Wimbledon embraces gadgets

Now in its 133rd year, world's oldest tennis tournament is very advanced, in terms of using latest technology, to impart maximum benefit to its participants and audience.  

For over 20 years, they have been in association with IBM. "What we do here is an enormous data management exercise - collecting data, presenting it, visualising it in different ways for different audiences, and making it available across all sorts of media platforms," says Alan Flack, IBM's Wimbledon Executive.

Umpires update the score by tapping away at PDAs, while a team of data collectors overlooking each court log every moment of the action.

Tennis fans have also adopted gadgets to enhance their Wimbledon experience, especially as live spectators at the grounds. Android or iPhone owners can use technologies embedded in their mobile phones to access data tagged to their location. Augmented reality applications use the handset's GPS and built-in compass to overlay a virtual layer over the real-world environment.

Users onsite can turn on their phone's camera and point it around the complex to find out the nearest toilets, food outlets, and check the scores on various courts. They also have access to a live video stream of all the matches.

"To make sure we're giving the best quality video that we can, we're using a combination of local wi-fi networks that are available and also boosting the 3G network using local pico masts," said Mark Sweatman, technology head at developer Ogilvy One.

They are also using latest technology for providing maximum benefits to viewers watching these tournaments on their TV sets.

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Courtesy: BBC News, Wimbledon authorities.