TIRUVANNAMALAI: The state police are set to deploy an automated crowd monitoring system, which they termed an “artificial intelligence” based solution, for the first time during the Maha Deepam festival in the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai on Wednesday, when lakhs of people are expected to gather. The system follows the Madras High Court’s direction to the state government to follow strict crowd management at the temple.
The system, which is from the same Uttar Pradesh-based private agency (Synergy Telematics Private Limited) that deployed a similar system for crowd management during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj earlier this year, will involve the deployment of 230 CCTV cameras.
The cameras will be used for real-time crowd management and stampede prevention, addressing traffic congestion and for planning the bandobust.
The police said the system was tested during the chariot procession held in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday, and the AI-based cameras identified an abnormal crowd at Sakthi Theatre junction, and helped them in timely intervention.
“The AI cameras will do a headcount of the entry and exit of people from an area. The headcount is essential so as to identify congestion areas. AI would do it with closer to 100% precision,” said a senior police officer of the bandobust team.
“Earlier, we used to follow conventional methods using CCTV cameras and manually managed the crowd. However, with AI, getting the exact data is the catch here with almost 95% precision. Moreover, teams have been stationed at different locations to respond to these AI alerts,” said Dhanush Kumar, ASP Vellore (in-charge of Karthigai Deepam)
If more than four people are found to be gathered in an area of one square metre, the AI gives a red alert to the police, suggesting high crowd density and possibility of a stampede, another officer said.
The headcount is done at four areas — inside the temple, on the Mada Veedhi consisting of four streets, girivalam path and at nine major stretches on the outer ring road.
AI-enabled cameras have also been placed at 35 major parking areas. “This will help us know how many vehicles are going inside and outside, and once a parking space is full an alert is sent,” said a police officer.
On the outer ring road, Automatic Number Plate Reading cameras have also been set up to take a count of the inflow and outflow of vehicles.