Dimension Data’s Bryanston Campus, in Johannesburg, was the site of a ‘war room’ that was set up specifically to deliver real-time graphics and digital analysis to the broadcasters of the 2022 edition of the Tour de France cycle race, as well as the race organisers.

Staffed by a team of data specialists and engineers, the war room formed a core part of the overall technology solution provided by Japanese technology multinational NTT, which owns Dimension Data and is technology partner to the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.).

A.S.O. is the owner and operator of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, as well as other major international sporting events, including the Dakar Rally, the Tour Voile yachting race, the Paris marathon, and the ladies French Open golf.

The South African team was supported by NTT specialists in the UK, the US, Australia and Europe to manage incoming data from the race and to conduct real-time analysis, which was then provided to broadcasters in a format that could be seamlessly integrated into their coverage.

In addition, the information provided allowed the production team to track riders and speeds in real time, which further enhanced the viewing experience.

“From the start of our involvement with the Tour de France eight years ago, we’ve leveraged our skills in South Africa, as well as our other teams around the world,” Dimension Data Southern Africa head of applications Lauren Wortman told Engineering News & Mining Weekly.

“In 2020, we moved to a hybrid support operation with team members around the world as well as on the ground in France.

“In 2020 and 2021, this was delivered exclusively on a virtual basis and in 2022 we moved to a hybrid model with a core support team supporting the Tour de France solution based at the Campus in Bryanston and our Big Tech Truck ensuring that any issues that need a hands-on approach are addressed,” Wortman explains.

NTT also created a “digital twin” of the physical event, mapping all the elements of the race, from the riders to race vehicles, the route, and the areas around the start and finish of each stage.

“This provides race organisers with an accurate digital representation of the real world, enabling them to build plans, monitor the race in real-time and anticipate situations using real-world data.

“This capability provides A.S.O. with the insights they need to optimise race operations and provide fans with deeper insights.”

The actual solution that was deployed was split into three key components: sensors, transmission and data; real-time analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning; and making sense of the data.

A transponder inserted under the saddle of each bike continually transmitted a rider’s latitude, longitude and speed and was transmitted through primary and secondary transmission networks.

“We designed the data collection endpoints to be redundant. This architecture was put in place so that in the event of hardware or software failure, the hot standby server could be activated to enable service continuity.”

NTT’s real-time analytics architecture lay at the heart of the Tour de France solution, which was designed, using multiple components and integration types, to ingest data and analyse it with sub-second timing.

The data was then aggregated, filtered and analysed, before being applied to a set of algorithms to offer insight into the race, from rider speed and gaps to gradients and distance from finish.

The initial three data points of the rider’s latitude, longitude and speed were turned into over 50 data points, which meant that for every Tour stage the solution was creating 50 data points per second per rider.

This information was then converted into easy-to-understand graphics that were used by broadcasters and various other platforms, including: Race Center; @LeTourData, 3D Race Tracker, media walls at departure and arrival villages; and a new concept known as ‘Digital Human’, where NTT’s Big Data truck offered visitors to a fan park in Copenhagen, Denmark, which hosted part of the tour, a real-time digital interface with the race and local location information.

The visually interpreted data was also fed into a real-time operations dashboard to provide the race organisers with full visibility of all elements of the race, including riders and race vehicles.

Wortman would not be drawn on how much NTT invested to deliver the package, but indicated that it offerred a high-profile example of the type of solutions that could be provided “to solve business problems beyond sporting events”.

She said NTT had trialled, scaled and delivered various technology strategies since the start of the partnership with A.S.O. and that, for the first time in 2022, brought fans closer to the action of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, through the implementation of real-time tracking of riders.

“Through the partnership, we [leveraged] the expertise of Dimension Data and [pushed] the boundaries of what’s possible in one of the world’s most demanding sporting environments.”