The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has used Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure’s computer-aided dispatch technology Intergraph during the two most recent Hajj and Umrah seasons.
According to the company, the solution was implemented in 2015 as part of the Saudi Ministry of the Interior’s new, province-wide unified security operations centre. The site consolidated 40 separate operations centres across the province of Makkah, including the cities of Holy Makkah, Jeddah and Taif.
It provides call handling for police, traffic, civil defense and road security special forces, managing around 43,000 calls a day during Umrah and 61,000 during the Hajj.
President of Hexagon Steven Cost said: “We are honored to support the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to implement 911 services in Makkah and across other provinces.
“The ability of our system to handle both day-to-day incidents and major events like Hajj and Umrah is a key factor in helping to ensure smooth public safety operations and support the ministry’s mission.”
The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the most holy city for Muslims, taking place on specific dates in the Islamic lunar calendar. The Umrah – which is also a pilgrimage to Mecca - can be undertaken at any time of the year.
