SportIdent Information for Organisers

Orienteering Victoria uses up-to-date SportIdent brand electonic timing hardware for all major events.  Information, instructions and hints on how to use these systems for your event can be found below.

Commercial event organisers (e.g. adventure race operators) who are interested in possibly using OV SportIdent hardware on a single event (lease) basis are invited to contact the State President for further details.

Available SportIdent hardware includes most of the items required to electronically record the results of all competitors in an event.  Together with appropriate computers (e.g. notebook PCs) to run event specific software (typically SportSoftware programs for orienteering events) it is possible to quickly confirm competitors correctly completed their assigned courses (code checking) and then produce detailed results and other reports.

SportIdent hardware looks like this:

 

Like all high tech stuff it has its own language: Key terms used for common orienteering electronic timing systems (Word)

Before you set up your event, you will need to think about the type of event you are running and what you need the system to do.  You need to plan how, when and where the information needed by the software will be input.  Options abound! Overview of options for using SportIdent systems (Word)

As an example, let's say you are running a typical State Series event.  You have decided that:

  • Pre-entries will be downloaded from the OV entry system a few days before the event
  • Start times will be competitor determined (on demand) and thus Start punches will be used
  • Entries on the day will be permitted (along with changes to some pre-entries)
  • Entries will be updated at the registration tent using the standard forms (Word document format)
  • The finish tent will be close enough to have the "finish" computer wirelessly linked to the "registration" computer
  • No commentary or backup systems will be needed
  • Results will be periodically printed in the finish tent from the "finish" computer
  • As a single day event you will use the OE2003 software program for downloading SI Cards, code checking (confirming no missed punches ("mp")) and printing results
  • The course setter will give you the courses in a Condes export file
  • The electrical power system will rely on the OV heavy duty battery

Now you know how the event will be run, you just need to make the appropriate preparations!

Equipment

The unique SportIdent equipment principally comprises SI Cards ("SI Sticks" or "dibbers") and SI Stations (or controls).  Don't be fooled by the colours (or sizes) of SI sticks and control stations: these characteristics do not necessarily reflect which hardware or firmware version you are looking at!  Additional equipment will comprise one or more notebook PCs and probably two or more printers.

Setting up your event on the computer

Using OE software to set up a new event

Using OS software to set up a new RELAY event

AustralianClubsNamesList_20080722.xls 

More information

"But wait!  I'm doing a BIG event and need the full rundown on how to organise a finish tent."  Great - but that guide is too big to give to all the helpers so here is the short version of how to run a Finish Tent.