3‑8

3 Information System Digital Media

Congestion Monitoring System for Infection
Control Measure
IIO Atsushi IMAI Masatoshi SAITO Tsuguharu
MAEJIMA Seiichi MATSUSAKA Kazuyoshi

This article describes the congestion monitoring system provided to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
focusing on two distinctive points : first the service was provided in a short period and second the project progress andsystem operation was under an exceptional environment during the infection spread period of the coronavirus disease2019
Keywords：Social distancing measures Congestion monitoring Behavior change

1．Background of the Introduction ofthe Congestion Monitoring System

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Short‑term Implementation after the Decision toIntroduce the System

The adoption of the congestion monitoring system wasThe Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

officially decided at the end of March 2021 This project(hereinafter referred to as “Tokyo 2020 Games”)

had to build and deploy the system locally in about 3

scheduled for 2020 were postponed by one year tomonths

summer 2021 due to the spread of the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID‑19) infection In addition to the12original plan it was necessary to prepare for the Games

Globally Recognized Measures against Infectious Diseases

keeping COVID‑19 in mind And an additional budget

Avoidance based on “SANMITSU” has been proposed

was created as a measure in the December 2020

as a measure against infectious diseases in Japan (1)supplementary budget

The congestion monitoring“SANMITSU” means “avoiding gatherings in crowded

system shown in Figure 1 was introduced as a social

places close‑contact settings and enclosed spaces”

distancing measure

WHO also called for the “3Cs” in July 2020 which are thesame as the “SANMITSU in Japan (2)IIO Atsushi
Digital Platform Business Unit‑Service Platform Division NEC Corporation
E‑mail a‑iio@nec com
IMAI Masatoshi
Digital Platform Business Unit‑Service Platform Division NEC Corporation
E‑mail masatoshi‑imai@nec com
SAITO Tsuguharu
Digital Platform Business Unit‑Service Platform Division NEC Corporation
E‑mail t‑saito‑dh@nec com
MAEJIMA Seiichi
Digital Platform Business Unit‑Service Platform Division NEC Corporation
E‑mail s maejima@nec com
MATSUSAKA Kazuyoshi
Digital Platform Business Unit‑Service Platform Division NEC Corporation
E‑mail k‑matsusaka@nec com

The Journal of The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers Vol 105 No 8 Supplement pp 162‑168 August 2022
© 2022 The Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers

162

2．Congestion Monitoring System andProject Management
This section provides an overview of the congestion
monitoring system tasks and solutions and how theproject is progressing
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System Implementation

It was decided that the congestion monitoring system

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

Figure 1

Overview of Congestion Monitoring System

planned initially would be built for the Games However

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there were challenges in terms of delivery time and costThis project was not only a large‑scale event but also

The system utilized an existing cloud service to

faced different constraints and risks than usual under theovercome these issues This led to the introduction of acircumstances of a global pandemic

Project Progresscongestion monitoring system that could be implemented in a short period and solve the installation issues

221･

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Installation Issues

Requirements for This Project

Construction in a short period of about 3 months
until June 2021

Initially a plan to use network cameras was consid-･

Low‑cost implementation

ered for the congestion monitoring system Most of the･

Security and content design must comply with PJ

facilities prepared for 2020 had already been constructedat the time of the study There were problems inconstructing additional networks and other infrastruc-standard･To be understood worldwide as a measure for
infectious diseases

ture facilities regarding cost physical coordination (e gsecuring conduits) and construction period

222

Approach to the Requirements

To manage the progress of multiple teams a “Work212Solutions

To address this issue

Breakdown Structure (WBS)” was used to visualize thethe existing “Congestiontasks and team status of the entire project In addition

Visualization Service” using mobile networks wasagile development was used to adjust to the require-

adopted to solve the network installation issue andments and Daily Scrums were conducted to ensure thatconstruction work was kept to a minimum for power

the schedule was maintained while the situation changed

supply and sensor installation

day by day We have assigned quality control experts toIn addition to the“Congestion Visualization Service”

Digital Signage

ensure the quality of the project

Service” and “Passer‑by Counting Service” were usedfor short‑term implementation The lack of functionality

223

was addressed by minimizing customization and design-

The first state of emergency was declared during theing a system to meet the operational needs of the Games

Progress of the Project during the Pandemic

project period on April 7 2020

As a result the services solved the issues of short‑term

Project members were restricted in their activities ;

implementation and achieved low‑cost implementation

therefore they had to communicate more closely to keep

Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020163

the project moving forward Measures were necessary
to prevent infection among project members during
processes that required on‑site responsesuch as

preliminary inspections to determine sensor installation
locations installation work and subsequent testing224

