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Name: SceneTap

Quick Pitch: SceneTap tells you how crowded a bar is and what its gender ratio is in real time.

Genius Idea: Relying on cameras instead of a checkin service to collect anonymous real-time data about a bar.

Whether you're looking for a bar where conversation is possible or the loudest, most crowded bar in the city, it's hard to tell where to find it. SceneTap wants to simplify this process by incorporating a live count of how many people are in a bar, the range of their ages, and their gender ratio into an iPhone app.

Instead of relying on a checkin service that might give clues as to how crowded a bar is, what SceneTap CEO Cole Harper has in mind is an accurate tally of patrons — whether or not they use a particular service. He says about 50 bars have already agreed to install cameras at their doors that can identify the gender and approximate age of patrons as they enter.

When the cameras go live sometime next month, SceneTap users will be able to get a glimpse of what the current scene at those bars is like based on that data. They'll also be able to chat with the bar and other SceneTap users (i.e. "Are there any tables available?"), see specials and purchase Groupon-like deals using the apps.

Harper hopes bars will pay to participate in exchange for detailed analytic information about their customer bases and a social, location-based marketing tool.







But there are two obvious and somewhat opposing risks in opting in: that the technology will creep people out and that it won't be accurate enough to attract consumers.

"It's less intrusive than scanning IDs," Harper says about the former concern. "No personal data is obtained and nothing is recorded."

The technology only notes a person's gender and approximate age, he says. Some display advertising already uses a similar technology to record impressions, and you could argue that more data is collected about you during a Google search.

In order to understand what kind of person is entering a bar, SceneTap's technology matches a person's image with a database of faces to determine relative age. If the person matches a photo of someone in the database who is 27, for instance, that's the age the camera will assign him or her.

To what degree of accuracy this method can label people — is a 23-year-old's face shape much different than a 37-year-old's face shape? — is something we'll be able to test when the service actually goes live. For now, it's just an interesting idea to consider as you start planning your Friday night.

Would you find a service like this useful for making plans? Are you bothered by the idea of a camera tallying your anonymous entrance to a bar? Let us know in the comments below.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.