Information Technology Can Be Used to Prevent Crowd Disasters - Essay Example

Information Technology (mobile, smart phones and internet) can be used to prevent crowd disasters during the hajj seasons It is obvious that history has taught us a lot in relation to crowd disasters but we have failed to learn from history. This is because year after year people have been injured and others died from crowd disasters yet little is done to curb this menace. It is evident that the three main contributors to crowd disaster include failure in management, information and design systems because crowd behaviours can be controlled using these three elements (Rhys, 2008). Public assembly places must therefore be well managed through effective planning methods in order to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that continue to be recorded from time to time during public gatherings. Crowd forces can rise to an uncontrollable level which becomes impossible to resist. In this regard, compressive asphyxia is considered one of the major factors that lead to crowd deaths. However, the media reduces this factor to merely crowd trampling which makes the authorities think that they can be able to control the crowds in future in order to reduce such incidences (Rhys, 2008). Maximum capacity for pedestrians has been used as the criteria for designing public spaces. However, research studies from photography on lapse-time have shown that the capacity of traffic flow of pedestrians on stairs and walkways is reached when uncomfortable and restricted locomotion occurs due to dense crowding (Fruin, 2010. Inadequate design of public places has been fuelled by human space inconsideration requirements resulting into numerous deaths and injuries (Fruin, 2010). The hajj season is one of the many events in the world where large crowd gathers in a public space. However, the hajj season has also been associated with numerous crowd deaths and numerous injuries amongst the participants in the event. It is obvious that a new approach should be used to reduce or even eliminate the number of deaths and injuries witnessed during the hajj season. The purpose of this paper is to justify the fact that crowd deaths and injuries can be reduced and eliminated using informational technological management techniques such as the use of mobile phones or smart phones to manage and control the crowds. Crowd disasters around the world The table below shows the general number of crowd disasters that have occurred around the world as well as the reported deaths and injuries The number of crowd deaths and injuries during hajj pilgrimage alone Table 2 Date and place Event Number killed Number injured Infrastructure of the mobile bandwidth (2g, 3g, 4g) Per 100 people Internet users per 100 people (2g, 3g, 4g) 1990 Mina Valley, Saudi Arabia pilgrims converging on Al-Mu'aysam Tunnel 1416 0 0 1994 Saudi Arabia progressive crowd collapse during "stoning the Devil" ritual at the Jamarat Bridge 266 98 0 0 1997 Jamarat Bridge Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims crushed 22 43 2 0.1 1998 Jamarat Bridge, Saudi Arabia Pilgrims crushed 181 434 3 0.1 2001 March -  Jamarat Bridge, Saudi Arabia Stoning of devil 35 179 12 4.8 2003, Mina, Saudi Arabia Pilgrims crushed by a bus 14 32 8.1 2004, Mecca, Saudi Arabia Stoning of the devil 251 40 10.2 Monday, 31, October, 2005 (28, Ramadan, 1426) Pilgrims crushing 7 59 12.5 12th January 2006, Mina, Saudi Arabia Pilgrims stampede 363 79 19.0 2007 111 25 2008 0 0 138 29.7 2009 0 0 167 36.6 2010 0 0 178 43.5 (Source: Keith, 2011) From the two table above, it is evident that crowd disasters have spanned across the annals of history. During the hajj season alone from 1990 until 2006, the table above shows that more than 2555 lives were lost and more than 754 people injured. However, it is imperative to note that the period from 1990 to 2003, the rate of cellular and internet bandwidth usage was insignificant. During those years, the number of crowd deaths recorded during the hajj season was significantly high. The internet users per 100 persons were very low during 1990 to 2001 which also explains why crowd deaths were significantly high during this period. From the table, from 2001 to 2003 the number of cellular phones and internet users particularly in the 2g, and 3g bandwidths increased drastically and consequently, the number of crowd deaths reduced drastically from 35 to 14. This is a clear depiction that information technology such as the mobile phones can contribute largely to the reduction in the number of crowd deaths. Even though the number of crowd deaths increased dramatically in 2004, it is important to realize that this is the period when mobile and internet usage was taking root in Saudi Arabia and thus crowds were not yet conversant with the advent of mobile and internet technologies. Furthermore, only a small number of people still had cellular phones which mean that internet usage was limited to a small number of people. In 2005, the number of crowd deaths during the hajj season reduced to 7 deaths only. During this period, more than half of mobile technology per 100 people had been achieved. This can be construed to mean that mobile phones technology contributed to the decline in the number of crowd deaths during this period. Additionally, from 2007 the number of people with mobile phones and internet users per 100 people exceeded the 100 point mark and subsequently, as can be seen from the table, there were no crowd deaths recorded during the hajj season in these years. This is particularly the case since, the mobile and internet bandwidth had reached 3g and 4g meaning the communication during the hajj season was rapid and fast. This raises the need to carry out further research on the role of technology such as mobile and internet technologies in the reduction of crowd deaths not only during the hajj season but also in any other public assembly. Why information technology should be applied There is need to carry out research on how information technology such as the use of mobile phones and smart phones can be used to prevent deaths and injuries during the hajj season. Research studied conducted on the topic of crowd disaster prevention have recommended the use of barriers to prevent crowd disasters (Farah, 2001). However, barriers have a weakness in that they cannot withstand a certain crowd dense and therefore the crowd can still push over the barrier. However, the use of mobile and smart phones can be used in the following ways to prevent crowd disasters particularly during the hajj season; i. Relaying back to the control room signs of a looming crowd disaster when the crowed exceeds the required capacity- this can be done by several individuals stationed in different parts of the public place. For instance, if a certain part of the public space can carry only 100 people then the individual responsible for the capacity of that part during the hajj season can relay back through messages and phone call to the control room (Farah, 2001). The police can then be dispatched to that area and control the crowd to the required number. ii. Individuals in the public assembly can also use the mobile or smart phones to co-ordinate with the authorities or the people in the control room about the human space (Farah, 2001). For instance, if individuals in a crowd lack enough space for movement or even turning, they can send the message or call the people in the control room who can liaise with the police in order to control the crowd and provide enough human space. iii. Individuals being crushed by a pushing crowd can also call the control room and ask for help in order to ensure that the crushed individuals receive prompt help that can prevent deaths. iv. Smart phones can also be used to take the picture of the swelling crowd in the public assembly and these pictures can then be relayed back to the control room where they can be analysed and the necessary help instituted as fast as possible before a disaster occurs (Farah, 2001). This includes surveying the crowd particularly the human space (the space between one person to the other). The above four aspects, indicate that technology can play a vital role in preventing crowd disasters. Hence, there is need to conduct further research into the ways of using information technology such as the use of mobile phones and smart phones to prevent crowd disasters. The four aspects above, indicates clearly that mobile phones and smart phones as well as internet usage which the core modern technologies can help to reduce the number of crowd deaths during the hajj season. If technology has reduced the world into a global village, it means that it can further reduce the public assembly during the hajj season into a minute segment of the population that can be surveyed, managed and controlled to avoid deaths and injuries. References Fruin, J. 2010. The Causes and prevention of crowd disasters. Available from www.crowddynamics.com. Keith, G. 2011. Crowd modelling monitoring and management. Crowd Modelling Ltd. Available from http://crowdmodelling.com/22-crowd-crazing.html#previous-photo Farah, K. 2001. Crowd Disasters during the hajj season. New York: Sage Publishers. Rhys, B. (2008). Crowd Disasters. The Times of London. Read More