high-risk zones, improving patient safety while reducing overall resource consumption
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for managing visitor flow in environments on which the visitors can have an impact are provided. In one aspect, a method for managing visitor flow in an indoor space is includes the steps of: obtaining real-time data from a wireless sensor network present in the indoor space, wherein the data indicates a presence/number of visitors in the indoor space and an environmental condition(s) in the indoor space; creating a risk map using the real-time data which indicates an impact the presence/number of visitors have on the environmental conditions in the indoor space; and generating an alert whenever the risk map indicates that the presence/number of visitors have greater than a predefined threshold impact on the environmental conditions in the indoor space. Systems for managing visitor flow in indoor spaces such as a gallery of a museum or a room in a hospital are also provided.