This document discusses IT considerations for organizing a high-level orienteering event like the World Orienteering Championships (WOC). It recommends defining IT requirements upfront in a contract to ensure quality delivery. Previous WOCs are reviewed to show how different organizers sourced IT services like timing, results, GPS tracking, and TV graphics. Options include buying a full-service package, renting equipment with consultants, or splitting tasks between in-house and outsourced teams. Proper project management is key - appointing a director, timeline, testing, and clear responsibilities. Live coverage adds complexity versus regular races and requires real-time data delivery to spectators. Fair competition for athletes must take priority in system design.

1. HLES 2017, Warsaw
An approach to IT in a
high level event

2. Agenda
• Step 1 - What to deliver?
• Major “features”
• At what quality level?
• Contract between IOF and NF + ambition level
• IT Quality Requirements
• Step 2 - How to deliver and where to start?
• How to set up the project
• A look at requirements
• Examples

3. Speaker: Henning Spjelkavik
• M Sc in Computer Science
• High volume web portals (Skiinfo.no, FINN.no)
• Member of IOF ITC
• Experience
• WOC 1997, ESOC 2011, WSOC 2015
• Timing, punching and IT since WOC 2004
• World Cup 1996, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
• School sprints etc
• Arena and tv production in o, ski-o, xc & biathlon
• SEA WOC 2013, assistant in 2007, 2008, 2016

4. Who decides what to deliver?

5. IT Quality Requirements document (ITQRD)
• The ITQRD does not define what an organiser shall provide
• that must be defined in the contract between IOF and the organiser
• The IT Requirements document describe the components/elements that can be part of an
IOF major event and the data that flow between the components
• Best practices, IOF Guidelines, Vendor Guidelines etc will be attached the ITQRD.
• The ITQRD will also describe follow-up procedures to be used by the IT ASEA in the quality
assurance work.

6. Why?
• The IT area must support an arena production. Significantly different
from a “normal” race
• There are significant costs involved
• Understanding IT requirements help in assessing the budget, and IT
requirements may affect important decisions not directly related to
the IT area.
• A successful outcome depends on awareness of these factors
throughout the event organization

7. Context

8. Reference model with interfaces

9. Follow up – actors involved

10. Main objectives
1. Fair Competition for Athletes
2. Exciting Live Coverage for Spectators

11. Fair competition for athletes is the essential priority
The IT Area must produce correct results: Times and Check of Controls visited.
Keywords: Low volume, reliability, correctness, simplicity
By itself this means:
• Accurate time taking
• Avoid incorrect placings due to inaccurate times
• Reliable punching system
• Avoid unjust and unclear disqualifications
• Ensure equal punching conditions for all athletes
• Simple system setup
• No real-time requirements
Mandatory and takes priority!

12. Exciting Live Coverage for Spectators
Live coverage comprises Arena Production, Internet coverage, TV, GPS
The complicated part of the setup
Keywords: Real-time, high volume, reliability, complexity
This means:
• Lots of information needs to be “digested” and presented
• Very complex system setup
• High real-time requirements
• No time for “outage” – there is no “second attempt”
• If a component fails, a redundant system must take over “on the fly”
• Clear contingency plans are needed

13. Live coverage has consequences
• Makes the IT setup very different for a major IOF event compared
with a regular mass orienteering competition.
• It is not achieved by “scaling” the familiar IT setup from a “normal”
orienteering competition.
• Live coverage implies massive, instant, real-time, requirements for
presentation of competition data: radio times, results, TV graphics
with running times, internet uploads, etc.

14. Example requirement, radio timing
• This is an early draft, with some bugs:
Radio controls are usually expected on an high level event, in order to
follow the race.
Maximum 1s latency from a runner passes to the result is available for
the TV graphics; max 5s for a TV pre-warning
For a TV control, a dedicated link, i.e. cable, fiber or radio network etc. is
necessary. GSM has not been proven sufficiently reliable. Manual could
be an option!
Results must be available for the speaker system, and for live results on
the web within reasonable time (30-60s)

15. Other news
Approval of Timing Solutions
• ITC is working on an approval process for Timing
solutions, to simplify the selection for the organiser
and validation for the SEA.
• A proposed timing solution for an event that is not listed,
must be documented and assessed by the ITC.
Education of IT ASEA
By fall 2017 ITC will start a training program for IT ASEA,
that will coach the organiser and work with follow-up
for IT related issues at major IOF Events.

