Manual Count

Manual counting is where a person counts the number individuals entering an area, or vehicles travelling down a road, rather than an automatic counting system. It is much less accurate than automatic systems, provides limited data and incurs many more labour costs. Hand-held tally counters are often used in manual counting. Alternatively a tally counter app on a mobile phone may be used or even people making ticks on paper sheets.

Researchers have found that manual counts with either sheets or clickers systematically underestimated pedestrian volumes. The error rates ranged from 8% to 25%. This compares to our measured error rate of 2% to 5% for automatic video counting using ai-powered software. Additionally, the error rates for manual countings were greater at the beginning and at the end of the observation period, possibly because of the observer's lack of familiarity with the tasks or fatigue.

Christof Kutschera et al, in a their paper on automating people counting, say that manually counting may suit short counting spells for low to medium people densities. But for longer durations or dense traffic the data gathered using a manual approach is often either not representative or is inaccurate.

Automated counts offer several advantages over manual counts, including the ability to collect data for longer periods and to track changes in volume over time.

To learn more about a long-term, cost-effective, counting solution, contact us.