FINAL WORD
Dimension Data , Cisco , Intel , EMC , power Tour de France
Dimension Data and Amaury Sport Organisation announced significant enhancements to the big data cycling analytics platform that will deliver real-time information to viewers , commentators and teams at the 2016 Tour de France . Headlining the innovations is Race Center , a web-based application hosted on Dimension Data ’ s cloud platform and developed in partnership with ASO that combines live race data , video , photographs , social media feeds , and race commentary which combines with a new live tracking website to give viewers an immersive digital experience that goes beyond the television coverage of the race .
Race Center will become ASO ’ s digital hub of the Tour de France going forward . And the Live Tracking website is testament to the evolution of Dimension Data ’ s real-time big data collection , analytics and digital platforms over the past 12 months .
Viewers will be able to get far richer and more accurate information from each of the 198 riders in 22 teams , including speed , distance between riders , composition of the race pelotons , wind speed and direction , as well as prevailing weather conditions .
Many of the new technologies that were trialed at last year ’ s race are now production-ready , and feature significant improvements across the board . This year the telemetry sensors installed under each rider ’ s seat that are responsible for transmitting live data boast a tenfold increase in transmission range . This means far fewer dropouts or gaps in the data , resulting in more seamless communication and continuity throughout the race .
Dimension Data ’ s big data truck has also been upgraded and enlarged to accommodate the various television graphics , race coordination , data capture and analytics teams responsible for delivering the complete end-to-end data solution at the 2016 Tour de France . This is one of the biggest changes from last year , where each team worked separately , and continues the theme of collaboration and data integration made possible by the advancements in the technologies on display .
Adam Foster , Dimension Data ’ s Group Executive , Sports Practice said , “ The enhancements to this year ’ s solutions means we can tell richer and more enhanced stories as they happen , giving viewers , the media , cycling fans and race commentators deeper insights into some aspects of the sport that were not available until now . This year , we are working with a much broader palette , which means access to more meaningful race data , race routes , riders and current weather conditions . What is exciting this year is the ability to deliver all this information to ASO through a unified digital platform . This makes the quality of the data even more valuable for viewer engagement , and speaks directly to a generation of younger viewers who rely on new technologies such as social media and live video to engage with their world .”
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