Designing the augmented stadium
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Computing Science
Abstract
Stadium sports draw large crowds and are a key focus for sport, both in the UK and worldwide. Last year 36 million people in the UK attended at least one live sport event. Yet despite this popularity, sports spectators suffer from something of a 'viewing paradox'. While the visceral experience of seeing players, teams, and athletes is a valuable firsthand experience, this experience can be compromised by its situated, up-close nature. This proposal is based around building the augmented stadium, a new form of stadium that connects spectators with the game being watched and with those watching at home. Applying methods developed by the authors, the project combines ethnographic studies of spectating, with the design, building and trial of new prototypes systems. The ethnographic component will explore in depth the nature of sport spectating and participation, documenting a new area for technology design. Design concepts will be drawn from the studies to experiment with a role for stadiums not simply as containers of spectators, but as a new augmented environment. A central challenge for ubiquitous computing research is how to apply new systems technologies in real world settings. Accordingly, this project will act as a testbed for new computer science techniques such as MANETs (mobile ad hoc networks), epidemic algorithms, and the use of commodity hardware such as bluetooth enabled camera phones. These technologies will be applied in the form of two stadium technology concepts which will be built and tested with spectators at a host of live events, with lessons drawn back into understanding how to design technology for crowds of spectators.
Publications
Hall M
(2009)
Adapting ubicomp software and its evaluation
Reeves S
(2010)
Designing for crowds
Description | We developed techniques for system design for crowds of fans, especially supporting the football fan 'experience'. We demonstrated basic technologies for directly sharing data between apps 'ad hoc', i.e. without needing fixed wifi/3G infrastructure. We also documented the culture of such fans with regard to what kind of apps and interactions would suit them. |
Exploitation Route | Football culture is a major feature of society in many countries, and designing for it is a commercially significant opportunity. Also, the settings of crowds offer or demand new types of system design that traditional systems design does not support so well. Our project set out some experience that will aid such design work in future. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
URL | http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~matthew |
Description | University of Glasgow |
Amount | £19,987 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 56051/1 |
Organisation | University of Glasgow |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2010 |
End | 04/2011 |
Description | University of Glasgow |
Amount | £77,438 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 56859/1 |
Organisation | University of Glasgow |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2011 |
End | 01/2012 |
Description | Arup Group Ltd |
Organisation | Arup Group |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The stadium project discussed its ideas with Arup, to seek their advice as to industrial settings and to feed back into their design work |
Collaborator Contribution | The time of Arup staff members |
Impact | We had informal workshops in which Arup staff such as Duncan Wilson participated (before he left for Intel). |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | Microsoft Research Ltd |
Organisation | Microsoft Research |
Country | Global |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | MSR staff such as Alex Taylor took part in discussions and workshops about the project, advising us re methodological issues in particular. |
Collaborator Contribution | Methodological advice |
Impact | The sociological work fed into the overall project's approach to engaging with study participants. |
Start Year | 2007 |