Panasonic Facial Recognition Improves Fan Safety

Danish Superliga football club Brøndby IF’s stadium is the first in Denmark to utilise facial recognition technology, provided by Panasonic, to ensure a safer stadium experience and alleviate the strain placed on staff during high profile matches.

The system is being deployed to automate the process of identifying blacklisted persons and prevent them from entering the stadium, a task which was previously undertaken manually by security personnel. Panasonic’s security cameras and FacePRO facial recognition software, automatically identify any individuals registered on the list, and sends a message to staff to take the appropriate action.

The system will enhance security measures and fan safety, which will prove especially important during high profile matches such as the derby against F.C. Copenhagen. Furthermore, the automated procedure at the stadium entrance will decrease congestion at the gates, resulting in a faster entrance process for fans.

Expecting an average attendance of 14,000 people per game, and up to 100 registered persons on the stadium blacklist, it allows staff to focus their attention on better assistance and service towards fans entering the stadium. 

Jesper Jørgensen, Managing Director of Brøndby IF commented, “The system will significantly increase our efficiency in identifying blacklisted persons at our entrance gates, so we can ensure they do not enter the stadium. We are always trying to optimise our stadium experience for our fans, and ultimately create the best possible fan experience. This is another step into the right direction.”

Protection of personal privacy

To maintain personal privacy, the facial recognition technology does not store the images or data of those who are not registered on the blacklist. Also, the data of those who are registered on the internal Brøndby server is not connected to the internet or to any other system.

“Panasonic’s facial recognition system contributes to a safer stadium environment by alleviating security pressure on the ground, while ensuring that all data is protected from unauthorised external access” said Gerard Figols, head of the European security business at Panasonic. “In turn, we can offer peace of mind to football fans and Brøndby IF that our technology will improve the standard of safety even during high profile matches, something that fans have already complimented the system for.”

Industry approved

Recognised by the National Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST) as having the world’s highest level of facial recognition performance in independent testing. The technology can identify faces that are difficult to recognise with conventional techniques, such as those taken from an angle of up to 45 degrees to the left or right or 30 degrees up or down, and even when part of the face is concealed or hidden by sunglasses. The system also recognises faces from photographs that are up to 10 years old.