Biometric Stadium Access Expands Further, Arriving at Kansas City Ballpark

Face-based stadium access has come to Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, in the form of the “MLB Go-Ahead Entry” system. The move means that interested baseball fans can take advantage of expedited access to ballgames.

The MLB “Go-Ahead Entry” system allows fans to register via the MLB Ballpark app by taking a selfie, which is converted into a unique numerical token linked to their tickets. When fans arrive at the ballpark, they can use dedicated Go-Ahead Entry lanes to enter without stopping or showing their tickets.

The system has been piloted and expanded at several stadiums, including Citizens Bank Park for the Philadelphia Phillies, Nationals Park for the Washington Nationals, Minute Maid Park for the Houston Astros, and Oracle Park for the San Francisco Giants. The biometric technology has been provided by NEC, and appears to speed up entry significantly, with reports suggesting a 68 percent faster processing time compared to traditional methods.

NEC’s NeoFace facial recognition system has been highly praised for its accuracy and reliability. It delivered a strong performance in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT). NeoFace correctly identified individuals 99.85 percent of the time, ranking it among the most reliable facial recognition technologies. The system’s accuracy was further validated across various datasets, including mugshots and visa-like photos, showcasing its robustness in different scenarios

It also addresses a growing concern about bias in FRT. According to a study by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, NeoFace demonstrated no statistically significant demographic bias when used at its default settings, effectively eliminating racial and gender disparities in its accuracy.

The use of biometrics for expedited stadium entry is increasingly common in sports. In the world of football, for example, Wicket has delivered to the Cleveland Browns in the form of a face-scanning “Express Access” system. Another example is the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has implemented a face-based expedited entry system in collaboration with Verizon. That “Accelerated Access” system lets fans opt into the program via their Ticketmaster accounts, and to take advantage of faster entry through dedicated biometric lanes.

Source: The Kansas City Star

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July 23, 2024 – by Alex Perala