THE GERMAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP

die projektscheune
INDUSTRY
Sports
CLOUD PROVIDER
Amazon Web Services
Radfahrer fahren in einem Rennen eng zusammen.

At sporting events, such as the German Cycling Championships, it is always a challenge for TV broadcasters to provide viewers with the best possible overview of the current racing action. As the TV stations usually only show the viewer one camera angle, they try to obtain and present further information that makes the course of the race comprehensible.

Zoi worked with die projektscheune to generate additional information using IoT and AWS cloud technology.

REAL-TIME TRACKING

of participants including speed. This allows valuable information such as the distance between riders or the distance to the finish line to be determined

ENHANCED FAN EXPERIENCE

The tracking data can be used to announce riders arrival in the fan zones and to moderate the course of the race.

MEDIA INFORMATION

In addition to the spectators, IoT data and analyses of the race day are a valuable source of information for reporters.

EFFECTIVELY BROADCASTING THE RACE

die projektscheune was responsible for the TV broadcast of the 2024 German Cycling Championships in Bar Dürrheim, Baden-Württemberg. With more than 150 riders reaching an average speed of over 40 km/h, it is a challenge to effectively capture the race action and excitement for viewers at home and in the fan zone.

It is important for every broadcaster to present the events of a race in an entertaining and captivating way. Providing additional information to viewers – such as the distance to the finish line, the relative position of the racers and notification of incoming racers to viewers in the fan zone – are several ways to enhance the experience for all.

USING IOT TO PROVIDE VIEWERS WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Zoi was asked to develop a solution to capture live race data and make this live data available to die projektscheune.

An IoT solution was the obvious choice in this case, as it facilitates communication and connection between physical objects - such as cyclists - and a digital platform that can process the data.

The project was a perfect use case for the AWS Cloud and a great example of how the cloud can accelerate time to market and innovation. For example, instead of having to rely on local server infrastructure, a functioning IT environment in the cloud capable of processing huge amounts of data can be created within minutes.   

Data points from the race were taken into account, in particular:

– Distance to the finish line: the distance of the cyclist to the finish line can be determined based on the data.

– The distance between the riders can be determined. This data can be used to show whether the rider is in the leading group or the chasing group.

– Dynamic camera positioning: The camera positions can be chosen based on the positions of the cyclists so that the TV broadcaster can give viewers a better picture of the race.

EQUIPPING THE GERMAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

The IoT system was set up in three main steps:

1. First, sensors were attached to riders' bikes to track them during the race.

2. Next, tracking hardware was installed on the camera bikes to film the race.

3. Finally, a communication gateway based on LoRaWAN technology was installed on two support vehicles. The information from the sensors (bicycles and motorcycles) was sent to the support vehicles, which then forwarded the data to the AWS Cloud via mobile radio.

The setup of the IoT system.

In the AWS Cloud, the data was processed by the backend and transferred to a web-based frontend that can be used by the TV station for the race.

The system was used in the elite men's race, in which the best cyclists in Germany compete at the highest level. There are plans to improve the system for next year's competition in order to gather even more data that can be used for reporting.

In the cloud, the data was processed by the backend and transferred to a web-based frontend.

ABOUT THE CLIENT

die projektscheune is a management consultancy based in Stuttgart. It offers holistic solutions from brainstorming to implementation and has a special focus on sports projects.