Measures during Site WorkA detailed work plan was made for the site andpreliminary inspections
target areas

considering routes between

and rehearsals were conductedInaddition the number of people was narrowed down by
subdividing an area into smaller areas for sensor
detection testing The members who worked on the site
reported daily their temperatures and physical condition
during the work period to avoid the risk of the project
shut down due to infection and the risk of being placed inquarantine at home in the event of heavy contact
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Other Measures

To prevent congestion by workers on‑site

weensured that no more than four people were present in agroup during meetings dismissal and waiting at thesite

In addition

heat stroke measures were alsoprioritized by increasing the number and duration of
breaks because the site tests were conducted under hightemperature and humidity conditions
23

Information Provision Mechanism

For conveying the detected congestion information inreal‑time to the athletes and other people involved
consideration was given to the diversity and ease of

Figure 2

understanding of the information
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Diversity of Communication

Information Display（©2021‑International Olympic
Committee‑All Rights Reserved）

that does not rely on the language for non‑verbal

Digital signage was installed in the lobbies maincommunication Congestion information was displayed

dining hall casual dining room and fitness centre of thein three levels (below 30% 30‑70% above 70%) Staff

athletesʼ residential building in the Olympic and Paraly-

could switch the display on the second floor of the main

mpic Village For example when athletes leave thedining hall to a “Closed” sign An original content design

residential building for a meal they can check the digital

was created following the guidelines of the Games looksignage in the lobby to find out the availability ofdesign

facilities The same information was provided to theproposals were exchanged closely with the Tokyo 2020

Due to the short turnaround time

designsmartphones used by athletes and related personnel toOrganising Committee Still it took longer than ex-

access the information from anywhere By using various

pected to finalize the design because approval had to bemethods to provide information the system was able toobtained from several departments

guide users to avoid congestion
24232

Understandability of the Content

Overview of the Congestion Monitoring System

Informing athletes and other related personnel ofThe information shown in Figure 2 is displayed incongestion conditions in real‑time made it possible forJapanese and English but the content is mainly visualthem to take action to avoid crowded places and times of164

THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONICS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERS

Figure 3

Figure 4Congestion Visualization ServiceDetection Sensors（©2021‑International OlympicCommittee‑All Rights Reserved）

congestion The following is an overview and configuration of the system (Figure 3)
241

Figure 5 Image of Counting the Number of People
Detection
sensors count the number of people image data is discarded andonly the numerical data is sent to the cloud （©2021‑International
Olympic Committee‑All Rights Reserved）

Figure 6 Appropriate Number of People in the Target Area
Example : Capacity : 20 people the number of people is calculated
considering the appropriate interval for the target area

Location of the Congestion Monitoring System

The congestion visualization system was installed inthe main dining hall casual dining room recreation area
fitness centre and village plaza of the Olympic andParalympic Village
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Congestion Monitoring Mechanism

The congestion monitoring mechanism uses a detection sensor (Figure 4) to capture images of the target
area detect human shapes and count the number ofpeople (Figure 5) The detection sensor consists of acomputer a camera and a SIM and counts the number

Figure 7 Appropriate Interval Considered as Social DistanceAccording to the “New Lifestyle” announced by the Ministry of
Health Labor and Welfare the recommended distance is 2 m andthe minimum is 1 mof people (Figure 6) The images captured are immediately deleted after processing in the detection sensor
and the appropriate area that can be covered by a single

243

detection sensor is 10 m×10 m (Figure 7) The conges-

The digital signage was a cloud‑based system (FigureDigital Signage Service

tion level content was generated based on the threshold9)

values specified in advance in the cloud (Figure 8)

hardware made it possible to deploy the service at theThe subscription‑type service

which includesOlympic and Paralympic Villages in a short period By
Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020165

3．Service Operation and Lessons Learned
during the Games
Standard services alone cannot cover all the requirements The policy of this project was to respond to thecharacteristics of a short‑term event The gap with therequest was addressed by human operation
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Utilization of Existing Services

Generally

the operation of the service aims atautomation However in this project the service wasFigure 8 Criteria for Judging Crowding
In the case of 20people 1 person/1 m 2 was used as the maximum capacity

designed with the highest priority to date of delivery andcost The operation design was studied according to theTokyo 2020 Games A one‑stop service was provided asa system including operation and maintenance such as
establishing a local response system and designingescalation rules for the Games period
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Issues during the Games

