BioSec access control, Panasonic face biometrics each deployed for soccer fan safety

Panasonic recently released a case study showcasing the facial recognition system it deployed to provide biometric security in a Danish Football Stadium.

The artificial intelligence-powered biometric system is capable of identifying people in disguise while also complying with the EU’s privacy protection regulations (GDPR).

The facial recognition system was in development for two years before release and was created by Panasonic in concert with the Football Association and Brøndby IF, a Danish league club.

The idea for the new solution came from the necessity of countering dangerous behavior by rowdy fans in football stadiums, a phenomenon that has been quite common in Denmark in the last few years.

Kenneth Bergmann, Project Sales Manager Security Solutions at Panasonic Business Europe, suggested a solution utilizing facial recognition capable of identifying blacklisted people, even when they are wearing a disguise.

Initial tests showed the new solution could correctly identify blacklisted people, even when their faces were seen from an angle, or the registered photo was old.

However, identifying people wearing a disguise was more challenging, as facial recognition algorithms were not sufficiently advanced in 2019.

“I decided to consult with my colleagues at the Panasonic R&D Center in Japan. Our engineers were excited about taking up the challenge,” Bergmann said.

In order to solve the issue, the Panasonic team used deep learning technology and managed to upgrade the algorithms to recognize a person even when wearing sunglasses or if their face is partially covered.

The facial recognition system was recently approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency, marking the first time such a technology is deployed in Denmark.

This was possible due to the fact that to be compliant with the GDPR, the system encrypts all photo data and makes it inaccessible from outside the system.

In addition, all data regarding non-black-listed individuals is not stored on any server.

It is not the first time Panasonic deploys a face recognition system in a football stadium. Back in 2016, the company installed facial recognition security cameras at Noordlease Stadium in the Netherlands, and in 2018 in Belgium.

The technology has also been allegedly used by football club FC Metz in France, by the South Wales Police in the UK, and others.

Serbian club selects BioSec access control

BioSec has been selected by Serbian First League’s FK TSC Bačka Topola to implement the non-biometric version of an access control solution for its new stadium.

The partnership builds on a previous one between BioSec and FK TSC Bačka Topola, which saw the development of the StadiumGuard system for the club’s temporary stadium in Zenta. Now, StadiumGuard will be integrated within the club’s new stadium.

“When someone chooses your solution again is one of the greatest accomplishments, since it means that they not only used our system, but they also liked it,” commented BioSec CEO Péter Györgydeák. “What could make a development company happier?”

BioSec’s vein biometrics technology was integrated within the Siemens SIPORT access control and time tracking system last December.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Biosec  |  data protection  |  Europe  |  facial recognition  |  Panasonic  |  research and development