Crowd Management
Name
Professor
Institution
Crowd Management
Theories
The existing theories for crowd management include the Technology acceptance model(TAM), Innovation diffusion theory, and Stakeholder theory. The technological acceptance model(TAM) provides a framework for understanding how technology will perform in the workplace. It suggests that an attitude or perception in technology for crowd control is fueled by the ease of use and perceived usefulness. Users are more likely to adopt a technology that is user friendly since it’s usable at the community base. However, critiques such as (Davis et al. 1989) have argued that the theory should major on individual response and not the entire organization. For instance, RFID’s effectiveness should be measured against individual ratings rather than collectively (Fu et al., 2006).
The second theory is the innovation diffusion theory developed by E.M. Rogers. It explains how, when, why, and how technological ideas spread in a new environment. Innovation diffusion theory, therefore, examines whether a technological invention would be accepted for use by the populous. According to this theory, factors making the innovation accepted include social systems, communication channels, time, and adapters (Musmann & Kennedy, 2015). The social structure, in this theory, determines acceptability or rejection based on levels of communication made. People tend to accept technology based on information obtained from their social systems.
The third theory is stakeholder theory suggests that all participants must be put on board for effective crowd management when new technology is introduced. For the technology to be accepted and utilized, it must have the community’s goodwill. Players such as customers, suppliers, investors, and the community must be brought on board. All parties must understand the complexities of implementation amongst each method of crowd control technique. In Hajj’s case, the main stakeholders who need involvement are the pilgrims, followed by the ministry of Hajj.
The gap
The unexplored area evident is the link between the stalk holder’s attitude and the implementation of crowd control techniques. Attitude is the psychological issue influencing the acceptance of RFID. The intention of this technology, therefore, changes if the attitude is negative. Other areas like adequate staffing of personnel influence crowd control, affecting people’s attitudes towards these innovations.
The current literature only explores the advantages and disadvantages of significant technologies in crowd management during Hajj festivities; hence further research on RFID acceptability and usage would be appropriate. The literature review revealed that there had been the minimal examination of the acceptance of RFID use in crowd control during Hajj. This research seeks to measure the acceptance attitude of using this technology.
Technological systems to solve overcrowding
Radio Frequency Identification Technology is a recent invention used to track people as well as their daily transactions. The safety of this technology is guaranteed as it relies on end to end encryption of data. To manage people’s movement, RFID chips are placed on people’s clothes; thus, their location can be accessed through available computer systems. Activity and personal information regarding these pilgrims are thus obtainable through scanning of the chips. The effectiveness of controlling the crowd captures people’s population per area wirelessly, thus quickly spotting areas of potential accidents. RFID is further employed is used to organize pilgrim’s movement, residential management, and luggage tracking. Its use has also been effective in directing those who get lost in the course of the pilgrimage.
The population visiting Hajj in Mecca is very high, with up to 7 million visiting yearly. The high population necessitated technological techniques for managing the groups. A system of automatically locating and directing assistance response was necessary, especially around the pilgrim site. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) has proved convenient even at the airports as it is quick. Hajj’s ministry processes the data and visas, making each visitor have a unique identification radio frequented tag. The number of people entering the site is also regulated as readers are installed at entrances to determine maximum capacities.
Investigations in the case of Hajj have revealed that behavioral patterns have improved since the implementation of RFID technology for crowd control. (Alhazarani, 2011). The visitor’s acceptance of the RFID by the pilgrims is quite positive, although with myriads of challenges, including delays in the administration of chips. Other pilgrims sneak out of the pilgrimage with RFID chips to act as a memoir of their visit to Mecca. Some wash hands to the elbow five times a day during hand washing in the Wudu procedure, thus destroying the chip. (Mohamed et al. 55, 2013).
Other technologies for crowd management
Other systems for identifying pilgrims apart from RFID include mobile phones as developed by Mohamed’s. Identification, in this case, is based on mobile geographical positioning. For those without phones, there is the placement of mobile sensors on their clothes. These chips are battery powered with GPS embedded on their attires (Mohamed’s et al. 2013). Management is done via a mobile application installed once pilgrims arrive at the airport. According to Aly and Abdelwahab (2012), Hajj’s ministry also has set up Hajj and Umar datasets containing up to 6 images of pilgrims for identification in case of accident or location. Crowds are further managed using camera embedded group sensing systems. It is a real-time crowd monitoring using a thermal video sequence measuring the thermal density from the control.
Acceptance of RFID
Crowd psychologists concur that crowd management’s satisfaction is determinable by the amount of space one has within a crowd. The success of using RFID means it will have to be used to enhance personal space through a limited number of entrants. Acceptance of RFID technology is high due to its availability, security, and convenience. Adequate communication and awareness have made its usage efficient for the pilgrims streaming in for Hajj. RFID is more acceptable since its use employs nanotechnology’s ideals, assembling computer components into the smallest atomic scales.
Summary
The study shall endeavor to examine various stakeholders’ attitudes in the implementation of RFID in crowd control during Hajj. This comes in the wake of many cultural reservations despite the presence of fatalities during the Holly month. For this research, we shall employ the administration of questionnaires, interviewing, and restricted surveys to determine people’s perception regarding RFID use to control the crowd’s new technology. From the literature review conducted through various sources, the reception for this technology has been relatively positive despite a few challenges. Several stalk holders, especially the pilgrims, prefer its usage as it guarantees their security. Finally, the limitation has been the limited time to conduct the research, thus using a small sample size.
References
Aly, S & Abdelwahab, M 2012, “Hajj and Umrah Dataset for Face Recognition and Detection.” http://arxiv.org/pdf/1205.4463.pdf
Al-zharani S (2011) An Empirical Investigation of the Information Technology Implementation in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Information & Systems Management 1(1):37-45.
Davis FD (1989) Perceived usefulness perceived ease of use and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly 13(3):319-340.
Fu, J. Farn, C., and Chao, W. (2006), Acceptance of electronic tax filing: A study of taxpayer intentions Information and Management (43), 2006: 109-126
Mohandes, M, Haleem, Kousa, M & Balakrishnan, K 2013, “Pilgrim tracking and identification using wireless sensor networks and GPS in a mobile phone,” Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, vol. 38. No. 8, pp. 2135-2141.
Roger E M (1962) Diffusion of Innovation. The Free Press, 1st ed, New York, NY.
Musmann, K., & Kennedy, W. (2015). Diffusion of innovations (p. 78). Greenwood.