MAKKAH — Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi visited the Grand Mosque Operations Center on Tuesday, where he reviewed two AI-driven platforms used to manage crowds and support security at the holy site, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
SPA reported that during the visit he met with Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Hajj Security Committee Lieutenant-General Mohammed Al-Bassami, along with several security officials and Saudi programmers from SDAIA working at the center.
The visit placed the Grand Mosque Operations Center at the center of a review of how computer vision and artificial intelligence are being applied to the movement of visitors at the Grand Mosque. Dr. Al-Ghamdi reviewed the operations of the “Baseer” platform, developed by SDAIA in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, represented by Public Security. According to SPA, the platform utilizes computer vision and AI to monitor and analyze the movement of visitors to the Grand Mosque, ensuring smooth crowd management and assisting in locating missing persons.
What does it take to keep the movement of worshippers and Umrah performers flowing through one of the most crowded places on earth? The Baseer platform, as described by SPA, is built to monitor and analyze that movement, and it also assists in locating missing persons — a task that becomes more urgent as crowds grow.
Dr. Al-Ghamdi also reviewed the “Sawaher” platform, designed to enhance the safety of the Grand Mosque. SPA reported that the platform contributes to a secure and smart environment that facilitates worshippers and Umrah performers in performing their rituals seamlessly.
How do security officials and programmers work side by side inside an operations center during the seasons of heaviest attendance? SPA reported that Saudi programmers from SDAIA were working at the center, and that the SDAIA president met with them along with Lieutenant-General Al-Bassami and several security officials.
As part of his tour, the SDAIA president visited the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi, where he was briefed on the “Banan” device, which enhances identity verification using biometric features. SPA reported that he observed the center’s operations, the command room, and the advanced technology used in the Saudi Lucid vehicle, which is equipped with AI tools.
Why does identity verification matter on the Kingdom’s highways, and how does a biometric device change the work of the officers who use it? SPA described the Banan device as enhancing identity verification using biometric features, and placed it within the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi.
What role does a command room play when technology is deployed in the field, and how do officers use an AI-equipped vehicle in their daily operations? SPA reported that Dr. Al-Ghamdi observed the center’s operations, the command room, and the advanced technology used in the Saudi Lucid vehicle, which is equipped with AI tools.
The tour connected two settings in one day: the Grand Mosque Operations Center, where Baseer and Sawaher are used, and the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi, where Banan and the Saudi Lucid vehicle are deployed. SPA reported the visit on Tuesday, and identified the SDAIA president by name and title, the Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Hajj Security Committee by name and title, and the platforms and device by name.
Who develops the tools that security personnel rely on during the busiest seasons at the Grand Mosque? SPA reported that Baseer was developed by SDAIA in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, represented by Public Security. The same report described Sawaher as designed to enhance the safety of the Grand Mosque.
How does a platform that monitors and analyzes the movement of visitors also help locate missing persons? SPA reported that Baseer utilizes computer vision and AI for both purposes — monitoring and analyzing movement, and assisting in locating missing persons.
What does a “secure and smart environment” mean for a worshipper or an Umrah performer inside the Grand Mosque? SPA reported that Sawaher contributes to such an environment and that it facilitates worshippers and Umrah performers in performing their rituals seamlessly.
The SDAIA president’s tour also included the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi, where SPA reported he was briefed on the Banan device and observed the center’s operations, the command room, and the advanced technology used in the Saudi Lucid vehicle, which is equipped with AI tools.
What questions remain after a visit of this kind? SPA did not include the number of personnel at either center, the number of visitors monitored by Baseer, the number of missing persons located with its assistance, the technical specifications of the Banan device, the number of Saudi Lucid vehicles in service, or any statements from Dr. Al-Ghamdi or Lieutenant-General Al-Bassami beyond the fact of the meetings and the reviews conducted.
SPA also did not include the date the platforms were first deployed, the cost of development, or the scope of their use beyond the Grand Mosque and the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi. The report identified the visit as taking place on Tuesday and dated the dispatch to Makkah, March 26, 2025.
What does the presence of Saudi programmers from SDAIA at the Grand Mosque Operations Center say about how the authority staffs the tools it builds? SPA reported that the SDAIA president met with them during the visit, alongside the Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Hajj Security Committee and several security officials.
The visit, as reported by SPA, moved from the Grand Mosque Operations Center to the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi, and covered Baseer, Sawaher, Banan, and the Saudi Lucid vehicle. The report named the officials present and the technologies reviewed, and left the operational figures and the officials’ own words outside its text.
What did the SDAIA president review at the Grand Mosque Operations Center? SPA reported that Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi reviewed the operations of the “Baseer” platform, developed by SDAIA in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, represented by Public Security. The platform utilizes computer vision and AI to monitor and analyze the movement of visitors to the Grand Mosque, ensuring smooth crowd management and assisting in locating missing persons. He also reviewed the “Sawaher” platform, designed to enhance the safety of the Grand Mosque, contributing to a secure and smart environment that facilitates worshippers and Umrah performers in performing their rituals seamlessly.
Who did the SDAIA president meet during the visit? SPA reported that during the visit he met with Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Hajj Security Committee Lieutenant-General Mohammed Al-Bassami, along with several security officials and Saudi programmers from SDAIA working at the center. The meeting took place at the Grand Mosque Operations Center, which he visited on Tuesday. The report identified the officials by name and title but did not include statements from any of them.
What is the Banan device and where was it reviewed? SPA reported that as part of his tour, the SDAIA president visited the highway security center in Al-Shumaisi, where he was briefed on the “Banan” device, which enhances identity verification using biometric features. He observed the center’s operations, the command room, and the advanced technology used in the Saudi Lucid vehicle, which is equipped with AI tools. The report did not include technical specifications for the device or the number of vehicles in service.
What is the Baseer platform used for at the Grand Mosque? SPA reported that Baseer was developed by SDAIA in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, represented by Public Security. The platform utilizes computer vision and AI to monitor and analyze the movement of visitors to the Grand Mosque, ensuring smooth crowd management and assisting in locating missing persons. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi reviewed its operations during his visit to the Grand Mosque Operations Center on Tuesday, alongside Saudi programmers from SDAIA working at the center.
What is the Sawaher platform designed to do? SPA reported that the “Sawaher” platform is designed to enhance the safety of the Grand Mosque. According to the report, it contributes to a secure and smart environment that facilitates worshippers and Umrah performers in performing their rituals seamlessly. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi reviewed the platform during his visit to the Grand Mosque Operations Center on Tuesday, where he also met with Lieutenant-General Mohammed Al-Bassami and several security officials and Saudi programmers from SDAIA.