“As we all know, Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering on Earth. For the first time, Kumbh Mela saw the use of artificial intelligence in Prayagraj city, Uttar Pradesh. Over 1,000 CCTV cameras were used to monitor suspicious movements across the mela area, which spans about 3,200 hectares.”

Importance of AI in Kumbh Mela

Dense crowd counting

AI is a way of making a computer, a computer-controlled robot, or software think intelligently, in a way similar to human thinking. Artificial intelligence is used by the integrated command and control center of the police, where security personnel can visualize crowd movement and assess crowd size. Around 1,000 CCTV cameras were installed at 260 vantage points across Prayagraj to monitor the crowd. These cameras were equipped with sensors that raise a soft alert when the crowd density exceeds three people per square meter and a strong alert when it exceeds five people or more.

Streamlining traffic flow via google maps

The traffic police set up an intelligent traffic management system across 19 junctions in the city to manage the flow of traffic. These junctions provided a continuous feed to the administration.

AI for waste disposal

An AI based solid waste management system was used to route collection vehicles based on traffic data and bin sensor data. Every day generated solid waste was channelized through 500 dustbins and 48 dumping locations tracked via GPS.

Facial recognition

These cameras could identify troublemakers. The cameras were connected to the group’s two integrated command and control centers—one at the Kumbh Mela and the other at the police lines in Prayagraj. These centers provide authorities with crucial information, such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, Red Light Violation Detection, and Face Recognition Systems. The deployment of new telecommunication services, banking services, and water ATMs is being carried out across the entire Mela area to facilitate the visitors.