occupancylevels

Occupancylevels refer to how many people occupy a space at a given time, or what fraction of the space’s capacity is in use. The concept is used in facilities management, city planning, hospitality, retail, and event management to gauge space utilization, plan services, and ensure safety and comfort. Occupancy can be expressed as an absolute count or as a percentage of capacity, often called the occupancy rate or occupancy load.

Current occupancy is typically measured by manual headcounts, sensor networks, badge or ticket data, Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth proximity data, or video analytics. In building design and safety codes, the maximum number of occupants is known as the occupant load, calculated from floor area and occupant load factors defined by code documents. Understanding present occupancy relative to a designed capacity informs decisions about ventilation, lighting, and temperature control, enabling dynamic energy management and service provisioning.

Applications include optimizing HVAC and lighting by adjusting to occupancy, planning for egress and crowd management in emergencies, allocating space for events, and analyzing space utilization patterns over time. Limitations include potential counting errors, privacy concerns, and sensor sensitivity to arrangement and behavior. Data practices emphasize anonymization and compliance with privacy laws.

Related concepts include capacity, occupant density, load factor, and crowd management.