Royal Commission leverages geospatial data to enhance services in Makkah

The Royal Commission for the City of Makkah and the Holy Sites has adopted geospatial data and business intelligence to monitor movement and services, update maps and locations, and provide spatial information to operational entities and beneficiaries as part of its tools for managing the city and holy sites.

These capabilities are especially utilized during Hajj and Umrah seasons, when movement intensifies, sites and services multiply, and rapid changes occur on roads and transport routes. This requires accurate, up-to-date data that links field developments to their digital representation, supporting guidance, monitoring, and operational decision-making.

During the 1447H Hajj season, the Royal Commission widely applied these capabilities, managing data for more than 20,000 landmarks, sites, and services on digital maps, and developing over 20 interactive maps for landmarks and services in the holy sites, central area, and the Grand Mosque.

The Data Management Office enhanced data integration with 30 relevant entities, helping to provide reliable, real-time data and supporting the monitoring of operational indicators related to serving pilgrims.

The Royal Commission's work includes monitoring changes on the road network, reviewing sites and points of interest, and updating them on maps and digital platforms used for operational and guidance purposes.

In the latest application during the 1447H Hajj season, teams updated more than 4,400 geospatial points on the "Hudhud" maps, refreshed data for over 3,250 road segments, and recorded 70 road closures, with updates occurring every 60 seconds.

This rapid updating enabled swift transfer of field changes to the maps, making them available for monitoring roads and movement.

Data review also extended to sites serving pilgrims and visitors, with 8,248 Hajj-specific points of interest reviewed on "Balady" maps, and 3,119 new points of interest added in the holy sites, raising the level of updated landmark and service data available on digital maps.

The Royal Commission also uses the Traffic Status and Situational Awareness Platform to monitor and analyze traffic and crowd movement, collecting data on roads, stations, and sites to create an operational picture that supports tracking changes in Makkah and the holy sites.

During the 1447H Hajj season, the platform recorded 9 million images of traffic conditions and reflected more than 350,000 points and elements of sites and geospatial data. Monitoring covered over 1,400 kilometers of road network and linked 419 bus stations to live schedules in real time.

This data enables monitoring of road status, transport movement, and stations through a digital environment that combines spatial and operational elements, providing a common foundation for teams and entities tracking movement during Hajj seasons.

Geospatial data also reaches pilgrims and visitors through the digital spatial guidance platform, which features 11 guidance maps and over 5,000 locations across more than 10 categories of essential services, including health, education, religious, transport, tourism, and more.

The guidance maps recorded 537,197 uses, with the Grand Mosque map being the most used at 233,590 times, followed by the Makkah administrative boundaries map at 69,275 uses, and the points of interest and camps map at 44,084 uses.