Innovative orienteering ideas to attract funding

[Freefall]

Our Oban 2011 event attracted significant funding from EventScotland but the money had to be spent on event enhancements - one reason we did the big screen and GPS was that it was seen as something new and innovative. Our sponsors are obviously pleased with what we are doing - our WOC2015 story is on the front page of their Autumn Newsletter and I am invited to their table at next week's Sunday Mail and sportscotland Sports Awards Dinner. Looking ahead to future events I am looking for (sensible) suggestions as to things that are innovative and may not have been tried much before. As a surveyor and GIS specialist my own preference is to give LiDAR a shot (to include 3D animations) but I would welcome ideas. Flooding Forres to make it more like the Venice Race probably isn't an option.

[greywolf]

LiDAR sounds good in principle, but it needs to be shown to be a genuine enhancement, rather than a way of spending 3 times as much money (and outside the sport rather than in). Anyway, some ideas:

1) compulsory head cams for the elite (who could raise funds by displaying sponsors' logos onscreen). ideally these would be skull-mounted and incorporate tracking software - and could one day include reward/punish systems (endorphin /electric shock) to ensure a decent turnout at important BOF races like area champs

2) maps on foldable, rollable electronic paper with zoom capability

3) hire Neal Stephenson as technical advisor

[mappingmum]

iphone app to track competitors

[DeerTick]

iphone app

Isn't this forum where obscenities are deprecated?

AP

[Big Jon]

Martin Terry (SA orienteer, spent time in Scotland before WOC 99) did a project to convert OCAD files to 3d images. I don't know how successful/easy this is but he might be worth contacting. Last time I heard he was in Lidingo working for the race.

[Ravinous]

Yes - he is still there. Complete with baby now!

[Freefall]

3D fly throughs using LiDAR data (overlay of OCAD map)?

Instant display of your time as you cross the finish line on a LCD/LED display?

Multiple forest cams?

[IanD]

From the event safety angle as well as for enhanced spectator interest, it would be nice to know where every competitor is at all times. So GPS tracking for everybody?

Or if this is too expensive, how about every control communicating every punch back to a central computer real-time. This would be technically feasible, it would not be necessary for every control to be in direct radio contact with the centre. It would only be necessary to have a network where each control was in contact with an adjacent control. Of course, the software and hardware would cost, but you wanted to spend money....

[SeanC]

The map group are doing some research into LIDAR (the development committee recently approved funding for it from the Development Fund).

There must be some more bright ideas out there? Perhaps something on the IT front?

I had a thought that the ranking list could be used to give a golfing type handicap which could then give some kind of magic instant handicap results on the day? Or some kind of instant team competition based on county rather than club?

If you have an idea that needs money and it's not something Colin can help with, the BOF development fund may be able to help).

[ChristineV]

Our sponsors are obviously pleased with what we are doing - our WOC2015 story is on the front page of their Autumn Newsletter and I am invited to their table at next week's Sunday Mail and sportscotland Sports Awards Dinner.

The dinner is on now ... black tie at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel!

[AndyC]

Does "Black tie" go with interestingly patterned lycra and fleece or is it the Rat Race t-shirt again?

[Big Jon]

Re LIDAR - I don't if anyone has done any real work into it, but it promises lots, though I can't help thinking (from my limited access to some) that it isn't really up to much from a mapping point of view. It may offer some sort of 3-d map image, but OCAD contours could be used for this instead and offer properly accurate information.

[Becks]

Everyone over here is using LIDAR as it's freely available in most of the States where O happens. I could put anyone in touch with some of the key players if they were interested in finding out more.

[Kitch]

open question

Are the best orienteering maps a translation or an interpretation ?

[Kitch]

Ideas:

get (pay) a properly celebrated distance athlete to come along.
make a serious documentary about them.
- trying to keep up with an elite orienteer.
- trying to navigate themselves.

the script should be
massively respected athlete discovers what an amazingly challenging sport orienteering is - both physically and technically.

Triple Echo productions do the Adventure show for BBC Scotland
Adventure Show has done pieces on fell running, OMM, has done O' (Scottish Night in the Pentlands I think)
It could be an adventure show special, but the way in might be to persuade Triple Echo first and get them to sell the idea to BBC.
Triple Echo took me to Greenland 10 years ago on an Adventure race for a BBC Scotland programme.
They should remember that so maybe that contact point could be used.

A programme like this could be used to highlight WOC, Scotland, orienteering, outdoor sport - lots of boxes to tick.