IT will play a key role in theLondon Olympic Gamesin
2012.
There are plans to
exploit new media technologies such as Web 2.0, internet
protocol television (IPTV) and internet-enabled mobile phones, to
increase access and participation in the Games.
But the core network forming the infrastructure of the event
will be "simple and industrial-strength". IT chiefs working on the
project hope this will enable them to get through the three-week
event without any hiccups.
"Simple is good," Stuart Hill, BT's vice-president of the London
2012 delivery programme said. "I don't think providing lots of
gizmos coming up to the Games is a good thing to be doing. It's all
about the athletes and communicating the results of events. We must
not have anything other than industrial-strength services as the
Games come closer."
Speaking at a Westminster eForum event, on the use of technology
at London 2012, participants said
years of practice means IT staff should be
well-versed in creating IT networks to link the event.
Geoff Hall, chief technology officer at Nortel, said people who
know the ropes from previous years will teach people who don't.
"The Olympics is a very practised organisation. It's about the
fundamentals - they solicit suppliers who have a reputation for
reliability. They also look for technologies that are proven, well
before the Olympics comes around."
The networks must be flawless for the three weeks of the event,
Geoff Hall said, and the fundamental underlying technology needs to
be robust.
New technology, such as high-bandwidth broadband, will
"undoubtedly" be available. The appetite for investment in new IT
will determine whether it is used, "but you can't calculate the
appetite for investment," Hall said. "That's particularly pertinent
for today's environment."
Use of IT in the London Games is "on the right track" to be
successful, but Hall said the project is still in its early
days.
The CTO called for IT professionals to get involved with the
technology at the Games. By looking at the applications IT staff
use daily, and working out how they could be integrated with the
Games' communications systems, the IT community could improve the
technology at the event, he said.
Ben Gallop, head of interactive at BBC Sport, said the
corporation plans to exploit technology to communicate event
results.
Ben Gallop said: "I think it's worth remembering why London got
this bid in the first place. It's all about making the Olympics
accessible, and we plan to use a range of technology to achieve
this."
The BBC will stream content live onto websites, provide videos
on demand, use IPTV, high definition television and video and fixed
and mobile broadband.
"We can use 2012 to do for digital media what the coronation did
for television," Gallop said.