Pedestrian Traffic – Manual and Intelligent Digital Counting

Pedestrian Traffic – Manual and Intelligent Digital Counting


Pedestrian Walkway

ARA conducts pedestrian counts two ways: traditional manual counts and Intelligent Digital Counting (IDC). While manual counts can provide spot information for quick turn-around and short-term outdoor counting, the IDC system uses custom-built cameras with a variety of lenses that give full visual coverage of a space. The IDC software then combines all the sensory input into a seamless field of vision. Our Exteros-powered software uses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret the data in the visual field to produce counts, demographics, dwell time and other behavior. The AI can even be customized to learn new attributes such as detection of a specific branded shopping bag so you can understand your traffic better than ever before.

ARA is currently monitoring pedestrian traffic on Wall Street and Lower Broadway for the Downtown Alliance.

Pedestrian Traffic Research Interface

Market Research

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While onsite audience studies profile current visitors, market research provides insights into the potential audience. Conducted by telephone, online and on smart devices, these surveys tell you who should be coming, but is not, and why. They estimate the potential market and any challenges that stand in the way of realizing that potential.

In addition to the quantitative methods, ARA conducts qualitative research in the form of focus groups, one-on-one depth interviews, and post-performance intercepts. In focus groups, we explore interests and attitudes, gauge reaction to marketing materials, find ways to talk about new missions, and generate new ideas. Individual depth interviews are useful where group dynamics may prevent complete disclosure. They are especially effective with high-end clients (donors and sponsors) and in business-to-business marketing situations where competition may exist.

Audience and Visitor Studies

Interviewing Outside Whitney Museum

The area where ARA first developed its extremely high standards for reducing non-response rate, our audience surveys and visitor intercepts present a near census level portrait of visitor geography, demographics, sources of information, media habits, and motivations for visiting.  Combining active collection with appropriate incentives, and careful sampling procedures, ARA has achieved very high responses rates in theatres, museums, festivals and other attractions.

Economic Impact Analysis

Photo: New Yorkled
Photo: New Yorkled

Arts organizations often have huge local impacts brought about by the spending of arts-motivated visitors, the labor-intensive nature of performing arts and museum exhibitions, and expenditures for local marketing, media and support services. ARA has helped many museums, film festivals, art shows, and tourist destinations obtain funding and other government support through analysis of the organization’s ongoing contribution to economic activity, job generation, and increased tax revenues. Our most recent economic impact study was for the New York Road Runners including the 2019 New York City Marathon.

Public Opinion

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Mayor Koch was fond of saying “How are I doing?” The truth is government officials and agencies, service organizations, trade associations, news media and individual businesses need to take the public’s pulse. ARA conducts public opinion surveys by phone, online and in personal interviews to evaluate the success of ongoing initiatives and test reaction to proposed policies. Often we target registered voters, and can do so in the languages people register to vote including Spanish, Chinese and Korean. Some studies are citywide – others in targeted neighborhoods. Recent examples include reaction to the Mayor’s Vision Zero campaign to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities for NYCDOT, sensitivity to changes in tipping vs. services charges when dining out for the New York Hospitality Alliance, and support for the Made in New York campaign for the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.