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How Qatar Will Use Drones to Manage World Cup Crowds

Collins Ogutu | 1 year ago
How Qatar Will Use Drones to Manage World Cup Crowds
How Qatar Will Use Drones to Manage World Cup Crowds

One of the biggest challenges Qatar is set to face by the end of the year is crowd control. Now, researchers are trying to find a solution.

Research teams in Qatar have identified new technology to help crowd control during the much-awaited FIFA World Cup tournament later this year.

The team from College of Engineering at Qatar University (QU) proposed the use of cutting-edge technologies including surveillance drones, ICT, and AI to manage an expected 1.5 million visitors expected to flock to the Gulf state for the event in November.

Qatar’s organising committee is primarily focused on the security and safety of participants, fans, and other parties involved in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The airspace security leader Fortem Technologies announced Saturday July 23, a significant milestone in its efforts to combat the growing global threat of rogue  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

In collaboration with distribution partner Smart Communication Systems, Fortem will be providing the Qatari Ministry of Interior and Safety and Security Operations Committee (SSOC) with counter drone solutions for the FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in Qatar this year from November 21 to December 18.

The partners will also continue to provide counter-drone systems for other major events within the region.

“Fortem provides world class technology and services”, says Engineer Captain Rashid Fahad Alali, Security Systems Officer in the Ministry of the Interior in Qatar and the Anti-Drone Program Leader in the SSOC.

“We are pleased to partner with Fortem Technologies as an anchor vendor to enhance our security around Doha.”

The award-winning Fortem SkyDome System is a comprehensive counter drone solution that identifies, defeats, and defends against rogue drones. 

The system designates threats and autonomously pacifies them using its DroneHunterinterceptor drone. 

The SkyDome System is built around the AI-enabled TrueView radar, a small-scale networkable radar capable of operating within crowded urban environments and public venues.

“The Government of Qatar understands the importance of providing comprehensive security from the ground to the air for the FIFA World Cup matches and beyond,” said Fortem Technologies CEO Timothy Bean. “We are thrilled to be able to partner with Smart Communication Systems to provide the best counter-drone security to ensure the safety of players, sports fans, and everyone involved in putting together one of the most viewed global events in decades.”

“After much consideration of companies around the globe, Fortem’s offerings outshined all competition,” said Walid Chahine, Managing Partner of Smart Communication Systems, distribution partner of Fortem Technologies. “The world is at a point where enhanced security is becoming the norm, and we’re determined to stay ahead of the curve.”

The expected inherent opacity and density of the audience inside and outside the stadiums has made crowd control at the World Cup stadiums and their perimeters essential to ensuring the safety and efficiency of the events.

For that reason, the state-owned university has created an intelligent crowd management and control system with numerous components for crowd counting, face recognition, and abnormal event detection in partnership with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC).

The research team has also concentrated on creating a face identification system that uses a multitask convolutional neural network to take into account faces in various poses. 

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