Post by hafeezanwar on Jul 30, 2008 12:52:42 GMT
Malaysia's Hajj Tracking System
Kuala Lampur, July 30: A leading Malaysian university has designed a program that employs modern technology to help track the whereabouts of pilgrims during their soul-searching journey of hajj.
"The prototype was a big success," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said announcing the program during the second "National Seminar on Hajj Best Practices" in Kuala Lumpur.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), one of the country's most prominent public universities, has been working on the Pilgrim Tracking Management System (PTMS) since last year.
The program, designed in cooperation with Umm-Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah, is instrumented to track the progress and the whereabouts of pilgrims during hajj.
"USM launched the PTMS prototype last year using the luggage of several local respondents performing the hajj," Ahmad said.
"A pilot study will be conducted during the coming Hajj season."
In the next stage, the minister added, USM researchers will use radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track the movement of pilgrims.
He said pilgrims from all over the world would be able to use the new technology once it proved successful.
The PTMS would be introduced into the market within the next five years.
When completed, the tracking system will include passport, health, baggage and pilgrim monitoring RFID tags that would be scanned at several locations in Makkah.
More than two million Muslims flock to Saudi Arabia every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj once in their lifetime.
Better Environment
Malaysian officials say the USM program is meant to use modern technology to offer a better environment for pilgrims.
"USM is one of many institutions worldwide that has been given the task of developing products and services to create a better environment for pilgrims performing hajj," said Minister Ahmad.
He underlined the need to use technology to overcome movement difficulties facing pilgrims.
"The services in Makkah and Madinah need to be adapted to modern technology.
"USM is creating a system that can be used for the next 50 to 100 years, while also accounting for the needs of a growing number of pilgrims performing hajj."
Over the past few years, Saudi authorities have been working to employ modern technology to facilitate hajj rituals.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj is working on a sophisticated broadcastingwork and new safety standards for vehicle tunnels and pedestrian routes for the hajj season in November.
Last December, the kingdom announced plans to set up five monorails, a single rail serving as the track for a wheeled or maically levitating vehicle, to ease the movement of the faithful in the holy sites.
It also has a SR20-billion project to link Makkah and Madinah by a railway system. -Agencies
Kuala Lampur, July 30: A leading Malaysian university has designed a program that employs modern technology to help track the whereabouts of pilgrims during their soul-searching journey of hajj.
"The prototype was a big success," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said announcing the program during the second "National Seminar on Hajj Best Practices" in Kuala Lumpur.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), one of the country's most prominent public universities, has been working on the Pilgrim Tracking Management System (PTMS) since last year.
The program, designed in cooperation with Umm-Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah, is instrumented to track the progress and the whereabouts of pilgrims during hajj.
"USM launched the PTMS prototype last year using the luggage of several local respondents performing the hajj," Ahmad said.
"A pilot study will be conducted during the coming Hajj season."
In the next stage, the minister added, USM researchers will use radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track the movement of pilgrims.
He said pilgrims from all over the world would be able to use the new technology once it proved successful.
The PTMS would be introduced into the market within the next five years.
When completed, the tracking system will include passport, health, baggage and pilgrim monitoring RFID tags that would be scanned at several locations in Makkah.
More than two million Muslims flock to Saudi Arabia every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj once in their lifetime.
Better Environment
Malaysian officials say the USM program is meant to use modern technology to offer a better environment for pilgrims.
"USM is one of many institutions worldwide that has been given the task of developing products and services to create a better environment for pilgrims performing hajj," said Minister Ahmad.
He underlined the need to use technology to overcome movement difficulties facing pilgrims.
"The services in Makkah and Madinah need to be adapted to modern technology.
"USM is creating a system that can be used for the next 50 to 100 years, while also accounting for the needs of a growing number of pilgrims performing hajj."
Over the past few years, Saudi authorities have been working to employ modern technology to facilitate hajj rituals.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj is working on a sophisticated broadcastingwork and new safety standards for vehicle tunnels and pedestrian routes for the hajj season in November.
Last December, the kingdom announced plans to set up five monorails, a single rail serving as the track for a wheeled or maically levitating vehicle, to ease the movement of the faithful in the holy sites.
It also has a SR20-billion project to link Makkah and Madinah by a railway system. -Agencies
