Israeli technology is improving the fan experience for the Atlanta Hawks at their home court, the Philips Arena, according to a team executive, the Atlanta Jewish Times reported Tuesday.
Jason Parker, Vice President of Consumer Services for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena, last month briefed a group of young professionals from Conexx: America Israel Business Connector about the ways Israeli technology used by the team and the arena make the experience of watching a game more enjoyable.
The arena now uses Mobi and Waze to manage event traffic.
Waze, an Israeli navigation app that was purchased by Google in 2013, offered the arena the capability to enter traffic plans and information about traffic patterns. This allowed Philips to analyze where people were coming from and going to, allowing fans to optimizing their travel times.
Parker said that by reducing driving time, they have increased their sales. “If your traffic experience is better, you are more likely to come to the arena and more likely to spend money,” Parker said. “Everyone who comes here earlier, that’s another $6 in our pocket. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you calculate that across 1.5 or 2 million people over the course of the year, it adds up.”
The sensors in Mobi devices counts the number of vehicles are at a given intersection at a given time. This allows the arena’s management to know about problems that occur during . Using this in coordination with Waze, Mobi can avoid bottlenecks and will enhance the driving experience for customers.
Another piece of technology the Atlanta Hawks use is MyPlay. MyPlay installs high-definition cameras to allow couches to record the games and practice allowing coaches to identify ways to improve. The Hawks also installed 14 of these cameras on high school gyms around the city. The goal is to make it easier for coaches to improve player development and to attract college scouts my making highlight films of young players available on YouTube.
Philips Arena and the Hawks are currently looking into more Israeli technology companies as a part of a larger renovation of the facilities.
Basketball isn’t the only American sport benefiting from cutting-edge Israeli technology.
In September, it was reported that 3-D replay technology would be installed in eight more NFL stadiums. Intel has now installed the Israeli-developed technology in 11 NFL stadiums around the US.
Cameras outfitted with freeD technology, which were developed by Israeli startup Replay Technologies, combines images captured from ultra high-definition cameras installed throughout the stadium into a single 3-D image. This allows viewers and fans to get a 360 degree on-the-field perspective of the action in 3-D.
“By expanding freeD to more teams across the NFL, we’re empowering fans to see every side of the play and relive the excitement of game-changing moments,” general manager of Intel Sports, James Carwana, said.
These revolutionary Israeli-developed technologies are creating a new fan experience whether in the arena, training, commuting to the event, or even watching from home.
[Photo: Atlanta Hawks / Facebook]