The Guadalupe pilgrimage
The second largest pilgrimage in the world, Our Lady of Guadalupe, near Mexico City, sees the visit of nearly 20 million people every year, including more than 6 or 7 million in the month before December 12. Thales ensures visitors’ safety during this exceptional event, most notably using mini-drones, solutions already deployed by Thales in the City of Mexico.
A security challenge for major events
As far as managing major events is concerned, pilgrimages distinguish themselves by the high number and intensity of risk types: crowd movements, terrorism, personal safety... At Our Lady of Guadalupe, over a period of time limited to a few days, the equivalent of the population of a large metropolis visit the location, especially the site of the basilica.
As an extension of the work undertaken for the city of Mexico, our client deploys every year a special device based on our solutions, to ensure safety around the pilgrimage. Mobile command units cover the site, using two mini-drones to enhance visibility and prevent incidents.
An agile device
The solution chosen by Thales is based on two complementary elements:
• Two mobile control and command centers in trucks are set up as part of Thales's urban safety program in Mexico City ;
• These mobile centers benefit from the assistance of two mini-UAVs (or drones) providing mobile video surveillance and delivering the "last mile vision", as close to the field as possible.
With these tools, Thales is able to regulate the flow of pilgrims and its density. Thanks to the solution deployed, the millions of pilgrims who come every year to Our Lady of Guadalupe can follow their spiritual itinerary in complete material security.