Innovative IT applications deployed during FIFA World Cup 2014

The whole world was very much upbeat about the FIFA World Cup 2014. The tournament took place at eighteen different locations in Brazil. FIFA 2014 had much more to offer to Brazil than just athletic entertainment because the country has a great sporting history in football. 

The preparation for this much-awaited event was started by the Brazilian government years ago. This was the second time that Brazil hosted the event and thirty two countries participated in it. Since millions of people were expected to travel throughout Brazil elaborate security measures were taken up by the Brazilian government. The government had invested over $900 million on security measures alone.

Facial recognition technology: Investment in security technology included facial recognition systems and unmanned robots. The Brazilian government purchased facial recognition cameras capable of capturing 400 facial images per second. Those images could later be stored in a central database of up to 13 million faces. Video security systems were also deployed at various stadiums. This set up included over 250 IP security cameras controlled through a video management system with integration to the building management system and ticketing access control. When a football fan enters the area his ticket is indexed with an image taken by the surveillance system to enable facial recognition identification if needed. This recognition is made possible by a powerful back end facial recognition identification algorithm.

Unmanned robots: The government of Brazil had purchased 30 security robots which were earlier used by the armed forces of United States and some other large military forces in the world. Each of those robots cost around $3.5 million. Those small, unmanned, ground vehicles were equipped with ‘Robocop-style’ glasses with face recognition cameras. They were capable of providing surveillance, bomb removal and other law-maintaining systems. They had earlier inspected potentially dangerous areas and objects, removed suspicious devices, and detected chemical and explosive agents. 

2014 World Cup was, in essence, a digital world through the use of technological breakthroughs. The use of Goal Line Technology (GLT), high-definition cameras, large scale mobile application downloads and use of evanescent foams in the court are a few IT applications in addition to facial recognition technology.

GLT and high speed cameras: 14 high speed Goal Control cameras were installed on every seven arched doorway and on the roof of each of the 12 stadiums. The cameras being connected to the computer processed images and filtered anything that might cause distraction and track the exact position of the ball when it crossed the goal line. Sony installed 224 high definition cameras that captured more than 2500 hours of recording of the tournament. This is indeed a breaking news event in the sporting history of the world.

Ultra high definition: Matches of the World Cup were captured in ultra high definition in 4K format. This resolution was 4 times higher than HD television. It required a satellite network for handling 100 megabits. Most of the fans were not able to receive the time signals in 4K format. The technological application was totally innovative. Big data and tracking technologies measured the tendencies of players in very specific situations helping coaches take better decisions on team strategy and players’ positions. 

HID Global is a reliable source for innovative products, services, solutions, and use of secure identities for millions of customers around the world. ASSA ABLOY is the international leader in door opening solutions dedicated to the users’ needs and satisfaction. It has a leading position in areas such as hotel security, access control, identification technology and door automation security. Products of ASSA ABLOY and HID Global were used at stadiums in Natal, Curitiba, Recife, Brasilia, Fortaleza, and at the legendary Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Linktel is a hotspot operator of Brazil which operates the largest independent network of hotspots. Linktel turned to Nomadix and deployed AG5800 internet access gateways at numerous Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Brazil. Because of its reliability and powerful bandwidth management capabilities, the AG5800 was an important piece of Wi-Fi services during World Cup 2014. Social Soccer was a new app from Tata Consultancy Services which applied sentiments and predictive analysis to tweets and other news about each match. 

Sporting events, especially those which involve many countries and happen on a global scale, attract millions of people. Emotions galore and there is a high risk of violence and crime. Therefore, security measures are the top priority along with other IT applications. FIFA World Cup 2014 used several innovative IT applications which became immensely popular.

About author: Joseph Porter is a freelance writer at Dissertation Editing and Proofreading writing service and the professionals helps for getting best dissertations for the academic students with over 14 year’s experience. He enjoys writing about current trends and innovations in education, technology, sports and travelling.