Technology to Give Users More Time in Sports Facilities · 27. October 2011
A new research project will make more efficient use of the country’s sports facilities with heat-sensitive cameras and newly developed software so the growing number of Danes actively engaged in sports will have better opportunities.
Computer technology plays a key role in the project where Aalborg University and Aalborg Municipality are supported by Nordea-fonden (2.7 million kroner) and the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities (500,000 kroner). The goal is to develop a tool that can automatically analyze the use of the facilities. Council member Anne-Dorte Krog, Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, expects that the more precise knowledge can significantly improve use:
- There are indications that suggest that there can be up to 30-40 percent more activity in the sports facilities. If that can be realized, it corresponds to building between 900 and 1,200 sports facilities nationwide with one stroke, estimates the council member.
T
he actual analysis is done using heat sensitive (thermal) cameras and advanced computer technology. The people who are filmed are seen only as bright spots on the recordings. Therefore, they can’t be recognized, and in this context, it makes things that much easier, says Thomas B. Moeslund, Associate Professor and a research manager from Aalborg University:
- It means that we avoid the monitoring aspect that can otherwise be a problem in relation to the Danish Data Protection Agency and the rules on privacy. We don’t need to recognize people, but we do need to know how many people there are and where they are. The information we get comes almost automatically with the use of thermal cameras that are also used in searches and in fighter aircraft and tanks, explains Thomas B. Moeslund.
Foundation Support
The considerable potential for Danes who do sports has gotten two foundations to support the work:
- The project can be an important catalyst for the more efficient utilization of athletic and sports facilities in Denmark. We hope that the knowledge generated by this research will benefit public health by giving more people better access to getting exercise, says Ulla Björnsson, Head of the Secretariat of Nordea-fonden.
The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities develops and supports innovative sports architecture and also contributes to research in this area. The foundation has been involved in the design of the project over a longer period and has also decided to support it financially:
- The number of people actively engaged in sports is increasing. At the same time, municipal budgets are under pressure and are challenged by active people’s facility needs. So we need to find better ways to use our sports facilities. For example, the large 20x40 meter court is often divided up for several different sports at the same time, instead of users from one sport booking the entire court but only using a half or a quarter of it. But we need much more knowledge about how people actually use their time in sports facilities, and this project will help give us that, says Torben Frølich, Director of the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities.
The Sports Confederation of Denmark and the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations are also active participants in the project.
Contact:
• Thomas B. Moeslund, Associate Professor, Aalborg University, tel. +45 99 40 87 87
• Anne-Dorte Krog, Council Member, Aalborg Municipality, tel. +45 25 20 40 01
• Tine Wickers, Head of Communications, Nordea-fonden, tel. +45 28 40 84 80
• Bo Vestergård Madsen, Head of Analysis, Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, +45 32 83 03 44 / +45 26 23 00 74
Facts:
• The project will develop a tool that can automatically analyze how the sports facilities are being used. Initially, the equipment could detect how many users are in the facility and where they are located. In the longer term, it is hoped that the device also can automatically analyze the type of activity: whether it is elite or more general activities, and whether it is women, men or children. With exact knowledge about the use of the facilities it is possible to work with incentives for optimal booking. For example, it may be that in some facilities you should only book half the facility at a time, while in others it should be possible to make do with booking a single badminton or volleyball court.
• The project starts January 1, 2012. By mid-2013, a system will be developed that can count the number of users, specify their location in the facility and present these data in an easily accessible way. By the end of 2014, it is hoped that the system, among other things, can analyze the type of activities.
About Nordea-fonden:
Nordea-fonden has a public benefit and charitable purpose. The foundation supports activities that promote good living in the areas of health, exercise, nature and culture.
About the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities:
The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities develops and supports innovative construction in sport, culture and leisure. Emphasis is placed on facilities of a high architectural and functional quality that can inspire the development in the support area and create more, better and new opportunities for activity. Annually, the foundation supports projects with a total of approx. 70 million kroner from lottery funds.
