DHS exploring crowd count, analysis technology

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is exploring the use of technology to aid with crowd count and analysis.

Officials cited the potential to prevent delayed, inadequate, or misplaced responses to crowds in detailing a request for information (RFI) for technologies considered for inclusion in a market survey conducted by S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL).

The analysis would be beneficial to law enforcement and emergency response agencies, per authorities.

“When it comes to events with large gatherings of people, responders may need to rely on anecdotal information pertaining to the crowd’s size and movement,” NUSTL engineer Tyler Mackanin said. “Utilizing real-time crowd analysis technology could allow for more accurate and efficient response operations to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Partners should submit products by 5 p.m. EDT, Sept. 17, 2021, officials said. The NUSTL System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program-produced market survey will be posted to the SAVER Document Library on the S&T website.

Submitted solutions should perform crowd count and analysis that includes video analysis and provide for post-event analysis. Software and hardware tools should be products available to first responders.