16. How?

17. Project management
Project manager / coordinator / Technology Director
Assess
How to assemble the teams / components
What to outsource
What you handle yourself
How to recruit competent personnel
Plan necessary training and testing
Get a person into the organisation with experience from a
similar event

18. Project management
Important traits
Technical understanding
Ability to coordinate (leadership)
Should plan to not do (any) critical steps herselves on a
WOC (plan to avoid being on the critical path)

19. Project management
Have in mind:
Competency and experience
Opportunity cost
Recruit people - or hire services
Milestones
Tests
Manage boundaries – clear responsibilities
Relationship to event director?

20. Timeline

21. Testing
If it isn’t tested, it won’t
work.
Challenge the team to
do enough testing!

22. How to deliver (“Sourcing”)
What to build – what to buy – what to outsource

23. Home-made IT solutions

24. Home-made IT solutions
• To be minimised...
• if there is a standard, or existing, working solution
• think carefully when developing new things

25. Domains / services
• Example: Mapping
• Activities
• Timekeeping
• “Punch control”
• Intermediate timing
• GPS-tracking
• TV-graphics
• Entry system for spectators
• Accreditation etc management system
• Punching system

26. Models
• Buy a service
• Do it yourself – rent/borrow equipment
• Do it yourself – rent/borrow equipment and hire a consultant
• Define clearly - Who takes responsibility for the end result?

27. Buy a service
• Some companies/groups can provide all of the above in one package
• Cost
• You need to supply some manpower
• Internal coordination is on the provider
• Clear contract and understand of the boundaries

28. Rent equipment
Rent the equipment from provider(s)
Operate yourself

29. Rent equipment and consultant
The organisers people still lead, operate and execute
Foto: Geir Nilsen/Langrenn.com.

30. Align and follow up
• Be certain that you have agreed on who does what, when and at which level
of quality
• Milestones
• Some are given by the IOF process, event plan and bulletins
• But you need your own as well
• WOC 2016 – Training events, drawing etc
• Technology Checklist exists (2015), further material will be developed for the
IT ASEA role

31. Broadcast TV
Really, really consider the risks of using teams delivering data to TV
without experience
Risk vs cost

32. Implementation
Some alternatives

33. Timekeeping
• Both orienteer – and non-
orienteer companies/clubs
• Does not need to know
orienteering
“Punch control” – Event
administration
• Orienteering domain
• Some companies/groups can
provide both
• Cost
• You need to supply some
manpower
• Coordination is on the provider

34. Intermediate timing
• ROC – Raspberry pie
• http://olresultat.se/blog/?page_id=148
• jSh - http://radio.jsh.de/
• Several based on RACOM++
• Emit: eLink
• +++

35. GPS tracking
• GPSseuranta (WOC 2010-2014)
• TracTrac (WOC 2008, World Games)
• Estonian
• Loggator (Bulgarian/Norwegian)
• Polish
• Hungarian (WOC 2009)

36. Administrative tasks – event preprocessing
This is usually done by people in the organisation; coordinating
accreditation, entry lists, exports from Eventor, verification/registration
of entry or group allocation forms, start draw
Some of the tasks might be outsourced to the results provider
Clear responsibilities needed 

37. Alpha Draft Task checklist, page 1

38. Examples
How did the last WOCs solve this problem?

39. WOC 2008 Olomouc
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping (start+finish) Slovak timing company (VOS-
TPK)
Non-orienteers, paid
“Punch control” Czech expert group Orienteers, clubs in the
region. Czech software
Spectator race result service Organisers
Radio timing Czech expert group Orienteers, Using Racom
equipment + SI
TV graphics Czech company
(Akisport/Hego)
Long relation with
producer. XC-skiing.
GPS Tracking TracTrac Orienteer, paid
Accreditation, athlete
management
Web-based database solution Organisers
TV producer Karel Jonak Long relation with o