There were discrepancies between the congestion
level considered by the site staff and the congestion level
displayed by the system If the level felt by the site staff
and the level of the system are different the on‑site staff
will be given priority Therefore this problem wassolved by adjusting the threshold settings again since
Figure 9

on‑site operations are given priority

Digital Signage Service33

Operational Changes during the GamesDuring the Games

there were no major system

preparing a unified support desk as a congestion

failures It is due to the success of repeated on‑site

detection service inquiries after the start of operation

operational tests During the transition period from thecould be handled promptly and operations could be

Olympic to Paralympic Games the thresholds werecontinued until the end of the Games without trouble

modified to reflect the change in the maximum numberof people in each area We took into account the change

244

Web Constructionin the number of athletes and the number of wheelchair

The Web server was built on an IaaS service andcomplied with the security requirements described by
the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee

users during the duration of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic
Games

The loadbalancing was performed using a CDN : Content Delivery Network service provided by Tokyo 2020 Organising34

Behavioral Changes during the Period

According to the final report compiled by the TokyoCommittee and dual security measures were imple-2020 Organising Committee

mented by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee andpeople stayed in the Olympic and Paralympic Villages

the vendor As in past Games there were many cyber‑during the peak of the Games The facility was used byattacks at this Games but none of them affected our3 636 people of which 500 people or 14% viewed theservices

Web The number of viewers of the digital signage wasapproximately 14 000

not counted
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Effects of Introducing the System

At the time of the Tokyo 2020 Games the capacity of166

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Figure 10 Crowding Time of Occurrence (hours) on 1F/2FAnalyzing the data of July 25 (Sun )a dispersion induction time zone was set up on the second floor In addition the threshold value for thefirst floor on July 26 was lowered and an early warning was issued As a result the congestion timezone on the first floor has decreased

the main dining hall was 618 seats on the first floor andsystem for the Tokyo 2020 Games was a flexible

2 100 seats on the second floor The entrance to theoperational design We proved that standard servicesfacility is located on the first floor and the first floor iscould be used for future large‑scale events such as thequickly crowded but effective dispersal guidance andTokyo 2020 Games by designing operations according toalerts were provided through quantitative monitoring

requirements

thereby leveling the congestion as shown in Figure 10
References

342

Effects of the System on the Operation Staff()()

The system was well received by the facilityʼs users as
a “good initiative” It was also highly evaluated by those
involved in managing the Olympic and Paralympic
VillagesThe management staff was able to makedecisions on the operation of the facilities based on theExample of practicing a “New Lifestyle,” Ministry of Health, Labourand Welfare.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/en.newlifestyle.pdf“WHO calls for avoidance of ʻ3 Cʼ,” NHK, July 19, 2020, 4 : 42.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200719/k10012522831000.html(Received February 28 2022 ; Revised March 11 2022)

data of the crowded information In addition the dataalso helped to improve the overall efficiency of theOlympic and Paralympic Villages as the staff was able
to grasp the status of not only the facilities they were in
charge of but also the entire Olympic and Paralympic
Village

Furthermore

we analyzed the congestion

period in each area and captured the behavior patternsof the athletes The behavior patterns provided usefuldata for the future provision of meals

4．Conclusion
This project provided a system that could be used todeal with infectious diseases in a short period and at a

IIO Atsushi
He graduated from Kanagawa University in2002 with a degree in Economics and joined
NEC Corporation in 2009 Since then he has
been engaged in digital signage‑related business Currently he is in charge of the IoT
service business in the Service Platform
Division of NEC Corporation
IMAI Masatoshi
He graduated from Saga University in 2011
with a bachelorʼs degree in Information Systems He joined NEC Corporation in the same
year Since then he has been engaged ininfrastructure construction work for the government and municipal offices Currently incharge of digital signage service business in theService Platform Division of NEC Corporation

low cost by utilizing a standard service In addition theproject was able to make up for requirements outside ofthe service with a minimum of customization andoperation The key point of the congestion monitoring
Special Issue : Technology and Innovation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

167

SAITO Tsuguharu
He graduated from the Japan Advanced
Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) in
1998 with a Masterʼs degree in Information
Science Since then he has been engaged inresearch mainly on QoS security and Identity
Federation Currently he is in charge of MDM
and IoT services
MAEJIMA Seiichi
He graduated from Kokugakuin University in1988 and joined NEC Corporation in 2010
where he has been engaged in web systemdevelopment new business development digital signage and IoT service business He iscurrently a professional in the Service Management Department of NEC Corporation 2011
Web creator and 2016 IT coordinator
MATSUSAKA Kazuyoshi
He graduated from Ritsumeikan Universityin 1990 with a degree in economics In the same
year he joined NEC Corporation and isengaged in digital business related to broadcasting media Currently he is Senior Manager
Service Platform Division NEC Corporation㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇㍇168

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