Pictures of the Future Spring 2006
Infrastructures – Stadium Technology
Managing Data for Sports
Sports technology is booming. Siemens Venture Capital (SVC) is investing in Dutch company 51pegasi, which has designed a solution for simple and intelligent data management during sporting events.
A true Tour de France fan always knows which team individual cyclists belong to and how many stages they’ve won. Those viewers not familiar with such statistics can see the information on their TV screens. This service is just one example of the data management required for sporting events associated with large amounts of data. Here, tasks involve organizing schedules for athletes, coaches and helpers; collecting, administering, and archiving data related to a particular event; and providing the media with this information. br> To master these challenges, Dutch company 51pegasi BV, which was founded in November 2004 and employs 20 people, came up with the idea of managing all of the data using a single platform. The name 51pegasi comes from the star in whose orbit the first planet outside our solar system was discovered in 1995. Just as a star is the reference point for its planets, the new "51box" serves as the foundation for several different solutions. It hosts various applications (brought together as a software suite) that conduct data management operations before, during, and after the sporting event. The platform is based on XML computer language. Because the system can manage data independent of format, the information can easily be published via diverse types of media. "That means our solutions are important planning tools for all types of sporting events, large or small," says CEO Gilles Vliegen. In 2006, 51box will be used at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, in 2005 it appeared at the Southeast Asian Games in Manila. For years, parts of the software have ensured that the right media are flashed up at the right time during the Tour de France. The entire software suite package has yet to be used at a sporting event, but that’s set to change. br> Siemens Venture Capital (SVC) has been involved with 51pegasi since May 2005. To date, SVC has invested 700 million euros in over 100 start-up companies and 30 venture capital funds, mostly in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. Along with funding, SVC also provides 51pegasi with advice and direct business support, which is why Dr. Uwe Albrecht, Managing Partner Corporate Fund at SVC, is also a member of 51pegasi’s Supervisory Board. "In addition to 51pegasi’s technological expertise, it was the company management’s familiarity with the sports industry and the excellent contacts it enjoys with the sector that convinced us to get involved," says Albrecht. SVC’s investment will now enable 51pegasi to further develop its product portfolio and expand its sales and marketing activities. Siemens and 51pegasi plan to design a comprehensive IT concept for the sports industry. To date, the fast-growing technology market for the sports industry has been divided into technology suppliers and system integrators—a global IT company does not yet exist. That’s why Siemens would like to offer technology for sporting events from a single source in line with the SiemensOne strategy, which involves serving major customers from all Siemens groups. The first customers are the Commonwealth Games Federation and the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. The software from 51pegasi perfectly complements the SiemensOne strategy here.
Gitta Rohling