SINGAPORE - If you are planning to catch the National Day fireworks up close, make sure you have Crowd@MarinaBay on your devices.

The website by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) is a live map of the bay area which allows members of the public to view crowd levels and area closures via a computer or mobile phone.

Last Saturday (July 30), the police introduced the website to the media and said it will help users to plan their visits to popular fireworks-viewing locations.

"The map will provide real-time updates regarding areas that have been closed off, either for security purposes or when the crowd size has exceeded the holding capacity of the area. This prevents users from making a wasted trip to an area that would be inaccessible to them," added the police.

The website can be accessed here.

Last Saturday, the police gave details of the security and crowd management arrangements being made for this year's National Day Parade (NDP), which is expected to host a capacity crowd for the first time in three years.

There will be more than 2,000 police officers deployed to provide land and sea security, including officers from the land divisions, Police Coast Guard, Traffic Police, Gurkha Contingent and Special Operations Command.

Superintendent Audrey Ong, who is assistant director of major security events in the police's operations department, highlighted the police's use of technology at this year's NDP.

"For example, SPF drones and patrol robots will complement the police in crowd management and public security operations," she said.

Patrol robots will be deployed at locations of high footfall and they will assist in crowd management and detecting potential security threats.

The robots have a two-way intercom system which members of the public can use to communicate with police officers for issues relating to crime, safety and security.

They also have a 2m-long pan tilt zoom camera that provides multi-angle visuals for officers.

These robots, produced under a collaboration between the SPF and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency, will also be deployed at Downtown MRT station - for the first time during this year's NDP.

The police said the use of drones with thermal imaging sensors enhances their awareness of the crowd situation at night.

"Images captured by the drones enable police officers to derive insights regarding crowd size, density and flow. The SPF can also utilise these images to identify potential choke points and overcrowded areas so that intervention measures can be taken timely and appropriately to ease congestion," they added.