I'm a fellow New Yorker, and have been familiar with Placemeter for a while. Really like the concept, seems like it could grow in a ton of different directions.
Maybe it's there on the site and I just missed it, but what is the one-liner overview of how the sensor works? Does it detect mobile devices?
I couldn't find it anywhere on their site, but when I googled, I found their FAQ page. Apparently the sensor is really just a pre-configured ip camera. Per their faq page, you could even use your own ip camera, or send them video files. They process the videos and provide you with access to the data through an API.
I'm a bit less excited about this now. I thought this was something like an advanced motion sensor, with some processing built in to distinguish between people, bikes, and cars.
The one liner is right below the larger headline on the landing page, perhaps we should've made it more prominent: "The Placemeter Sensor measures pedestrian, vehicle, and bicycle traffic in real-time."
Maybe it's there on the site and I just missed it, but what is the one-liner overview of how the sensor works? Does it detect mobile devices?