Super Bowl Security Relies on Technology

December 13, 2010

The high-tech features of Super Bowl XLV won't be restricted to Jerry Jones' gargantuan high-definition video board or the special effects in the commercials.

NFL senior vice president Frank Supovitz talked about ways technology is shaping Super Bowl planning and operation, says a DallasNews.com report.

Using standard GPS technology, the league now tracks team buses and limousines and cars carrying officials and VIPs. NFL staff monitors the progress on video screens and can notify security and other personnel when vehicles are about to arrive at their destinations.

"Frequently, getting people into the [security] perimeter is a surgical operation," Supovitz said. "You don't want any delays."

Besides expedited entry, Supovitz said GPS tracking allows staff to adjust their schedules without needing the driver or someone else aboard to call in updates. Technology can also give the NFL an exact location if a bus or car breaks down or is stuck in traffic.

And for those who aren't in front of a screen watching the GPS blips, a service sends text messages to select NFL staff with updates on the vehicles' progress.

The NFL has also added radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips to some Super Bowl credentials for added security, the report says, and the league is expected to soon load photos into the scanning system so security also can match those images with the photos on credentials.

In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration released a list of Super Bowl Sunday flight restrictions. In a ring stretching 10 to 30 nautical miles - about 11.5 to 34.5 statute miles - from Cowboys Stadium, pilots will be able to fly but with extra restrictions. They'll need to get permission ahead of time, remain in radio communication with air traffic controllers and file a flight plan.

Flight restrictions also include blanket bans on certain airspace uses inside that entire 34.5-mile radius during that afternoon and evening. Those forbidden "operations" range from crop dusting and parachuting to banner towing and model rocketry.

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Super Bowl Security Relies on Technology

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