Dimension Data has increased the data points in its data analytics solution as part of its mandate to make this year's Tour de France cycling race more informative.
According to the company, the live tracking and data analytics solution, developed in partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), will analyse over three billion data points during the 21 stages of the tour, an increase from last year's 128 million data points.
The 2017 Tour de France includes 198 riders in 22 teams covering 3 540km in 21 stages across four countries: Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. The race started on 15 July in D"usseldorf and will finish on 23 July in Champs-'Elys'ees in Paris.
The organisations are also piloting the incorporation of machine learning algorithms that combine live and historical race data for further levels of insight.
"We will use the data to assess the likelihood of various race scenarios, such as whether the peloton will catch the breakaway riders at certain stages of the race using the Twitter hashtag #DDPredictor," says Dimension Data in a statement.
The solution is made up of GPS transponders installed under the saddles of each bike. The data is collected from these transponders and combined with external data about the surrounding factors to generate insights such as live speed and the location of individual riders, distance between riders, and composition of groups within the race.
The solution uses a cloud-based, virtualised data centre, which provides scale, and means fewer people are required on the ground to enable the solution. This year, there are technical teams working together across four continents via connected mobile collaboration hubs.
Scott Gibson, Dimension Data's group executive - digital practice, explains: "As more technology is introduced into sport, the viewing experience is transforming, and its popularity increases. What's especially exciting for us is how we're helping ASO to attract a new generation of digitally savvy fans, and how advanced technologies like machine learning are opening up new possibilities for providing the insights that today's fans demand."
The race is currently in stage 16. The #DDPredictor was able to predict the top three most-likely winners for the stage 14 uphill sprint who all ended up in the top four.
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