Sensors at Delhi airport ceiling to fix crowding

The system receives this data and provides airport operators with key performance indicators (KPIs), visualised on a dashboard. “Green and dark blue lines on the dashboard represent crowds. While the green colour on the map represents a collision occurrence, the darker blue points at the most crowded point in the area,” said a DIAL official.

The 560 sensors are placed in nine areas of Terminal 3, including check-in rows, security checkpoints and emigration and immigration areas. The system is the first of its kind in the country, said the CEO. He added that Terminal 1, which is under construction, might have a similar system too.

Earlier, terminal managers and staff would keep an eye out for crowds and bottlenecks but there was scope of human error. Airport officials said it was particularly difficult to maintain social distancing as many groups who would travel together would not maintain distance.

The installation has made their work quicker and more efficient, they said.

The CEO said, “We have to work with a number of stakeholders to ensure passenger waiting time keeps coming down.” He added that they had started interacting with Xovis, a Swiss company, when the pandemic began.

“The system will ensure our fight against Covid continues… It aids us in two ways — help maintain social distance and manage waiting time for passengers,” he said. Screens have also been installed at crowded points to give people an idea of their estimated waiting time.