40. WOC 2010 Trondheim
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping Organisers Orienteers
“Punch control” Organisers + 1 hired expert Orienteers
Radio timing Organisers Orienteers
TV graphics Finnish o-solution Orienteers, paid for
GPS Tracking GPSseuranta Orienteers, paid for
Accreditation, booking
management
Local solution; partly manual;
access database; excel etc
Organisers
TV producer Olli Härkki Long relation with o

41. WOC 2012 Lausanne
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping Leibundgut Orienteers, paid for
“Punch control” Leibundgut Orienteers, paid for
Radio timing Leibundgut + Specialist club Orienteers, paid for,
RACOM-based
TV graphics Leibundgut Orienteers, paid for
GPS Tracking GPSseuranta Orienteers, paid for
Accreditation, booking
management
N Russi Orienteers, paid for
TV producer Armand ... Some relation with o

42. WOC 2013 Vuokatti
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping ResultFellows++ Orienteers, paid for
“Punch control” ResultFellows++ Orienteers, paid for
Radio timing ResultFellows++ Orienteers, paid for
TV graphics Finnish o-solution Orienteers, paid for
GPS Tracking GPSseuranta Orienteers, paid for
Accreditation, booking
management
Local solution; partly manual;
access database; excel etc
Organisers
TV producer Olli Härkki Long relation with o

43. WOC 2014 Lavarone
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping Local timing company,
Chronometry
Non-orienteering
“Punch control” Czech expert group Orienteers, external club
Spectator race result service Organisers + hired expert
Radio timing Czech expert group Using Racom equipment
TV graphics Czech company (Hego) Long relation with
producer. XC-skiing.
GPS Tracking GPSseuranta Orienteer
Accreditation, booking
management
Manual; excel etc +
web application
Organisers
TV producer Karel Jonak Long relation with o

44. WSOC 2015 Budor
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping EQtiming (Emit) 2 persons from EQ
responsible. +6 organisers
“Punch control” EQtiming (Emit)
Spectator race - result service Local organiser
Radio timing EQtiming GPRS-based. +2 Organisers.,
TV graphics EtimingGraphics/NOF Run by NOF expert
GPS Tracking NOF/GPSseuranta Run by NOF expert
Accreditation, booking
management
Manual + eventor; excel etc Organisers / NOF
Web TV producer Per Frost/Henning Spjelkavik Run by experts, IOF/NOF
Publlic Wifi, Media network NOF-equipment, mobile
broadband
Run by NOF expert
Video uplink Mobile broadband with antenna Henning

45. JWOC 2015 Rauland
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping EQtiming (Emit) 2 persons from EQ
responsible + 7 organisers
“Punch control” EQtiming (Emit)
Radio timing EQtiming GPRS-based. +2 Organisers.,
Spectator race - result service Local organiser
TV graphics EtimingGraphics/NOF Run by NOF expert
GPS Tracking NOF/GPSseuranta Run by NOF expert
Accreditation, booking
management
Manual + eventor; excel etc Organisers / NOF
Web TV producer Christian Gedde-Dahl Run by experts, IOF/NOF
Publlic Wifi, Media network NOF-equipment, mobile
broadband
Run by NOF expert
Video uplink Fiber

46. WOC 2016 Strömstad
Service Solution Notes
Timekeeping EQtiming 7 persons from EQ + 10?
organisers
“Punch control” EQtiming
Spectator race - result service Local organiser
Radio timing EQtiming Cabled
TV graphics Hego Karel Jonak’s partner
GPS Tracking GPSseuranta Pekka + Jouni
Accreditation, booking
management
Eventor + excel Organisers
TV producer Karel Jonak Run by experts, IOF/NOF
Publlic Wifi, Media network Telia Event Supplied added mobile
coverage.
Event admin (Eventor->EQ) Excel; organiser 3 org + experienced

47. Project Timeline

48. Conclusion
• What to deliver?
• How to deliver?
• There are several ways to split
how you assemble your
services
• What to buy
• What to deliver internally
• Talk to previous organisers of
the same event
• ...and local organisers of similar
complexity (if there exists) –
possibly in other sports
The IOF IT Commission will be happy
to discuss these matters with you!
henning@spjelkavik.net
phone +47 932 080 67