On the Usage of Networked Tethered Flying Platforms for Massive Events -- Case Study: Hajj Pilgrimage

Abstract: The Hajj is a religious Muslim pilgrimage undertaken annually by 2-3 million people in Makkah. Consequently, several problems arise due to the sheer number of pilgrims, and therefore negatively impact their stay and the conduct of the rituals. During the Hajj, several problems occur related to mobility, security, and connectivity. The current solutions used to deal with these problems have limitations and they usually require a lot of resources with suboptimal results. In this paper, we proposed an aerial-based solution that rely on Networked Tethered Flying Platforms (NTFPs). NTFPs are flying vehicles such as drones, Helikites, and blimps, that are tethered to the ground via a cable that supplies them with constant data and power. NTFPs can fly at high altitude with a great backhaul capacity and large coverage. We show in this paper how NTFP-based solution solve mobility, security, and connectivity problems during the Hajj and the main advantages and benefits as well as the cost-efficiency of such solution. For the sake of completeness, we also present other similar case studies in which NTFPs can be used.