NTT creates Tour de France ‘digital twin’ with largest connected stadium

by Elton Gagni / July 7, 2021

As the world continues to become more connected, the application and integration of technology continues to be seen in different aspects of society. Recently, NTT Ltd. created the largest connected stadium, producing what they call a ‘digital twin’ of the world-renowned cycling event Tour de France. This innovation gathers millions of data points, bringing to life visualizations and digital experiences for fans from June 26 to July 18, 2021.

NTT, together with A.S.O, delivers a host of digital experiences to keep fans engaged around the world. Among the innovations introduced are: Race Center for race updates; LeTourData for data-driven insights and AI predictions; 3D Tracker for an immersive augmented reality app that provides 3D views of the stages; Tour de France Fantasy by Tissot, a fantasy sports game that integrate data insights and machine learning; and, the NTT Media Wall for a rich media display of the race villages.

Enabling a Digital Twin

The Tour de France is a mobile stadium that picks up and moves every day for 21 days, across 3,400km visiting some of the most remote locations in France.

Creating a Tour de France digital twin provides real-time visibility and streamlines operations, ensuring the continuity of the race. NTT uses IoT sensors, edge compute and networks, integrated into its own smart platforms and mapped against a geo-location model of each stage of the Tour. Aside from visibility of key locations and assets, this also enables COVID-19 contact tracing and in-the-moment updates of caravan and race arrival times.

Considered a first by the company, NTT uses analytics at the edge to provide immediate race data back to official race vehicles and deliver live updates, even in remote areas or the high mountains.

Peter Gray, Senior Vice President, Advanced Technology Group, Sport at NTT Ltd. shared that the digitization of the Tour de France began in 2015 by capturing data from the cyclists to provide real-time updates. “Every year, we have been able to take the technology to the next level, this year we are creating what is essentially a digital twin of the event. It’s a highly dynamic and changing environment that requires immediate access to information to ensure continuous and smooth operations, resulting in more informed and engaged fans.”

Connectivity at the Core

By providing what the company describes as a “truly” hybrid environment of physical servers, virtual servers, containers, and serverless functions for different workloads, NTT is able to support this broad array of fan and operational services for A.S.O. Creating a digital twin means greater connectivity of devices and vehicles, as well as more applications and platforms accessing services hosted in the cloud – whether public, private or hybrid. This includes understanding where different data lies, gathering and using them to create better experiences for everyone.

Gray also shared that adapting to the COVID-impacted landscape has been at the heart of their partnership with A.S.O. “We’re helping to constantly innovate the Tour de France, an event millions of passionate fans from around the world eagerly anticipate. Each year the stakes increase as we create new ways to reach and engage more people in new and exciting ways, which is no easy feat when you consider the complexity of the race.”

For A.S.O Chief Executive Yann Le Moenner, technology plays a vital part in helping them innovate at the speed that fans expect from mobile and cloud-based applications. “All the while providing event insights, rich analytics and intelligent digital solutions. Since 2015, we’ve brought a whole host of digital enhancements to the event to create the best ‘connected fan’ experience. This year is no different, delivering a data-driven experience across any device, wherever you are in the world.”

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