How the Razorback Stadium seat and sun data is measured

Every number comes from a USGS lidar survey of the stadium, NOAA solar equations, the Arkansas section numbering and published row lists. Nothing is estimated from photos.

Sources

Stadium shape: USGS 3D Elevation Program lidar, Arkansas Western collection, flown 6 March 2025, 4 tiles. First-return points gridded to 1 m, noise removed.
Section directions: the section order round the stadium from a ticket map that labels each section by side (W, E, N, S), lined up with the field in the lidar.
Row lists, covered rows, team sides, clubs and the visiting fans' seats: rateyourseats.com section notes. The athletics site does not say which sideline Arkansas uses.
Student section, gates, bag rules, alcohol, parking and the Hog Walk: arkansasrazorbacks.com. Tailgating: uark.edu. 2026 reseating: wholehogsports.com. Capacity and opening year: Wikipedia.
Sun: NOAA solar position equations. Weather: ERA5 reanalysis and forecasts via Open-Meteo.

How shade is computed

Each section is sampled on 3 lines (left, centre, right) at every row, 6027 seat points in total. For each point the surrounding stadium surface is scanned in every direction the sun can come from to give a horizon profile. A seat is in direct sun when the sun is higher than that horizon. Games are sampled every 10 minutes for 3.5 hours. Rows under the structure above count as shade. No 2026 kickoff is announced yet, so every SEC window (11 am, 2:30 pm, 6:30 pm) is modelled.

How rows are placed

A line is walked out from the field edge through each section, and the measured profile is split into tiers by height: the lower bowl up to about 20 m, the south upper tier about 8.5 to 20 m behind the lower bowl, and the upper decks about 26 to 50 m up. The 2 front rows of the west upper deck and the 4 front rows of the east upper deck are sold as their own sections (500-1, 518-1); the deck section's rows start behind them.

How the seat views are made

Each view is drawn from a 3D model built from the lidar, from 1.15 m above the seat (seated eye height), facing the field. Only rows open to the sky get a view.

Limits

The lidar was flown in March 2025. The 2026 changes are to pricing and donations, not seats; the student and visitor sections did not change.
The east club ledges (214 to 225 and 330 to 344) sit under the east upper deck and are never seen from above. Their rows continue the measured slope of the lower bowl in front, so their distances and heights are approximate and they have no seat views.
Where the upper deck overhangs the back of the west lower bowl, the hidden rows continue along the measured slope and count as shade.
The ticket map is not drawn to scale, so section directions come from it but section edges can be off by a few seats.
Not modelled: the south club tiers under the canopy, the north field clubs, the suites, Section 221 (not on the ticket map) and the short front-row strip sections.
Light poles and video boards thinner than the 1 m grid may be missed.
No seat view for Sections 129, 135, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 222, 223, 224, 225, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344: rows under cover or too few open rows to render. Their rows and sun minutes are still shown.

Downloads (CC BY 4.0)

sun-by-section.csv: game, kickoff, section, minutes of sun, shade arrival
sections.json: section geometry and row-by-row sightlines