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This is the central command centre that receives the race data from sensors in the race, and it is staffed by a mix of technical and cycling specialists. While the world’s eyes are on the racers, a complex, interlinked system of sensors, networks, edge computing, cloud, real-time analytics and machine learning is operating in the background to deliver statistics and insights to fans, broadcasters, support crews, the race organisers and the LeTourData team.Īnd it’s all happening on the other side of the world – in Johannesburg – in Dimension Data’s Tour de France data hub. It is a great example of how IoT devices and edge computing have brought a new level of insight and efficiency to the Tour de France – and most of the tech innovations are down to South Africans.
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Until about two years ago, officials had to rely on radio communications to keep up to date, but now they have this level of detail on demand. They have also been installed in the Shimano neutral-service vehicles, which provide mechanical help to riders isolated from their team cars. Other trackers in the official race vehicles are connected via Transatel Sims to give accurate locations of the vehicles.
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The application runs on Microsoft Surface Pro X devices, which have enough battery power to outlast a race stage. The locally processed data is then sent to a custom application that gives ASO officials a detailed, real-time view of what’s going on the ground, without having to rely on mobile coverage or other modes of data transmission. AlgorithmsĪs the data arrives, it is fed into algorithms that calculate a range of race insights such as rider groupings, their location along the route and the distance between groups. From there, a microwave signal carries the data to the end of the race, where a truck-based edge computing device runs a containerised version of the real-time analytics platform. They transmit a constant stream of latitude, longitude and speed data over radio networks to race motorcycles, which then convey the information to a plane. “We use edge computing and cloud technologies to create the world’s largest ‘connected stadium’ by setting up a digital twin of the race, which combines layers of real-time information to replicate all aspects of this highly dynamic event digitally ,” she said.ĭata-driven insights and AI predictions on the “LeTourData” channels on Twitter, Instagram and television keep fans informed of both races – the Tour de France and the women’s race, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – and help ASO operations teams communicate and plan more efficiently.Īt the core of the data gathering are tiny trackers installed on each bicycle. At the core of the data gathering are tiny trackers installed on each bicycle that transmit a constant stream of data
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“The race is like a giant playground, or incubator, for how to use technology,” said Dimension Data’s vice president for applications and cloud, Lauren Wortmann, in an interview with TechCentral on Thursday.
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Partnering with Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the Tour de France organisers, NTT Data and Dimension Data are responsible for building and managing those pathways for the ninth year.
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Those roadside viewers had no way of monitoring the progress of individual riders or predicting who might win the yellow jersey, and had to rely on radio and TV broadcasts for race updates.īut in the age of connectivity and the internet of things, the world’s best cyclists are racing along a range of advanced digital pathways that are closely monitored by officials in real time. For many years, crowds jostled for space along the 3 000km-plus route to catch a fleeting glimpse of the peloton speeding past. As we watch cyclists battling through the second day in the Pyrenees in stage 6 of the annual Tour de France – a 144km ride from Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque – it’s not just images of the world’s toughest cyclists in action that being beamed all over the world.Īt the same time, streams of real-time data from myriad sensors are being turned into useful insights for organisers, competitors and fans watching some of the classic climbs of the tour.
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