 |
Computer System Provides Jets With Real-Time
Data From New Meadowlands Stadium Events |
Jets Owner Woody Johnson "hired Roundarch, a digital design agency, to conceptualize and construct a computer system that monitors virtually every single in-game business activity" at the $1.6B New Meadowlands Stadium, according to Scott Cacciola of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. It is known among Jets officials as Johnson's "Command Center," and "thousands of pieces of real-time data -- everything from hot dog sales to bathroom lines -- are available at his fingertips on a 42-inch touchscreen display that hangs in his owner's suite." Jets officials said that it is "all designed to enhance the fan experience." The program's home screen is called "The Pocket," and it has a "four-panel layout that highlights separate categories: tickets, parking, merchandise and concessions." Tap on "Tickets," and Johnson "can see how many fans have entered the stadium, when they entered and which gates they used." Tap on "Concessions," and Johnson "can see gross sales and how that figure compares to previous games." Every ticket and parking pass is "barcoded and scanned; every beer sale, processed and recorded." All that information is "instantaneously uploaded to the Command Center." Roundarch "has implemented an automated system that tracks inventory and sends alerts if any booths need to be restocked." Johnson also "has access to live feeds of hundreds of security cameras, and the stadium is heat-mapped to monitor crowd flow." The idea is to "take the guesswork out of game-day operations and reduce it to a futuristic science." Cacciola notes Roundarch is "expected to unveil a mobile application next year that fans will be able to download to their hand-held devices," and Johnson said that he "anticipates a wide range of uses." Cacciola: "Which bathrooms are the most empty? Are there any traffic issues near the stadium?" Johnson "even suggested using the app to announce beer discounts at various concession stands as a way to control crowd flow" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/22).
