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Supporting pilgrims in navigating densely crowded religious sites

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Abstract

Every year, a large number of pilgrims visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia. During their stay, they perform a number of rites in and around the city. Due to large crowds forming on particular days, incidents frequently occur, where people are injured, sometimes fatally. In this article, we investigate the question whether the use of dynamic public signage can help people to navigate in this setting. We present an analysis of the situation in Mecca based on a literature review and on interviews with pilgrims, and then introduce a prototypical dynamic sign system aimed at supporting pilgrims in navigating one particular area. To evaluate the system, we conducted a user study in a realistic setting, and the results suggest that dynamic signage may be a feasible option in this setting. The design and evaluation of our prototype also led to a number of insights regarding the design of such systems. We discuss difficulties encountered during the design process and the evaluation and reflect on implications for the design and evaluation of systems supporting navigation for large crowds.

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Author notes

  1. Christian Kray

    Present address: University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK

    Fathi Hamhoum & Christian Kray

Authors
  1. Fathi Hamhoum
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  2. Christian Kray
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Kray.

Glossary

Black stone

Small black stone set into one side of the Ka’bah which defines the start location for the circumambulations pilgrims perform during Tawaf

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed by the Quran, which involves several rites to be performed a specified times and locations

Ihram

Simple white garment pilgrims wear during some rituals of Hajj

Jamarat

One of the rites to perform during Hajj, where pilgrims have to symbolically stone the Devil

Ka’bah

Sacred building in the center of the Great Mosque at Mecca

Quran

Holy book of the Muslim faith

Saee

One of the rites performed during Hajj, where pilgrims walk back and forth seven times between the two hills Safa and Marwa

Tawaf

One of the rites to perform during Hajj, where pilgrims have to circumambulate the Ka’bah seven times in counter-clockwise direction (see [3] for a more extensive glossary)

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Hamhoum, F., Kray, C. Supporting pilgrims in navigating densely crowded religious sites. Pers Ubiquit Comput 16, 1013–1023 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-011-0461-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-011-0461-6

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