All the Protestors F-it to Count: Using Drones to Estimate Protest Crowd Size

• In Event: 338 - Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Paper Session: Table 07.

Abstract

Protest events are a hallmark social movement tactic. Large crowds in public spaces sends a clear message to those in authority. Estimating crowd size is important for clarifying how much support a particular movement has been able to garner. This matters for policymakers and public opinion alike. Efforts to accurately estimate crowd size are plagued with issues: the cost of renting aircraft (if done by air), the challenge of visibility and securing building access (if done by rooftops), and issues related to perspective and scale (if done on the ground). Technological innovation involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (or “drones”) open a new opportunity to better estimate crowd size. In this article we adapt traditional aerial techniques to this new innovation and apply the method to small (1,000) and large (30,000+) events. Ethical guidelines related to drone safety and privacy are advanced, and we conclude with a discussion of whether our usage matches meets such standards.

Author

• Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, Central European University