Acoustic camera technology is being used during the current football season to capture and measure “fan energy” at FC Bayern home games in Munich.
The German football giants have teamed up with Siemens and The Economist Group to turn some of the spotlight of post-match analysis onto the crowd at the Allianz Arena, and assess how its performance compares to that of the team. The acoustic camera technology produces data that is mapped onto a 3D model, giving a visual interpretation of the relationship between fan energy and its interplay with on-pitch performance.
Fan energy is determined throughout the game by calculating the average loudness of the stadium for each second, and then “smoothing” these values by calculating a moving average with a window of 200 seconds.This enables the removal of some of the noise and long-term trends of crowd reaction to be uncovered.
The data could be used to compare fan performance with that of the team, identify "unsung" moments that elicit the greatest reaction from fans, see if there is a correlation between fan excitement and a successful result, and establish whether the data analysis could be used to "feed in" to the live game.
“Match day at a modern football stadium is a prime demonstration of the way data is changing our perception of the real world," said Yashar N. Azad, group spokesman at Siemens.
"Data is everywhere. On the pitch, players wear devices that collect information on their movements, allowing their performance to be analysed later. And the stadium itself can also incorporate a complex network of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and recording equipment."
Siemens is hosting analysis and commentary around the data collected on The Economist platform, while a visualisation of the technology mapping is available on YouTube.
