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Smart Retail People Flow Heatmap

See which shelves attract customers, which aisles get ignored — works with reCamera, IP cameras + AI boxes, pick the best fit for your store

Beginner15minSensing
recameraJetsonheatmapgrafanainfluxdbyoloprivacyanalyticsretail

What This Solution Does

Rearranging shelves and moving promotions around based on gut feeling rarely works well. This solution uses AI cameras to track customer movement and generate intuitive traffic distribution maps, showing you which areas are hot spots and which are dead zones — so you can make data-driven decisions for store operations.

And you don't have to stress about device selection — reCamera works out of the box for single-camera setups, while IP cameras + AI boxes can handle more channels. The same algorithm runs on different hardware with consistent results, so you can try before you commit.

Key Benefits

BenefitDetails
Find Hot SpotsSee at a glance which shelves attract the most customers — no need to review hours of footage
Discover Dead ZonesInstantly identify which aisles get ignored and which corners are overlooked
Compare Time PeriodsMorning vs evening, weekdays vs weekends — pull up historical data anytime
Flexible Device OptionsreCamera for quick single-camera setup, IP cameras + AI boxes for multi-channel coverage — mix and match to fit your budget

Use Cases

ScenarioHow to Use
Retail StoresSee which shelves customers linger at longest, place featured products in hot spots
Chain Store ExpansionValidate with reCamera at one location first, then scale with IP cameras + AI boxes across stores
Existing Camera UpgradeKeep your current IP cameras, add an AI box to enable heatmap analytics — no equipment replacement needed
Exhibition HallsFind the most popular exhibits and visitor paths, optimize future layouts

Requirements

Installation

  • Camera should be mounted high for a top-down view covering the target area
  • All devices must be on the same local network

Single-Channel Setup Tips

  • Camera distance to target: 3-5 meters
  • Target object size in frame: ideally >30×30 pixels

Deployment Comparison

OptionCore DeviceCamera ChannelsBest For
AI Camera DirectreCamera + reComputer R11001 per cameraQuick evaluation, small single-point area
Upgrade Existing CamerasIP camera + Jetson AI boxMultiple per boxLarge area coverage, keep existing cameras

Compute and Cost Notes

  • Light compute load: each box processes locally, server only aggregates data
  • IP camera + AI box throughput depends on box inference performance (scales with compute)
  • Fully local, no cloud fees

Usage Requirements

rtsp

reCamera or IP camera with RTSP stream

Deployment Options

Download & Install

Preset: Upgrade Existing Cameras {#jetson}

Already have IP cameras? Add an AI box (NVIDIA Jetson) to turn them into smart heatmap sensors — no need to replace your existing equipment.

DevicePurpose
NVIDIA Jetson (Orin series)Runs YOLO11 detection + Grafana + InfluxDB
IP Camera (RTSP)Any camera with RTSP stream output

What you'll get:

  • GPU-accelerated YOLO11 detection at ~18 FPS
  • Support for multiple RTSP cameras
  • Same Grafana dashboard and heatmap visualization

Requirements: NVIDIA Jetson with JetPack 6.x · Docker with NVIDIA runtime · RTSP IP camera on same network

Step 1: Deploy on Jetson {#jetson_deploy type=docker_deploy required=true config=devices/jetson.yaml}

Deploy the full stack (YOLO detector + InfluxDB + Grafana + MQTT) on Jetson via SSH.

Target: Remote Jetson {#jetson_remote type=remote config=devices/jetson.yaml default=true}

Deploy to Jetson via SSH. First-time TensorRT engine compilation takes 2-5 minutes.

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Connection timeoutCheck network, verify Jetson IP with ping
NVIDIA runtime errorRun nvidia-smi on Jetson to confirm GPU access
No video feedVerify RTSP URL with ffprobe rtsp://...
Slow first startupTensorRT engine compilation (one-time, 2-5 min)

Step 2: View Dashboard {#jetson_dashboard type=manual required=false}

Open the Grafana dashboard to see real-time detection data.

