Calit2 Mardi Gras - Gaslamp Downtown San Diego

More than two dozen Calit2 researchers deployed a mobile communications and sensor network infrastructure to support the Gaslamp Quarter Association and the San Diego Police Department's (SDPD) management of the immensely popular Mardi Gras event on February 28.
The annual festivities draw thousands of participants to the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego for an extended evening of revelry: live bands, a parade, extravagant costumes, beads, beads and more beads. The event is supposed to be wild, but not out of control or dangerous. Incident management is critical for such events where law enforcement must know what is developing, whether behavioral characteristics are changing, and then be able to respond appropriately. Responders cannot be everywhere at once, and tight constraints on funding and staffing make it even more necessary to make the best use of available resources.