Venice readies system for counting visitors

(ANSA) - Venice, February 7 - Venice Tourism Councillor Paola Mar and Venis CEO Paolo Bettio presented a system on Friday that will monitor the number of visitors to the city using 34 sensors positioned along major pedestrian thoroughfares. Mar said the system uses sensors, cameras, and wifi to "constantly monitor the situation" and sends data every 0.25 seconds to identify the number of people present at any certain moment and how fast they are moving.
    "This way we can predict when pedestrians will arrive in a certain critical point and create a detour ahead of time in order to avoid blocking pedestrian circulation," Mar said.
    Bettio said the system will respect visitors' privacy while allowing the city to understand "where visitors come from, how long they stay in the city, and to distinguish tourists from commuters".