Posted on 01/21/2009 7:27:26 PM PST by Ballygrl
An ASU journalism professor using satellite images calculated that 800,000 people attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication professor Stephen Doig calculated the official inauguration crowd estimate after analyzing a GeoEye-1 satellite image shot at 11:19 a.m. from a height of 423 miles. GeoEye-1 is a military-controlled satellite.
Doig said the image was taken 40 minutes before Obama’s swearing-in, but adjusted his estimation to include people who were still coming in before the swearing-in.
“The space-based image is fascinating because all the low-level shots make you think the crowd is much larger,” Doig said. “You see the very dense clots of people in front of the Jumbotrons but then the wide open spaces elsewhere.”
Doig originally tried to calculate the crowd size through a camera hanging from a balloon 700 feet off the ground.
The balloon was operated from the ground by a company called Digital Design & Imaging Service. The Virginia-based company specializes in taking scenic pictures for planning projects of architects and developers.
Company president Curt Westergard asked Doig to calculate the amount of people at the inauguration from an image the camera took.
The camera initially went up at 4:50 a.m. and took its last photo at 7:30 a.m. MST.
Westergard said the camera was intended to take a picture two hours before the inauguration began, but because of George Bush’s early arrival and temporary flight restrictions, officials had the balloon come down earlier than expected.
Doig said one of the issues with the camera was the clarity of the vantage point. He said that is the reason why he was unable to calculate the crowd size.
“It was a beautiful photo but useless for crowd counting because it was not a clear photo,” Doig said.
Jody Brannon, national director of the Carnegie-Knight News21 Journalism Initiative, said technology has become a tool to help journalists report fairly and responsibly.
“For this historic event, not only is technology now available to help with accuracy, but Steve is a specialist experienced in reporting on crowds,” Brannon said in an e-mail. “So it’s a double-win to help chronicle history with great precision.”
Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, said Doig’s involvement in measuring the crowd size is significant.
“Steve is one of the real stars in understanding how data and journalism fit together,” Gillmor said in an e-mail. “So it makes perfect sense for him to be involved with this.”
Gillmor said aerial imagery has become a useful tool when making crowd estimates.
“In the past, we’ve had deliberate over- and under estimating of crowds to fit political agendas,” Gillmor said. “If technology can help us be more accurate, all the better.”
Somebody put this in perspective:
How many attended Bush’s? Clinton’s?
I thought ever since Calypso Louie had his shindig on the mall, the capitol mall authorities were not allowed to release any numbers. However, I’d be willing to say it’s around 1 mil from sat photos.
I’d like to know why the Washington Post over-inflated it’s numbers then by almost 1 million.
I would guess the 2001 inauguration was not well attended. That was the Florida vote recount election. I remember all the anarchists running thru the streets of Washington, disrupting the occasion....
Bush’s 1st inaugural was 300,000 and his 2nd was 400,000, interesting that Bill Clinton’s 1st inaugural attracted 800,000 but I can’t find the amount that attended in 96. Doesn’t look like Obama fared that much better then Clinton.
Very interesting, thanks!
The first event was the swearing in ceremony. That's the one with the singers, the prayers, the droolers, the dopeheads and all that.
That's mostly a Mall event.
Those people were departing Springfield station by 4 AM and were in place by 11:30 or so. It was a very miserable situation for them. Below freezing and a high wind.
Many people who attended that left immediately afterward and caught the train back to Sprinfield. In fact the massive parking jam that'd started around here the evening before was pretty well cleared out by 2 PM in the afternoon.
Those people, BTW, did not attend the SECOND EVENT ~ that was the parade.
Usually 300,000 to 600,000 people stay to watch the parade, or simply wait until 1 or 2 to leave for downtown.
This gives quite a complex equation.
Adding to the complexity there seems to have been just under 1,000,000 metrorail riders ~ since those are 2 way trips, that's only 500,000 "different" metrorail riders.
Many DC residents live within walking distance of course.
More than likely this was a record number, but one barely exceeding LBJ's 1.2 million. Some folks are saying there were 2.0 million, but you can't get that many on the Mall, nor can you get that many along the parade route.
We'be gone over this before but the original projection for 5.0 million was obviously nuts ~ you can't get that many in the open space anywhere near the Capitol and Downtown. Even 4.0 million will leave you with folks needing to stand in the Potomac in the water up to their necks.
3.0 million is possible, but you'd be moving them in and out of town for 3 days.
So, 2.0 mil tops, but since there were no arrests, more like 1.0 mil!
The National Park Service would make the estimates, if there were to be any official estimates, but they don’t do that anymore ~ haven’t in years and years.
Based on the typical reporting and based on this story about Obambi's inaugural, I would halve the Democrat numbers and double the Republicans....
It matters not how large the crowd was. What is important is that he fed them all with only a few loaves and fishes.
Somebody reported that there were more people watching American Idol then watched Barack Hussien Obama’s Inauguration.
Here is the Promise Keeper's "Stand in the Gap" rally that was estimated at less than 1,000,000.
Looks like little swarms of ants.
There will be a whole series of these. "The first Black President", "the first Black President who is at least partially black", "the first Black President who is mostly black", "the first completely Black President". Not to mention the whole "soot" series.
Who are you going to believe, Democrat staffers or your own lying eyes?
Only one problem:
Do YOU think 6 people can fit in a square meter?
The minions of the left have many ways to inflate numbers to make themselves look good.
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