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Innovative visitor counting for UEFA EURO 2024 at the Fan Zone on Frankfurt's Main riverbank

Fan Zone mit UDP Dashboard

New use case on the Urban Data Platform shows the number of fans in front of the Big Screen in the Fan Zone on the banks of the Main River

Since October 2022, the Urban Data Platform (UDP) has been visualising useful information on dashboards and in map views. At https://urbane-datenplattform.frankfurt.de, citizens can, for example, find the nearest electric charging station or view information on air quality and traffic and pedestrian volumes. During the European Men's Football Championship - UEFA EURO 2024 - the number of fans will also be publicly visible on the big screen in the fan zone on the banks of the Main.

Implementation and support by [ui!] Urban Software Institute and [ui!] Urban Lighting Innovations

In this project, the [ui!] Urban Software Institute integrated the data from sensors for the City of Frankfurt's cosma21 urban data platform. In addition, a new tile was created to visualise the analysed and processed information from the sensor data in the COCKPIT. [ui!] Urban Lighting Innovations supplied the necessary sensors, adapted them to the local conditions, installed and commissioned them and is also responsible for servicing them. This enabled ekom21, with the support of [ui!], to offer the complete FAN Miles event solution from a single source.

Digitalisation makes life easier for citizens

Eileen O'Sullivan, the department head responsible for digitalisation, emphasises: "Digitalisation can make life easier for citizens in practically every area of life. I am therefore delighted that we will be able to provide fans with information via an intuitive traffic light system during the European Football Championship: Is it worth visiting the big screen? Would it be better to find a seat at one of the other nine screens? Or would it be better not to visit the Fan Zone at all today? As befits an international city like Frankfurt, the information will also be available in English for fans from all over Europe."

Optimum control of visitor flows

Thomas Feda, Managing Director of TCF, explains: "UEFA EURO 2024 has immense relevance for the city of Frankfurt am Main and the entire region. We are counting on the appeal of this major continental event and the associated image enhancement. We are expecting around one million visitors from Germany and abroad in the Fan Zone over the 31 days and are very pleased that we can optimally manage a large number of people with the new use case for visitor flow measurement."

Provision of real-time data to optimise security measures

Matthias Drexelius, Managing Director of ekom21, adds: "We are delighted to provide real-time data on visitor flows in the Fan Zone with our urban data platform. Digitalisation not only contributes to the optimisation of security measures, but also provides valuable information and facts for future events in compliance with data protection regulations."

Details on the fan zone and visitor flow measurement

The 1.4 kilometre-long Fan Zone is located directly on the banks of the Main between Friedensbrücke and Eiserner Steg. All 51 games will be broadcast there on the Big Screen and nine other screens. Further information on the Fan Zone on the banks of the Main is available at Fan Zone Mainufer.

The new use case for visitor flow measurement can be used to determine how many people are currently in front of the Big Screen. An easy-to-understand traffic light system tells fans whether a visit to the Big Screen is worthwhile, whether it would be better to look for a place at one of the other nine screens or whether it would be better to refrain from visiting the Fan Zone altogether today.

Data collection and data protection

The data is collected by a total of 35 sensors installed along the entire fan zone. This enables detailed information to be collected on the number of visitors, length of stay and positions, source-destination relationships and returning visitors in compliance with data protection regulations.

In June and July, visitor flows will be analysed along the northern bank of the Main during the European Football Championship within the Fan Zone and in August during the Mainfest and the Museumsuferfest. This will allow real-time insights into visitor behaviour, the optimisation of event coordination and security measures as well as conclusions for future events.

We are looking forward to an exciting UEFA EURO 2024 and wish all fans unforgettable experiences in the Fan Zone on the banks of the Main!

Source: https://frankfurt.de/aktuelle-meldung/UEFA-EURO-2024/Ist-beim-Public-Viewing-noch-Platz/