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By Greg Bartlett

It seems like every year the NFL rolls out a few new gadgets to help them move along smoothly. Back in 2001, fans were greeted with facial recognition scanners that ensured each visitor could be tagged and tracked throughout the stadium. A few years later in 2006, Homeland Security officers deployed cameras which would output scanned imagery in 3D, allowing security officials to monitor holograms instead of flat video. Recently, the NFL has been employing GPS tracking technology to keep tabs on players and other VIPs prior to and during the game.

GPS Tracking & Sports

Technicians have already hardwired GPS tracking devices into almost all of the vans and buses used by the NFL to transport personnel before the game. Players, referees, security officers, and even the half-time entertainers have the trackers nearby. Officials are able to monitor the position of each vehicle as it comes and goes from the stadium in real time-each tracker pings its satellite every three seconds. The data is fed to PCs and smartphones that display representative icons moving over a satellite view of the city. The system sends a notification to relevant personnel if a vehicle they’ve been waiting for arrives or departs, and any device that strays from its expected path can notify organizers immediately. This information is vital to directing the vast logistical effort that precedes the game. Walkie-talkies, wall maps, and little flagged push pins simply don’t cut it anymore.

A GPS tracking system is an excellent technology to deploy during a large event such as the Super Bowl. Besides the obvious security and logistical advantages, a satellite-based system also bypasses the heavily trafficked data streams that organizers might need to share with the public. Local cell phone towers experience enormous strain during these events-Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon all added extra relay stations prior to the 2010 Bowl. If organizers relied on these public access systems for the crucial logistical communication needed to run the event, they would be subject to the same data hiccups and service outages as everyone else.

Of course, this isn’t the only area in which GPS tracking intersects with football. Researchers in Australia have been outfitting players with tiny GPS trackers in order to study common offense and defense patterns on the field. Another professor in the US hopes to use the same technology to help referees. Still others want to monitor players’ health and vital signs.

The exchange between sports and technology-especially GPS tracking-has only just begun.