A new report claims New York’s Madison Square Garden has started using facial-recognition technologies at its gates to identify potential security risks. MSG, however, has been publicly using facial recognition technologies at its arena for the past seven years, albeit for different purposes, and the report that it’s now deploying the technology for security checks might represent an extension of existing in-arena technology that has been used to drive fan engagement since 2011.
The arena, home to the NBA’s Knicks, NHL’s Rangers and big-ticket concerts and events, has reportedly placed facial-recognition cameras on or near its metal detectors and is using algorithms to match images with a database of photographs to identify potential red flags, according to the New York Times, citing multiple anonymous sources familiar with the arena’s security. The newspaper doesn’t name the company providing the hardware and back-end support for this new camera-based security system, though it says the technology has been “sometimes used for marketing and promotions.”
For years both the Knicks and the Rangers have been using facial recognition to enhance the fan experience through a company called Fancam. The first cameras were deployed on October 27, 2011, when the Rangers faced the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2011-12 season home opener. A few months later, in December 2011, the Knicks began marketing their use of Fancam.
At the time, the Rangers said FanCam would provide a “high definition image” that would capture MSG “in its entirety.” It would allow fans to “step inside the 360 degree gigapixel image and look around during this frozen moment of time,” according to a blog post published ahead of the game.
Fancam offers teams a high-resolution photo comprised of billions of pixels that captures in-arena fans during the game. The resolution is so high (at least 50 pixels across per person) that fans can zoom in to find high-definition detail of the individuals sitting in the stands. Fans can then browse through to find and tag themselves in the photo to share via email or social media.
The technology is used mostly as a fan engagement tool and is deployed by a half-dozen other sports teams, including the NHL’s Rangers and Minnesota Wild; NBA’s Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers; MLB’s Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins; and NFL’s New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos.
Fans can not only share their attendance with their network on social media, but they might even be pushed promotions for doing so. Big brands, such as Bud Light, have sponsored Fancam experiences, with Bud Light placing brand signage on top of the photos Cavs fans share out of Quicken Loans Arena.
Increasingly, however, Fancam’s technology is being used for enterprise purposes as well. The company has been quietly rolling out an analytics platform and building a database of high-resolution photos and algorithms to help teams identify patterns and trends among fans. Fancam’s technology can identify how often a particular person sat in a seat throughout the season that was designated for a season ticket holder. While it doesn’t identify these people by name, its technology can be integrated with other software used by teams to draw links. The Rangers, for example, could link their season ticket database to the Fancam database to make data-supported assumptions about the way their season ticket holders are using their seats.
Interestingly, Fancam can also deploy algorithms to provide teams with gender heatmaps of an arena, identifying, for example, the percentage of women versus men at games and comparing that with historical data to better target ads. It can also make general assumptions about age. It then cross-references all of this information with its database of photos using algorithms that enable its clients to identify trends and target promotions.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
As Michael Downing, the former deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and chief security adviser for the Oak View Group told The New York Times, “facial recognition is really only as good as the database it is compared against.”
SportTechie was unable to confirm whether the enterprise technology that Fancam is using with MSG is the same technology that’s being used for security. Fancam didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The fan engagement and analysis aspect of Fancam’s technology would appear to have more uses for sports teams than the security aspect, especially when it comes to driving revenue. Other sports leagues and teams have openly used facial recognition technology, purportedly for security purposes only. Last year, the LPGA introduced facial recognition technologies from NEC Corporation to “ensure a pleasurable customer experience.” And AS Roma has been using the technology at its events for security purposes — its technology reportedly records data related to the distance between a person’s eyes, the length of one’s nose and the thickness of lips.
MSG already uses a number of methods to ensure the safety and security of fans entering its arena, which is stationed in the heart of Midtown Manhattan above Pennsylvania Station, one of the busiest train terminals in the U.S. Fans entering the arena may be subject to airport-like security screening that might include metal detectors, bag searches and bomb-sniffing dogs. A spokesperson for MSG said the arena “continues to test and explore the use of new technologies to ensure we’re employing the most effective security procedures to provide a safe and wonderful experience for our guests.”