How to Do It

  1. Open http://<jetson-ip>:3000 — login admin / admin
  2. Live video feed: http://<jetson-ip>:5001 — MJPEG stream with detection boxes

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Dashboard shows no dataWait 1-2 minutes for first data points to arrive
Cannot open GrafanaRun docker ps on Jetson to check services

Deployment Complete

Your Jetson heatmap system is running!

Access your services:

  • Data Dashboard: http://<jetson-ip>:3000 — Grafana charts and trends
  • Live Detection: http://<jetson-ip>:5001 — YOLO detection with heatmap overlay

Preset: AI Camera Direct {#recamera}

Plug in a reCamera and start tracking — the camera handles AI detection on its own, just add a computer for the dashboard.

DevicePurpose
reCameraAI camera that detects people and sends location data
Computer or reComputer R1100Runs Grafana dashboard + InfluxDB

What you'll get:

  • View daily/weekly traffic trends with charts
  • Customize dashboard layout
  • Export data for analysis

Requirements: Docker installed · Same network for all devices

Step 1: Start Data Dashboard {#backend type=docker_deploy required=true config=devices/backend.yaml}

Start the data storage and chart display services on your computer (or a dedicated server).

Target: Run on This Computer {#backend_local type=local config=devices/backend.yaml default=true}

Wiring

Wiring

Make sure Docker Desktop is installed and running, with at least 2GB free disk space.

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Port conflict errorClose the program using port 8086 or 3000
Docker not startingOpen Docker Desktop application
Stops after startingMake sure you have at least 4GB RAM

Target: Run on Another Device {#backend_remote type=remote config=devices/backend_remote.yaml}

Wiring

Wiring

FieldExample
Device IP192.168.1.100 or reComputer-R110x.local
Usernamerecomputer
Password12345678

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Connection timeoutCheck network cable, test with ping
SSH authentication failedVerify username and password

Step 2: Connect Camera to Dashboard {#recamera type=recamera_nodered required=true config=devices/recamera.yaml}

Tell reCamera where to send the traffic data.

Wiring

  1. USB connection: IP address 192.168.42.1, plug and play
  2. Network/WiFi: Find reCamera's IP in your router admin page
  3. Enter reCamera IP and Dashboard Server IP (from Step 1)

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Cannot connectUSB: use 192.168.42.1; Network: check router for IP
No data showingMake sure Step 1 completed; camera and server on same network

Step 3: Map Heatmap to Floor Plan (Optional) {#heatmap type=manual required=false}

By default, the heatmap shows the camera's perspective. To display it on your store's actual floor plan, use the built-in calibration tool.

How to Do It

  1. Open http://<server-ip>:8080 in your browser
  2. Click the gear icon (top-right corner) to open calibration settings
  3. Upload a camera screenshot (left side) and your floor plan image (right side)
  4. Click 4 matching reference points on the camera view, then the same 4 spots on the floor plan
  5. Click Save — calibration is applied immediately

Tips: Choose widely-spaced landmarks like corners, pillars, or doorways as reference points.

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Heatmap doesn't align wellRe-open settings, click Reset, and recalibrate with better reference points
Calibration lost after clearing browser dataOpen settings and recalibrate — settings are stored in your browser

Skip This If

You only want to see the camera-view heatmap without mapping to a floor plan.

Deployment Complete

Your heatmap dashboard is ready!

Access your services:

  • Data Dashboard: http://<server-ip>:3000 — login admin / admin, view traffic charts and trends
  • Live Heatmap: http://<server-ip>:8080 — real-time heatmap overlay (calibrate via gear icon)

Both services start automatically with Step 1.

Having issues?

  • No data? Check that reCamera is connected (Step 2)
  • Can't open pages? Run docker ps to check services are running
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Smart Retail People Flow Heatmap