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Video analytics for gas stations on the cameras you already have
How many cars wait under the canopy, how long each fuel dispenser takes per fill-up, who drove in and with which license plate. We also watch the fuel delivery area while a tanker is unloading, and the site at night. We configure the rules for your station and run them on the cameras you already have.
- Queue length and service time for each fuel dispenser, by hour of day
- A log of arrivals with license plate, frame and time spent on site
- An event card when cars are fueled or outsiders stand near the dispensers during a fuel delivery
Where the industry hurts
Problems we have seen at sites in this industry.
Drivers see the queue from the road, the report never does
The POS system knows how many liters were sold. It does not know how many cars turned around after seeing the line under the canopy. So shift schedules and the number of open registers are set by guesswork.
Fuel delivery calls for stricter rules than usual
Fire safety rules for gas stations prohibit fueling vehicles while petroleum products are unloaded from a tanker into a storage tank, and the unloading is supervised by a station employee and the driver. In practice the operator stands by the tank hatch during this time and cannot see the dispensers. Order of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy No. 658 of 24.12.2008, section VII, ch. 1, cl. 20, 30
Unpaid fuel is tracked down in recordings after the shift
In the UK, the industry body BOSS estimates gas station losses from unpaid fuel at over £100 million a year. We found no Ukrainian data of that quality, but the mechanics are the same: to match a car, a dispenser and a receipt, someone reviews an hour of footage. British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS), About
Smoking and fuel cans get noticed by chance
Smoking on site outside designated areas is prohibited, and fuel may be dispensed only into a tank or approved cans, never into glass or plastic containers. The cashier sees the dispenser as one tile among many on the NVR monitor and glances at it between customers. Order of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy No. 658, section III cl. 12; section VII, ch. 1, cl. 29
At night the station runs on one operator
At a 24-hour gas station, one person staffs the store at night, while the back lot, the storage tanks and the truck parking go unwatched. There is a camera, and people look at it after something has already happened.
What the camera will notice
Every event reaches the person in charge as a card with a frame, and the log keeps the history.
| Event | What you get | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Long queue at the dispensers | An event card with a frame as soon as the queue under the canopy runs longer than your standard, plus an hourly picture of station load | Shift operator, station manager |
| Service time at each dispenser | How long a fill-up takes at each dispenser, by hour of day: you see where and when the station falls behind | Station manager, network |
| Vehicle arrival and departure with license plate, time on site | A log of passes with license plate, frame and how long each car spent on site | Station manager, security |
| Drive-off after fueling without payment | An event card with plate and frame when a fill-up at a dispenser has no matching payment at the register | Cashier, security |
| Checkout line in the store | An alert to the operator when the checkout line runs longer than your standard, so a second register opens in time | Shift operator |
| People in the fuel delivery area while a tanker unloads | An event card with a frame when anyone other than the driver and a station employee is in the area during unloading, or another vehicle drives in | Operator receiving the fuel |
| Vehicle fueling during a fuel delivery | An event card with a frame when a car is being fueled during unloading. The manager decides in one click | Station manager |
| Smoking near a dispenser | An event card with a frame to the shift operator while the person is still at the dispenser. We train the model for your station | Shift operator |
| Filling a can or bottle with fuel | An event card with a frame when fuel goes into a container instead of a tank, so the operator can stop the sale | Shift operator |
| Car stays at a dispenser longer than normal | An event card when a car occupies a dispenser longer than your standard, for example when the driver went to the cafe after fueling | Shift operator |
| People and vehicles in the back of the station at night | An event card with a frame to the night operator and security as soon as a person or vehicle appears in the back lot or near the tanks | Night shift operator, security guards |
| Camera went offline or was moved | An event card as soon as a camera stops showing, the image freezes or goes black, or the camera is moved | Station manager, technician |
| Store and cafe visitors by hour | How many people came in and how full the store is, by hour of day, to plan shifts and stock | Station manager, network |
Camera map
Typical site: gas station with a 4-dispenser canopy and a store. Select a camera to see what it covers.
Regulations and requirements
What they mean for video monitoring. This is not legal advice.
- Order of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine No. 658 of 24.12.2008 «Про затвердження Правил пожежної безпеки для об'єктів зберігання, транспортування та реалізації нафтопродуктів» (On Approval of the Fire Safety Rules for Facilities Storing, Transporting and Selling Petroleum Products)Section VII, chapter 1: unloading from a tanker is supervised by a station employee and the driver (cl. 20); a car being fueled and the next car in line must be at least 3 m apart (cl. 29); fueling vehicles during unloading and fueling with the engine running are prohibited (cl. 30). A camera can record violations of these conditions and send an event card to the shift supervisor.
- Law of Ukraine No. 2297-VI «Про захист персональних даних» (Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”)The purpose of processing must be defined and the data collected must not be excessive (Art. 6); people are informed of the data controller and the purpose of collection (Art. 12). For a gas station this means a video surveillance sign at the entrance, a written purpose for each scenario and a retention period for recordings.
- Recommendations of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) on video surveillance in public places (2021)A license plate can identify a person indirectly, so plate recognition should be enabled only where the purpose requires it, with a defined retention period.
What we measure
- Average queue at the dispensersHow many cars wait under the canopy in each hour of the day: when you need one more person on shift
- Service timeHow long a fill-up takes at each dispenser and in which hours the station falls behind
- Time on siteHow long a car spends on site from arrival to departure, with plate and frame
- Events during fuel deliveryHow many violations were confirmed during fuel deliveries this month, and whether there are fewer of them
- Camera uptimeHow much of the time each camera was working, per day and per month
FAQ
Have you worked with gas stations before?
Yes. Gas stations run on the same proven platform: people, vehicles, plates, zones and time, with rules set for your station. Every event arrives as a card with a frame, your operator decides in one click, and we train the AI model for your site. We show accuracy on your own cameras before you pay for it.
Can the system detect smoking and fuel cans?
Yes. We train the AI model for your station. We show the result on your cameras before event cards go live for operators.
How do you detect a drive-off without payment?
We match the fill-up at the dispenser with the payment in your POS system and send an event card with plate and frame when there is no match. Even without that, you get a log of fill-ups with plate and time, and the cashier finds the right frame in seconds.
Is license plate recognition at a gas station legal?
A license plate can identify a person indirectly, so before launch we define the purpose, the retention period and who has access, and post a sign at the entrance. Your data protection officer prepares these documents. We provide a description of the processing.
Where does the video go?
Wherever you choose: on-site at the station, in your own cloud, or in our secure cloud. Frames never leave the chosen perimeter, and only the people you name have access.
Will my existing cameras work, and what does it cost?
Usually yes; we suggest new cameras only where the task cannot be covered without them. The price depends on the number of cameras and scenarios: after a short site visit we give you a fixed proposal.