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Find out about the innovation provided by IBM that drives the
Australian Open website, apps, data and analysis.
If you’re like me, during the Australian Open the AO website is
the first thing you look at in the morning, and the last thing
you look at before going to sleep. I regularly check the Order
of Play to decide which matches to watch and read the recent
news. When I’m at the grounds I’m constantly looking at the
iPhone App for score updates, reviewing the schedule and
keeping up with what’s going on.
Having so much information at your fingertips really enhances
the Australian Open fan experience, especially during the first
week when there are so many matches to keep up with.
The Australian Open works with their partner IBM who provides the technology and
innovation for the website, apps, real-time data and analysis.
During the Australian Open each year we transform almost
overnight from a medium size business to a global enterprise
that must service millions of fans, players, media and
officials from around the globe,” continued Samir Mahir.
“Using IBM predictive analytics and cloud computing
technologies ensures we can meet this demand uninterrupted.”
The Australian Open website
Last year I reviewed The
Best and The Worst of the Tennis Grand Slams. In my opinion
the Australian Open website is by far the best of any of the
slams because it’s easy to use and fan friendly.
The website includes IBM SlamTrackerTM, which provides scores
and also analyses more than eight years of Grand Slam data to
identify patterns in player style. New features to SlamTracker
for 2014 include streamlined analysis of more fan friendly key
turning points in a match, such as aces and winning shots, and
a social media sentiment feed that
measures the percentage of positive tweets. Check it out
– it’s fab!
Official Mobile Apps
The official mobile apps for the Australian
Open deliver real-time scores and schedules, comprehensive
match and player analysis and Twitter feeds.
New this year is the free iPad app, which enables fans to
follow their favourite players, tweet messages of support from
a player’s profile and track player popularity online using IBM
social media analytics.
We are seeing increased demand from fans around the world for
more access and real-time event content. Over the two weeks
of the Australian Open last year, more than 15.5 million
unique users connected with the tournament online, and almost
half of the website views were from mobile devices.
Each year we aim to enhance the event experience and
this year we have worked with our technology partner, IBM, to
develop a new iPad app, improve the website and smartphone
apps, as well as advance the technology infrastructure behind
the scenes,” said Samir Mahir, CIO, Tennis Australia.
IBM predictive cloud provisioning analyses multiple data
sources in real-time, such as tournament schedule, player
popularity, historical data and social media conversations, to
predict and automatically allocate the computing power required
by the Australian Open website.
Samir Mahir from Tennis Australia
IBM Return Serve
New this year, tennis fans can also now experience what it is
like to face a serve from one of the world’s top players with
the new IBM ReturnServe. To create this experience for fans
IBM, in partnership with Tennis Australia, analyses real-time
data from every point of the game at the Rod Laver Arena during
the tournament. Displayed in a graphically animated environment
and hosted on IBM SoftLayer, this live serve data lets fans
attempt to return each serve at home using their computer or at
select onsite locations using a virtual reality headset.
Our 21-year history with the Australian Open has been about
making the event and the sport of tennis more engaging and
enjoyable. This latest focus on the omni-channel
experience is no exception. With new digital technologies
like the iPad app and virtual reality IBM ReturnServe, this
event is a leading example of how cloud computing, data
analytics, social and mobile technologies can help
organisations better connect with audiences,” said Glen
Thomas, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, IBM
Australia and New Zealand.
Visit the IBM Area in Grand Slam Oval during the Australian
Open and see you go!
Real Time Scores
Ever wondered how the real time scoring system works, so that
as soon as a point is awarded the score is updated on the
website and apps?
Each chair umpire uses a mobile device called the CHUMP (short
for Chair Umpire Solutions) to directly capture each point,
game and set from the court. Courtside statisticians record
vital information and the information is then sent in real time
to the IBM Scoring System.
A CHUMP, as used by the Chair Umpires
Thanks Australian Open and IBM for doing such a great job of
keeping us updated in real time.
Until next time
Grand Slam Gal
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