Events

Crowd management: predictive analysis and real-time monitoring with AI

Computational modelling plays an important role in the design of the security plan.

Cantene offers advanced engineering services to support safety planning and management at large events. Through crowd management, we ensure safety in venues hosting large crowds, including stations, shopping malls, atriums, skyscrapers, stadiums, arenas (for sports and music events), and city centers.

The security plan is made of four main phases, in which Cantene operates through fluid dynamics simulations modelling in matter of crowd analysis during the design of the spaces, the definition of the procedures of entrance and exit in a normal and in an emergency context; through its predictive CFD models, Cantene also supports the training of the staff, the communication strategy and the monitoring of data collected during the events to improve performances.

Cantene and the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cantene updated its approach taking into account the measures of social distancing in confined areas. To guarantee the respect of social distance and to define crowd management policies about pathways, we reconfigured spaces identifying unidirectional patterns for people. This approach reduced the probability of mutual interference by introducing access control, temperature checks, temporary routes, and queue management. Cantene was supported in the rigorous definition of the problem by Lund University, and today we manage its research and development (R&D) activities.

Crowd events can present critical situations. Cantene anticipates and solves them.

VALUE CHAIN

01 DESIGN OF THE SPACES

Crowd dynamics simulations are a tool to support design in defining: the maximum crowd density, access and exit points, decompression and control areas, both under normal and emergency conditions.
02 DESIGN OF THE PROCEDURES

Through the analysis of the results of crowd dynamics simulations, it is possible to define both ordinary and emergency procedures to prevent any type of criticality: bottlenecks, counterflow.
03 COMMUNICATION DESIGN

The results of the crowd dynamics simulations developed during the safety plan design phase are a valuable source for both internal and external communication. Internal: towards the security staff (stewards). External: contributing to the development of informational material for end users.
04 MONITORING

The DCM technology allows for a real-time monitoring of the event and the recording of all that happens according to metrics based on density, user speed, and mood. This creates a valuable archive: a kind of 'black box' of the event that can be used for debriefing and post-event follow-ups to identify strategies for a continuous improvement.

Crowd management: venues

There are venues such as sports arenas, theaters, stadiums, arenas, and train stations that are designed to host crowds. In these spaces, the circulation system and evacuation routes are planned referring to crowd density. On the other hand, there are places like squares, streets, city centers, and parks that are not designed to host crowd events. These types of venues may have geometric features whose specificities make it harder to manage crowd movements.

Cantene has the expertise to address every aspect of crowd management: type of attraction, audience nature, kind of event (duration, focal point of attraction, audience arrangement), and weather conditions. Through a performance-based approach, we are able to define a tailor-made safety plan for each context involving crowd presence.

The event safety plan

Defining a safety plan means balancing three key aspects: the features of the event, the features of the area where the event takes place, and regulatory requirements. A safety plan consists of designing the event area, distinguishing the safety zone, the system of entry and exit routes, and the crowding; the procedures to follow under both normal and emergency conditions; and an effective communication strategy, both internal (stewards) and external towards the attendees.

During the event, Cantene provides the organizer with a real-time monitoring tool. The DCM platform delivers timely metrics related to density, and user speed and mood to the control room. An AI-based algorithm combines these parameters to anticipate potential congestion or issues, ensuring a prompt activation of safety procedures.

Cantene’s approach: simulating and monitoring

Cantene provides a comprehensive and advanced engineering service, utilizing a cyclical approach that combines performance-based tools for predictive crowd movement analysis during the design phase with real-time monitoring tools during the event.

Simulations allow for the exploration of a high number of “what if” scenarios, in order to dimension the evacuation route system and determine the optimal placement of CCTV cameras for monitoring. During the event, the crowd behavior is monitored via DCM (Dynamic Crowd Measurement). Based on artificial intelligence, the platform enables a real-time analysis of the footage coming from CCTV cameras and the identification of potentially dangerous situations.

The data collected during the monitoring activity offer the opportunity for follow-ups, making it possible to feed the simulation software database and improve the development of predictive analysis for the next editions of the event.