Computer vision at the edge is unlocking actionable insights that produce organizational outcomes in five key areas. Here’s the enabler you need to realize those benefits.
I’m a visual learner. As it turns out, I’m not alone. About 65%1 of people learn visually. That makes the time-tested adage, “a picture paints a thousand words,” truer than ever. Visual images contain a wealth of information.
A few years back, Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research did an interesting extrapolation2. He posited that, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a 2-minute video is worth 3.6 million words. Video provides extraordinary visual value and as a result, more and more organizations are leveraging computer vision at the edge to capitalize on that value for their business.
Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems to derive meaningful information from digital images, videos and other visual inputs. According to Deloitte’s State of AI in the Enterprise survey3 enterprises that scale AI are 7X more likely to be the fastest growing in their industry. The edge is key. The Global AI Adoption Index4 shows that 90 percent of IT professionals need to run their AI projects where the data resides—at the edge.
Computer vision at the edge is revolutionizing video-based information by extracting those “3.6 million words” and translating them into actionable insights in near real-time. In turn, those insights are helping organizations generate next-level business outcomes in five key areas.
1. Personnel and facility safety
Computer vision at the edge can greatly enhance personnel and facility safety. Think about going to see your favorite musician in concert or your favorite sports team play at your local stadium. At the edge, cameras throughout the venue are streaming video while AI analyzes it in real time. Factors like crowd size, crowd movement, and potential disturbance are monitored using automated alerts so that security personnel can more proactively safeguard fans and employees.
Additionally, computer vision at the edge can be used to protect employees in manufacturing environments. Computer vision helps identify if employees are wearing the right protective gear or get too close to a piece of dangerous equipment.
2. Customer experience
Consumers are growing less patient. Take quick service restaurants (QSR), where speed is an important part of customer experience and expectation. A report5 of wait times at the drive-through window shows that 20% of restaurant customers are annoyed after waiting two minutes to order, rising to 70% for an order wait time of five minutes. Computer vision at the edge can automate detection and alerts based on customer arrivals and wait times so that QSRs can react in real time, minimize customer queues and improve customer experiences.
3. Operational efficiency
A few years back, it was estimated that manufacturing wastes about 20% of every dollar spent6, which adds up to $8 trillion per year globally. This waste is not physical, but rather economic waste based on the opportunity cost of inefficiencies. Computer vision at the edge is changing that, helping manufacturers use detection, inspection, prevention and real-time feedback to optimize speed, accuracy and process integration to enhance operations. As a result, manufacturers can improve production yields and boost revenue and profit margin.
4. Sustainability
Computer vision at the edge is uncovering new opportunities to increase sustainability. For example, computer vision can monitor and control the lighting, heating and cooling of a building or facility. This can improve energy efficiency, reduce the carbon footprint of a facility and decrease its environmental impact. At airports, computer vision at the edge can ensure the right personnel and equipment are at the gate when a flight arrives to decrease aircraft idling time and reduce emissions.
5. Revenue enhancement
Across industries, customer experience drives customer loyalty. Computer vision at the edge can elevate customer experiences. In brick-and-mortar retailers, out-of-stock levels are a leading cause of customer frustration and defection as 70%7 of customers will switch retailers after three stockout experiences. And out-of-stocks cost retailers $1.1 trillion per year8 globally. That’s because out-of-stock levels are 8-10%9 and double that for on-sale items. Computer vision at the edge can help. By using image detection capabilities, retailers can get alerts when product inventory is running low, avoid negative customer experiences and boost in-store revenue.
In addition, retailers can use computer vision at the edge to more clearly understand the customer’s buying journey. This creates opportunities to improve customer service interaction, point of sale information and store layout, thereby improving revenue and profitability per shopper.
From the art of the possible to the practical
Dell Technologies works with thousands of customers around the world and has dedicated computer vision labs. That’s where Dell Validated Design happens—a rigorous process for designing and testing customer-defined workloads. Many organizations struggle to implement solutions because application testing, multiple solution integration, optimization, and the ability to scale up and out are time-consuming and arduous tasks. The Dell Validated Design process does the upfront, heavy lifting for customers.
Dell Validated Designs connects multiple ISVs (independent software vendors) and partners to optimize application-based solutions that answer customer needs. An application undergoes at-scale validation and test-to-fail phases, which generate a design guide, implementation guide and a sizing tool to help customer deployments from day one. Applications are available in Dell’s Customer Solution Centers and Executive Briefing Centers for virtual and live demos. Customers can also bring in their data and run the application in Dell’s Proof of Concept centers.
For computer vision at the edge, our industry-specific Dell Validated Design solutions leverage a hyperconverged platform, accelerating customer deployments while minimizing risks to provide customers with better quality insights, faster. We strive to help customers capture the tremendous value in computer vision at the edge so that organizations, like most of us, can become visual learners too. But for organizations, the stakes are sky-high, with the potential for business outcomes in five key areas that can deliver a 7X competitive advantage.
Learn more via “Seeing the Bigger Picture: Transforming Data Insights into Increased Profitability and Growth.”
Listen to “Beyond the Platform: An Outcome Driven Computer Vision Strategy.”
How to “Reduce Risk with Dell Technologies Validated Design for Computer Vision.”
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