Near Field Communication for pilgrim services

Several million pilgrims perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia every year. These pilgrims come from all around the globe and speak more than 120 different languages. Majority of these pilgrims are old-aged. Many of these pilgrims get sick, lose money, lose identification documents, and several die naturally during these few days of pilgrimage every year. This event poses several challenges to the authorities, to take care of these guests of the country and provide the best of services. Technology can help in making this Holy trip easier on pilgrims and the authorities. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology can help in improving services at a higher efficiency. Particularly, NFC enabled mobile phones can improve the following services: accelerate pilgrimage permit screening at checkpoints, dealing with medical cases and emergencies by holding medical records of pilgrims and as a pass for transportation between Holy sites. It can also hold an electronic copy of all official documents, in case the pilgrims lose their passport and other documents. In addition, it can act as access control to hotels and camps and as an e-purse to relieve pilgrims from carrying cash. It could also enable officers to easily identify and direct lost pilgrims to their groups. Moreover, kiosk points can be provided for pilgrims to download video clips that highlight the rituals to be performed at each Holy site. Most of these services can be provided with programmed NFC tags if the pilgrims do not have an NFC enabled mobile phone.