Investigating population dynamics of the Kumbh Mela through the lens of cell phone data

TL;DR

This study analyzes the 2013 Kumbh Mela using cell phone Call Detail Records to understand the festival's population dynamics, providing a data-driven perspective on one of the largest human gatherings in history.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of cell phone data to study large-scale event population dynamics, specifically focusing on the Kumbh Mela.

Findings

Analysis of 390 million CDRs reveals movement patterns during the festival.

Preliminary insights into crowd distribution and density over time.

Demonstrates feasibility of using mobile data for large event analysis.

Abstract

The Kumbh is a religious Hindu festival that has been celebrated for centuries. The 2013 Kumbh Mela, a grander form of the annual Kumbh, was purportedly the largest gathering of people in human history. Many of the participants carried cell phones, making it possible for us to use a data-driven approach to document this magnificent festival. We used Call Detail Records (CDRs) from participants attending the event, a total of 390 million records, to investigate its population dynamics. We report here on some of our preliminary findings.