Discover how Eseye transformed orienteering with AnyNet SMARTconnect™.
The World Orienteering Championships is a prestigious, multi-day competition that has been
running for more than 50 years. In the summer of 2024, the five-day event was hosted by the
United Kingdom, with fast-paced sprint races taking place in five different locations around the
city center. This presented unique challenges for the team responsible for timing, and supplying
accurate data to TV feeds for fans watching around the globe.
Eseye’s hardware and connectivity expertise ensured that the connected timing devices worked
reliably, while significantly reducing data latency and enabling network flexibility.
Eseye has supported the World Orienteering Championship for its events in 1999, 2015 and 2024,
collaborating with a telemetry specialist to build robust systems that enable electronic timing for
outdoor races. The first versions used SMS technology for connectivity, followed by 2G. The 2024
event brought fresh issues: Edinburgh was already crowded with cellular connections, especially
as it was peak tourist season.
The key challenge was ensuring a reliable system that would support real-time race data
transmission in the dense urban environment, with its saturated cellular networks. “The deep
urban canyons added to the communications challenges,” explains Jon Darley, Eseye’s Director
of Things.
The capabilities of our AnyNet eSIM and SMARTconnect™ technology enabled each device to find a network that could provide the required service at each location, without a pre-survey.”
Jon Darley, Director of Things, Eseye
Delivering instantaneous, accurate data from each of the athletes into the timing system was
crucial for the commentary team, who rely on live updates to inform viewers about who is
leading. 2024 also saw the introduction of Olympic-style photo finish technology for the first
time. As Eseye’s Co-Founder and CTO, Ian Marsden, says: “It’s important to give the medals to
the right people!”
Another key focus was to make the races engaging for spectators, with an emphasis on realtime electronic timing. This makes for an exciting viewing experience via live TV and video
streaming.
It was the organizing committee’s responsibility to provide a high quality data feed to the timing
team and broadcasters. This required overcoming issues related to latency and connectivity.
From 2.5 seconds to less than a quarter of a second end-to-end.
With no delays, through using AWS.
For those there in person and fans following remotely.
And sell media rights and pay-per view video streaming services.
Providing resilience and reliability in every location.
Capable of operating anywhere.
The chief concern was minimizing latency. The target was a reduction from 2.5 seconds to less
than 250 milliseconds to get the data from the athlete all the way around the loop and onto
screens, a delay which would be imperceptible to the viewer.
Eseye analyzed and re-engineered the data communications process to achieve the required
level of performance. This included switching from a pull-based architecture to a push-based
one, with data sent directly to the AWS cloud for serverless, instantaneous processing
With 2G deemed too slow for the sprint event, Eseye recommended upgrading the hardware
to 4G, then built a new version to meet requirements. The devices also needed to be rugged
enough to cope with being continually moved around, and to withstand the Scottish weather.
“The components were all there already,” adds Jon Darley. “Using known hardware and code
enabled us to rapidly build devices to the quality needed.”
To avoid any drops in connectivity – and therefore interruptions to the data feed – the
technology needed to be able to switch between available networks. It had to work as soon as
it was deployed, and carry on working, both within the urban landscape but also for any future
events that may be held in remote rural areas with limited mobile coverage.
Eseye’s AnyNet SMARTconnect™ technology enabled the system to operate reliably on
whatever network was most available in the device’s location. This gave it the capability to
handle the heavy competition for cellular connections in Edinburgh by switching between
networks dynamically, choosing whichever offered the optimum service at the time.
Utilizing Quectel’s BG915U Cat 1 module, Eseye achieved maximum coverage over 4G, with 2G as
a backup for more remote areas in the future, where it might be the only option.
The Eseye solution also had to integrate flawlessly with the event’s broadcast and timing
systems. It provided an API to the event’s partner, SPORTident, that ensured an unbroken live
feed of accurate information for both on-site spectators and remote viewers. The team was even
able to beat the TV feed’s transmission time.
In total, 45 connected devices were used on the course. The runners carried SPORTident RFID
cards which triggered the checkpoints as the athlete passed through. The system picked up
the signals and transmitted them over the mobile network to the timing server, and onto the
screens and broadcast feed.
Another huge challenge was to deploy the kit around the course and get it working right, every
time, in multiple new locations over the five days. Eseye ensured that the device was userfriendly enough for non-technical staff to set up and hand out to marshals.
“In Edinburgh we had head-to-head races starting every four minutes, with six races back to
back in a two-hour period,” says Ian Marsden.
The pace was extremely quick, with competitors making instant decisions. Between one race finishing and the next starting, the team had to reset the controls, deploy a new set of equipment, and get it all up and running, working perfectly to requirements.
Ian Marsden, CTO and Co-Founder, Eseye
The electronic timing system designed for the World Orienteering Championships is now used
every weekend at various outdoor events around the UK. The network switching capability
provided by Eseye’s AnyNet SMARTconnect™ software gives it the potential to support
championship events in other countries in the future.
Dive into the details of how Eseye revolutionized connectivity at the World Orienteering Championships. From slashing data latency to delivering seamless, real-time updates in a dense urban setting, discover how our IoT expertise brought this global event to life.
Read case studyWith Eseye’s cutting-edge connectivity solutions, the World Orienteering Championships achieved new heights of excitement and accuracy
Eseye re-engineered the World Orienteering Championships’ timing system, reducing data latency from 2.5 seconds to under 250 milliseconds. Leveraging AWS serverless architecture, Eseye ensured live updates for spectators and commentators worldwide.
Eseye’s AnyNet SMARTconnect™ technology enabled devices to dynamically switch between cellular networks, maintaining robust connectivity in Edinburgh’s congested urban environment. This ensured seamless real-time data transmission, even during peak tourist activity.
Integrating flawlessly with SPORTident systems, Eseye’s technology ensured uninterrupted, precise timing data. Runners’ RFID-triggered checkpoints provided instantaneous updates, enhancing the experience for fans and streamlining race management.
Eseye’s solution utilized Quectel’s BG915U Cat 1 module for 4G coverage with 2G fallback, ensuring operational reliability in both dense urban settings and remote rural areas. This flexibility guarantees future-proof connectivity for outdoor events globally.
With instant, accurate updates and reduced latency, Eseye’s solution elevated the spectator experience, enabling live broadcasting and pay-per-view services. This provided new revenue streams for the event, ensuring its commercial success.
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