Real-time tracking for triathlon fans

Jul 09, 2015

• Deutsche Telekom developed LiveRank together with SAS Technologies
• Real-time reporting of athletes' locations, placings and speeds
• Improved safety at the competition with SOS button

This July 12 at Challenge Roth, the world's largest long-distance triathlon, 130 of the some 3,500 triathletes at the starting line will be "connected": a matchbox-sized transmitter on the athletes' start number belts sends their current locations, placings in the competition, distances to other competitors and speeds - all based on GPS data. Family members, friends and other triathlon fans can monitor the entire competition live, on a web portal. In an emergency, athletes can press an SOS button on the transmitter to text a call for assistance to the closest first-aid station - their location is determined and included automatically.

Until now, athletes' locations were only determined at intervals - with measurement mats placed every few kilometers along the competition route. The new LiveRank system enables constant location tracking via GPS. Deutsche Telekom developed this solution together with SAS Technologies from Nuremberg.

Similar to the system installed in the connected bike from Deutsche Telekom and Canyon, the LiveRank system is equipped with a SIM card, Bluetooth and GPS module, among other elements. It transmits the athletes' data over the mobile network, to a cloud platform that sports fans all over the world can access - through smartphones, tablet PCs or directly on their computers. The LiveRank portal will be available during the entire competition on July 12, 2015.

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