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canopic jug [soylentnews.org] writes:

Researchers at the IIT Madras have developed an algorithm that can help with the management of enormous, dense crowds [ndtv.com] using minimal manpower, and prevent deadly stampedes in massive public gatherings.

"These kinds of stampedes have clear patterns in how they start. We wanted to understand those early signs and figure out how you place the police people, or what we call ''game-changers'', who then direct the crowd in a way that would prevent a stampede," professor Panchagnula said.

The Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage at Prayagraj (Allahabad), is the world's largest religious gathering. Crores and crores of people taking a dip in the river Ganga on some days, making the event a hot spot for possible mishaps that could put thousands at risk.

For reference, one crore [wikipedia.org] is also equivalent to 100 lakhs, where one lakh is equal to one hundred thousand. So one crore is 10,000,000.

See also Sparse game changers restore collective motion in panicked human crowds [arxiv.org] at arXive.

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