The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is a Hong Kong government department responsible for inspecting and enforcing the operation and safety of electricity and gas installations, railways and trams, lifts and escalators, amusement rides, working platforms on building sites, and more.

The Opportunity

The EMSD operates a 390-seat theatre inside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The theatre is a multi-purpose theatre hosting Cantonese opera, musical performances, lectures, seminars, ceremonies and multimedia presentations. The EMSD needed a dependable solution to improve occupancy management within the theatre to optimise the use of the environment and react in a timely manner to changing social distancing requirements in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Solution

IoTree and Thinxtra collaborated on an IoT-enabled solution to remotely monitor and track the tilt of each seat to assess occupancy in real-time. IoT sensors installed in the back of the seat remotely monitor how the angle of the seat changes, which indicates that the seat is occupied. Data captured by each sensor is shared over the Thinxtra 0G Network to a centralised data console. Insights on the console let building managers easily monitor temperature and ventilation inside the theatre to improve guest comfort and wellbeing. Seat occupancy is also mapped to the theatre’s floor plan and shown on a screen in the lobby so guests can check seat availability at-a-glance.

The Benefits

Since introducing IoTree’s IoT-enabled occupancy management solution, connected with Thinxtra’s 0G Network, the EMSD has achieved optimal occupancy in its theatre and guests have enjoyed a comfortable, safe, well-ventilated, temperature-controlled environment without any manual on-site monitoring procedures.