Crowd Management at Kumbh Mela: AI to the Rescue
The Challenge
PRAYAGRAJ: India’s abysmal crowd management record at large-scale religious events has led organisers of the world’s largest human gathering to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent stampedes.
The Scale
Organisers predict up to 400 million pilgrims will visit the Kumbh Mela, a millennia-old sacred show of Hindu piety and ritual bathing that began on January 13 and runs for six weeks.
The Risks
Deadly crowd crushes are a notorious feature of Indian religious festivals, and the Kumbh Mela, with its unfathomable throngs of devotees, has a grim track record of stampedes.
The Solution
"We want everyone to go back home happily after having fulfilled their spiritual duties," Amit Kumar, a senior police officer heading the tech operations in the festival, told AFP. "AI is helping us avoid reaching that critical mass in sensitive places."
The Technology
Police say they have installed around 300 cameras at the festival site and on roads leading to the sprawling encampment, mounted on poles and a fleet of overhead drones. The network is overseen in a glass-panelled command and control room by a small army of police officers and technicians.
How it Works
Kumar said the footage fed into an AI algorithm that gives its handlers an overall estimate of a crowd stretching for miles in every direction, cross-checked against data from railways and bus operators. "We are using AI to track people flow, crowd density at various inlets, adding them up and then interpolating from there," he added.
The Benefits
The system sounds the alarm if sections of the crowd get so concentrated that they pose a safety threat. "The fact that there are cameras and drones makes us feel safe," 28-year-old automotive engineer Harshit Joshi, one of the millions of pilgrims to arrive for the start of the festival, told AFP.
The Significance
The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. Organisers say the scale of this year’s festival is that of a temporary country – with numbers expected to total around the combined populations of the United States and Canada.
Conclusion
The use of AI in crowd management at the Kumbh Mela is a significant step forward in ensuring the safety of pilgrims. By leveraging technology to track crowd sizes and density, authorities can better prepare for potential trouble and prevent stampedes.
FAQs
Q: How many cameras have been installed at the festival site?
A: Around 300 cameras have been installed at the festival site and on roads leading to the sprawling encampment.
Q: How does the AI algorithm work?
A: The footage from the cameras is fed into an AI algorithm that gives its handlers an overall estimate of a crowd stretching for miles in every direction, cross-checked against data from railways and bus operators.
Q: What is the critical threshold at which the AI system rings the alarm?
A: The critical threshold is higher than in other countries using similar crowd management systems, allowing for a more relaxed crowd density.
Q: How does the system sound the alarm?
A: The system sounds the alarm if sections of the crowd get so concentrated that they pose a safety threat.