Digital COVID-19 control room for sports locations tested in ArenA

Although the ArenA has a lot of experience when it comes to welcoming large groups of visitors, COVID-19 means extra insights and additional measures are needed. The study aims to examine how this digital control room can play a role. The system will monitor human movement in greater detail, sound an alarm if too many visitors are present in a single room, offer an insight into air quality in the various hospitality zones and control special disinfecting lights for cleaning the stadium’s toilet areas.

Testing for the digital control room will start as soon as visitors are able to return to the ArenA. The ArenA will also be using the dashboard to monitor other processes in the stadium, such as energy consumption and the state of the pitch.

Calculus’ management platform consists of various dashboards, and retrieves data from the ArenA’s sensors and technical systems. This includes cameras used to count the number of spectators, the access control system, thermometers and climate controls within the stadium. The advantage of this system is that it allows data to be combined. An example of this is using air quality measurements in hospitality zones to indicate the permitted number of visitors so COVID-19 regulations are not breached. The research is in part made possible by Sportinnovator.

For the past few years, the ArenA has already been a Living Lab for innovations in the field of mobility, sustainability, safety and fan experience. The ArenA has actively profiled itself as an innovative testing location for COVID-19-related solutions over the past year, which includes hosting a large-scale aerosol study by TU Eindhoven and working with the Municipality of Amsterdam to serve as a testing ground for coronavirus-proof events.

Calculus

Calculus is a Belgian scale-up which was founded by five young entrepreneurs with a passion for events and technology. In the meantime, it has developed into a company that employs 17 people. Calculus makes it possibly to manage and clearly view business processes, like energy consumption and management, maintenance and control of equipment and machines, and climate control in factories and office buildings. This means they can be easily optimised, which results in benefits in terms of time as well as finances.

The aim of Calculus is to fully and disruptively change operational service management from ‘after the event’ to a proactive service. We do this based on measurements, data processing, artificial intelligence and service tools for technicians and operational managers. Calculus was voted among the top-10 most promising Belgian start-ups in 2019 and half of its clients are based in the Netherlands while the other half are in Belgium.