Areas of Responsibility for BOC 2010 Website Logo design Entries and Start times (with Mark Garside) Timing, Results, Radio Controls and Commentary (relay and individual)

Declaration of Interests: Have worked in the past for Sportident UK Have been close friends with Alan Hartley, technical director of Sportident UK for 25 years.

Mark Stodgell (stodge) Started orienteering in 1982 at school Continually Involved in all levels or orienteering planning and organisation. Used SI since 2000 Manage WCH SI, Web, Planner and Organiser Wcup 2005 – SI Scottish Six Days SI 2002 – 2007 worked for Sportident timing adventure races Current GB team member for MTBO – competed at European and World Champs and World Cup races MTBO IOF event advisor Trained as an Architect now IT Director at Pozzoni (one of the North West’s largest Architects

Entries – SI entries from Sportident UK with Mark Garside putting on postal entries Major issue: Postal entries and there subsequent start time allocation a huge problem. So much work for so few people. - SI database not being updated - Users not checking there SI card details on entry or subsequently running on a new card and not telling the organiser. Opportunity to send out an just prior to the event confirming what card people have entered with ? - to all entrants just before event did bring many people in to the entry system to check and amend their details.

Start List generation. When to do it ( a week before) Start time allocation done with Auto-download and then checked, amended where necessary. Bib number allocation and seeding nomination done in Excel before uploading into Autodownload. Problems with elites entering late because of flights to Scandanavia issue Seeding – very time consuming. Needs to be a automatic download from the ranking list. Course combination- some courses impossible to satisfy needs of seeding and peoples start block requests as too many competitors for start time range. Many people unhappy with start time allocations, ideas for start time allocation – earlier entries get preference ?. Start list generation and printing done from Autodownload. Print to PDF if need electronic copies.

Autodownload and GP Projects In the end we used Alan Hartley as support because 2 WCH members were unable to attend. Very good as took pressure off of me and helped with knowledge on new radio control issues Always important to have two people who know the system insides out rather than just one GP projects – Ian Marsden supplies radio control gear

SI reliability. Remember all download data is kept in the download station as well so an event can be recovered from these in the event of total server failure

On Day infrastructure: Generator :' Borrowed' 4.5 kva very good condition no issues. Had 3 small backup generators (one came with commentary van) to use not just as backup but to isolate any problems Network Gigabit where possible. Although in theory network can stretch to 100 metres best to keep all areas accessing network adjacent, ie commentary, enquiries, relay entries, download Server – core 2 duo laptop running windows server OS ( important for multiple connections) Download – 3 download stations checkout style. Better to have marshalling than more download stations. No skill needed. Splits printers 2 queries machines ( supply chair for person being queried) good users of system needed Results printing via fast laser printer and pasting via wallpaper paste + WIFI results (hired from Sportident UK)

Commentary and Radio controls: Line driven (last control 300 m distant) Finish – close proximity (10m) radio 2 radio controls using SMS for individual. Did not use any traditional radio controls as distances and topography not suitable. Used SMS control on relay where a trad radio control would have been more appropriate Subsequently the data did not come through fast enough which hampered commentary. Worth cabling the spectator control as a backup. Do not provide too many audio controls as it is difficult to monitor. Commentary, good to have a local expert alongside to give flavour.

Problems: Failure of UPS (trouble with begged borrowed kit) Better to have a battery backup on everything instead Lost network for perhaps 2 min until UPS taken out of system This then meant radio controls went down for 15 mins because we forgot to label the incoming cables. SMS control on Relay could not keep up Network cable failure going to relay map issue meant no si punch checking was done as intended. Still many people running on a different SI card to which they were entered which meant trouble shooting at the end

Things we got right. Kept everything electronic wherever possible to avoid typo errors. Particularly in relay course combinations, course loading, team course allocation etc. No queues at download Good commentary with a local flavour.