Any true count on the size of the Inaugural crowd?

[Condem]

The owner of my place of employment (R-Iowa) said he heard 800,000.

[tekisui]

1. One People.

[dsc]

2. crowd estimation is notoriously difficult and subjective

so the numbers will be all over the map. 800,000 sounds low though.

[Condem]

9. With todays technology, dsc?

Seems like some easy geometry to me. Take those photos from space. Has to be some form of computation for that.

[dsc]

11. how close are they standing together?

I am sure that we can do better than say 10 years ago but since the crowd won't be uniformly close we can't just take a picture of one small spot and use it to estimate the whole.

[NYC_SKP]

15. To be sure it's easier to get a more accurate count today than ever.

The trouble would be when anyone tries to compare it to past events, LBJ's inauguration, for example, which used lord-knows-what methods.

And I'll bet, as you suggest, defense department satellite images and well designed computation strategies could get it withing 1-3 percent accuracy.

:patriot:

[Condem]

16. All I'm looking for, NYC

I'm damn sure, it's alot higher than 800,000. Just to shut his ass up.

[NYC_SKP]

18. DC Mayor says 1.8 million, Park Service "will not contest" that number. WaPo:

Experts disagree, I'd use the mayor's numbers.

Some exclude people along the parade route, I don't know why.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012103884_pf.html

Authorities for years have been wary of estimating crowd sizes for events on the Mall, but numbers poured forth yesterday -- including from D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's office.
In radio interviews, Fenty (D) cited the 1.8 million figure, which eclipses the 1.2 million official tally from the 1965 inauguration of Lyndon Johnson.
Mafara Hobson, Fenty's spokeswoman, described the count as a "collective decision" reached Tuesday inside the city's joint operations command center, where dozens of local and federal agencies were helping to coordinate security and traffic management. She said it was based on information collected by several cameras and individuals on the ground.
"The 1.8 was communicated out to the mayor's office and other agencies," she said.

The National Park Service, which has been barred from making estimates since its count of 400,000 at the 1995 Million Man March drew the threat of a lawsuit, issued a statement yesterday saying it would "not contest" the 1.8 million estimate. "We do firmly believe that the crowd that was there was the biggest crowd ever, and I think that's what people are most interested in," Park Service spokesman David Barna said. "We don't have anything that suggests there was ever a bigger crowd."

But three experts arrived at lower estimates after viewing a satellite image of the event. Steve Doig, a journalism professor at Arizona State University, estimated that 750,000 people were on the Mall and in the ticketed areas near the Capitol, excluding the parade route and city streets.

:patriot:

[Condem]

19. Thank you, NYC

I can stick that up his ass.

[NYC_SKP]

21. Glad to help...

...wipe the shit-eatin' grin of the loser's face.

[Condem]

22. That won't happen, NYC

Sadly, this is what it's come to. He'll say, Fox News says...

[NYC_SKP]

24. FOX NEWS: "With 2 million people in Washington for President Obama's historic...

BWAAHAAHAAHAHAHA!!!

It took some searching for something with a big number post inauguration, but they let one through:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/21/satellite-imagery-shows-inauguration-space/

With 2 million people in Washington for President Obama's historic inauguration Tuesday, who had the best seat in the house? Perhaps the most scenic vantage was from high in the air -- extremely high.

Print it out, highlight the juicy part, leave on his desk or somewhere...add a smiley face!

[TeamJordan23]

3. I think CNN had it at 2 million. I doubt we will ever know for sure. nm

[MarjorieG]

5. And all those nearby unable to get access to the mall.

[Joe the Liberal]

4. Over 9,000. n/t

[shugah]

27. i actually get that, Joe

over 9000!

[Uzybone]

6. Best estimates are around 1.5 - 2 million

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/01/22/inaugural_crowd_size_reportedly_dc_record/

[jenmito]

7. MSNBC said the official number was 1.8 million people. n/t

[pnwmom]

23. That was the Parks Department estimate. I'll go with it! n/t

[NMDemDist2]

8. I heard 1.8 million nt/

[Cha]

25. Cool..you got to change your

name to New Mexico:P

[Condem]

10. He had a big smile on his face. Just smug.

That's why I'm asking.

[firedupdem]

12. He's an idiot...he knows better. Every estimate has been 1.8 or

1.9 million. He knows that.

[Condem]

17. ALL his talking points are Limbaugh.

It had to come from there.

[TZ]

13. he's an idiot

Metro subway had there all time high ridership on Tuesday..over 1 MILLION riders. That right there means that 800,000 is way too low
.
heres the link..show him this. 800,000 MY ASS..
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Metrorail-Sets-Ridership-Record-by-6-pm.html

[rzemanfl]

14. I am doing a count by having everyone who was there send me

a dollar. If you were there, PM for the address.

[leftofthedial]

20. Fucking Gi-normous!

[Jennicut]

26. 800,000...lol, no way. Its the most attended inauguration ever

Its over LBJ's # of 1.2 million for sure.