Thiruvananthapuram – At the Aspire Zone in Qatar, where the World Cup football is being held, around two hundred employees are staring at hundreds of TV screens in a large hall similar to the commanding center of NASA and ISRO. If the temperature in the stadium rises and the spectators show discomfort, a warning message will reach the commanding center at that moment. The temperature in the stadium changes with the touch of a button on the remote control.
If those who caused problems in the previous World Cup are among the spectators, information about them will reach the commanding center. A warning will be sent to the police. Even an ajar door in the stadium can be detected immediately with the help of technology. For the first time in the history of the Football World Cup, there will be a commanding center for all the stadiums. It is led by an Indian, a Malayali. Niaz Abdul Rahiman, a native of Alappuzha. After studying at MMAUP School, Alappuzha, he studied at the Military School. He completed his PG in IT from Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. Niaz is the Chief Technology Officer of the Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s sports hub, the IT Executive Director of the Qatar World Cup program and the Technology Program in charge of all stadiums.
Niaz says that the big question in the first phase was how Qatar would host the World Cup. The later campaign was that it is impossible to build eight stadiums in one city and hold the World Cup. Qatar sees crises as opportunities. After the Asian Games, the Aspire Zone is the most important sports area in Qatar. There are 15 international venues here. There is a sports academy and a sports hospital. When the World Cup came, Nias was appointed as the Technology Officer for the World Cup on deputation. Nias has been at work since the start of preparations for the World Cup. The construction of the stadiums, facilities, technical arrangements to be put in place, preparations and implementation were all completed under the leadership of Niaz.
All the eight stadiums for the Football World Cup were close, so it was easy to coordinate it through technology. All stadiums are technologically advanced. Temperature, security control, spectator control, overall building operation, traffic control etc. are all controlled from the commanding center using modern technology. All stadiums are air-conditioned. No matter how hot it is outside the stadium, the temperature can be controlled.
The temperature inside the stadium will be between 22 and 24 degrees during football matches. Spectator movement can also be controlled through the command center. This is helped by the 20,000 CCTV cameras installed in the stadiums. An average stadium has 2200 cameras. Crowding of spectators is avoided by continuous monitoring and data evaluation through IT technology. After every match, the traffic at the automatic gates where people come and go to the stadium will be constantly monitored through the CCTV system. It will check how many people have passed and at what time it was crowded. The cause of congestion will be identified and resolved immediately.
As the gates are automatic, people can be identified when they enter the wrong gate. The reason why they went astray will be found and resolved. Sometimes the gates change because the volunteers are not paying attention. Information at every gate will be verified with the help of technology. Action will be taken to avoid mistakes. The commanding center has been functioning since the Arab Cup. All the lights and electronic swords are controlled from the commanding center.
The functionality of the commanding center was tested in the Arab Cup. Even if the doors in the stadium are left open unnecessarily, it will be detected immediately with the help of technology. If children go missing during the competition, they will be monitored through the camera and the information will be passed on to the volunteers. Strong Wi-Fi is installed in all stadiums. The 45,000-plus capacity stadium is equipped with 5G technology to provide super-fast internet access for everyone.
The command center is staffed by sports technology experts from various countries. About 150 of the 200 employees are Indians. 80 people are working at a time in the command center on shift basis. The work is divided into teams such as infrastructure assessment, security and IT support. Each team has been allotted stadiums. In case of any problems, an immediate warning message will be sent to the command center. Technical systems are regularly audited by IT experts. Things that need to be modified will be constantly discussed. There is a special team to counter cyber attacks. Nias says there have been cyber attacks.
The challenge was to complete the construction of the stadiums on time. Construction started from 2015. The construction was completed on time. It was a challenge to implement new things in modern technology. Tried to reduce operating costs. The cost would have increased if there were a separate control room in all the eight stadiums. Costs came down when the centralized commanding center came in.
“There will be four games in one day. Before the game, the gate opening process should be observed and instructions should be given. When the game in one stadium ends, the game in the next stadium starts. Things happen like a chain reaction. In the meantime, we have to overcome technical obstacles” – says Nias. Even after the World Cup, the command center will continue to function. 25 stadiums will be connected to this platform. Niaz says that our country should also be ready to use the services of Indian technical experts in the field of sports.
English Summary: Aspire Command Centre of Qatar World Cup