By Avinash P. Subramanyam

Copyright deccanchronicle

Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has unveiled the country’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for managing the pilgrimage ecosystem.Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the ICCC on Wednesday at the Vaikuntam Queue Complex–I. The origin of the Integrated Command and Control Centre can be traced to IT minister Nara Lokesh’s visit to Silicon Valley in October 2024, where he interacted with start-ups working on smart cities, digital twins, AI and cyber security. He explored ways to apply frontier technologies to the unique challenges of Tirumala. Following this proposal, Lokesh held discussions with like-minded NRIs who came forward to translate the vision into a functional system, ensuring the project was completed ahead of peak festival footfalls. The ICCC initiative has been taken up as a public-private partnership with donor support, guided by a seva approach without commercial objectives. ICCC consolidates advanced cameras, 3D situational maps, and live dashboards, all monitored by a dedicated team. It is designed to set a benchmark in temple governance and pilgrim services by enabling real-time crowd monitoring, quick queue management, enhanced safety and protection from cyber threats. The centre integrates feeds from multiple departments onto a giant video wall, allowing coordinated responses in real time. It can predict crowd movements, estimate waiting times from Alipiri, and optimise sarva darshanam flow. Safety features include facial recognition, automated distress alerts and guided evacuation routes through 3D visuals. Digital twin technology provides interactive maps of congestion-prone areas, queue compartments and density, supporting quicker decongestion strategies. Cyber threat intelligence is a core element, monitoring misinformation, defamatory content, and cyber-attacks that could target the temple’s digital assets. More than two dozen trained personnel operate the centre round the clock, supported by unified dashboards and an escalation system for faster field-level response. The facility is powered by Kloudspot Inc., a Silicon Valley-based company, and backed by NVIDIA’s high-performance computing capabilities. It employs AI, facial analytics, and 3D visualisation to process massive volumes of data in real time, with over 6,000 AI cameras across Tirumala and Tirupati. The system handles 3,60,000 payloads per minute, processes 518 million events daily, and generates 2.5 billion inferences every day. For pilgrims, the ICCC promises shorter and more predictable queues, timely assistance, and reliable information. For temple staff, it offers better situational awareness and AI-driven insights to resolve issues efficiently. For TTD, it ensures transparent dashboards, actionable alerts, and a coordinated approach to emergency management.