Abstract: A method and apparatus for rostering staff in a service region such as a supermarket (10) in which required staff numbers for a checkout (16), for instance, depends upon demand for that function at a selected time. The method including the steps of determining (18, 30) the number of persons entering at least one area in the region (12, 14), calculating the estimated time each person will spend in that area dependant upon selected factors and predicting future demands for staff for a selected portion of time ahead. The required number of staff can then be supplied to the checkout in time to cater for the predicted demand or redeployed to another area.

Abstract: An object recognition and tracking system having detector arrays (60, 70), each detector array (60, 70) including a first type of detector (95) and a second type of detector (96). The first type of detector (95) detects the presence of an object such as by changing contrast boundaries and hence objects (91, 92) that move in a detector space (90) and the second type of detector (96) focuses in on the defined object (91, 92) and to recognize, identify or record it. The detectors (95, 96) may be video, radar, microwave, radio frequency, infrared, millimeter wave, or transponder interrogators or a combination of these. Tracking of objects (91, 92) between adjoining detector spaces (90, 90) may also be done.