By Joe Lemire
Fans attending Detroit Lions games at Ford Field can use an innovative new feature in the team’s official app to find directions to their seats or locate restrooms, concessions and merchandise vendors.
Pittsburgh-based developer YinzCam, which launched the Lions app in 2012, incorporated Apple Indoor Positioning to help fans navigate the downtown Detroit venue. The Lions are now the first NFL team to incorporate this feature, which became available for their Thanksgiving day home game against the Minnesota Vikings. The groundwork for this tech was installed during the stadium’s $100 million offseason renovation.
“Before we had our map, we had a lot of fans who would ask simple questions, like ‘Where is the elevator?’ or ‘Where is the restroom?’ But this map has everything layered into it,” Todd Marcy, the Lions’ Director of Digital Operations, said in a press release. “YinzCam’s custom development also provides us with a lot of flexibility, so that we can quickly go in and modify the locations within the map, adding a new concession stand or menu, depending on what type of event is taking place on a particular day.”
YinzCam has also inserted augmented reality into the Lions’ app, with fans able to put themselves on the cover of EA Sports’ Madden NFL video game or apply virtual face paint.
“We are proud of our relationship with the Detroit Lions and are continually impressed with the innovative ideas that they come up with for their mobile app,” Priya Narasimhan, CEO and Founder of YinzCam, said in the release. “We are also thankful for our partnership with Apple, whose mapping and technology inspires Detroit fans to explore and fully experience all that Ford Field has to offer.”