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HOCKEY CAPABILITIES

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CHANGING THE GAME

SMT serves the sports industry with innovative, award-winning technology for events, broadcasts and livestreams with a focus on real-time data collection, integration and visualization. With more than three decades of developing best-in-class solutions, SMT is an unsurpassed leader in sports technology.

38

YEARS

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60

SPORTS

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85

PATENTS

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22K

ANNUAL EVENTS

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220

CLIENTS

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37

EMMY AWARDS

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THE NHL SOLUTION

PUCK AND PLAYER TRACKING

SMT’s PPT system, branded NHL Edge on the league’s digital platforms, comprises four main components:

  1. An IR tag is placed in the shoulder of the player’s uniform;

  2. 16-24 in-stadium IR cameras that capture coverage of the rink and player benches;

  3. a customized puck that emits an IR light; and

  4. SMT’s OASIS Platform converts the data points into usable statistics like possession, shots, passes, time in the defensive or offensive zone, time on ice, speed, distance, and more.

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BROADCAST OPTICS

Broadcast OPTICS is a data-based graphics system within OASIS that turns Level 1 events such as passes, goals and times of possession into powerful storytelling graphics with pointers, discs and trails. With a single click, broadcasters can easily leverage hockey PPT data with packages that enhance the viewer’s understanding of key plays and strategies.

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SMT-RAZOR

SMT-RAZOR is a data visualization analytics tool that links live video with tracking and statistical data to help NHL teams gain a deeper understanding of their players, strategies and roster compositions. Includes event-generated playlists, AR tools, algorithm viewer/editor, and an insight valuation engine.

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BROADCAST SOLUTIONS

HITS

In 2007, SMT designed NHL HITS  (Hockey Information and Tracking System), the league’s official timing, scoring and administrative system that allows the NHL to centrally manage the more than 1,300 games played every season. The system was upgraded for the 2019/2020 season with NHL HITS 2.0.

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LIVE OPTICS

Live OPTICS are all graphics that appear over players during live game action. It is most used to identify players on the ice with name tags or to highlight a player with a disc below his skates. Stats can also be inserted on name tags to add content when identifying a player. Player location is determined through SMT’s Puck and Player Tracking data.

BUG HUG

Bug HUG is an innovative new feature that links the Clock and Score graphic (the Bug) and a virtual graphics system (SMT Live OPTICS). When the Bug shows a player graphic, it triggers SMT Live OPTICS to highlight the player with a virtual disc under the skates. This draws the viewer’s attention to the player. HUG is an acronym for “Highlight Underscoring Graphics”. 

 

Live OPTICS and Bug HUG are two systems traditionally independent, but for the first time, SMT has linked them. This has 

been accomplished through our OASIS data integration platform. Messages pass from the Bug to Live OPTICS

through OASIS, automating them to work together to enhance content through player tracking.

PUCK POSSESSOR

Puck Possessor inserts name tags on players as they gain possession of the puck. Most often it is used to highlight possession on all important power plays and overtime, drawing the viewer’s eye to the offensive team as they move the puck. Puck Possessor uses SMT’s enhanced algorithm to derive possession from raw tracking data.

VIRTUAL OVERLAY: POWER PLAY CLOCK & VIRTUAL SHOT SPEED

Power Play Clock is a virtual element that appears over the ice during a power play. Virtual Shot Speed is a virtual representation of shot speed that appears above the goal on shots over 85 mph. Both have been used by SMT’s national broadcasters. The overlays and shot speed are driven by tracking data and clock data, showing and hiding automatically, as needed.

PACKAGED REPLAYS

SMT delivers telestrated replays that we call “SMT Packaged Replays”. Using tracking data, elements like trails and discs on players and the puck can be inserted over replays and are accurate to location. Stats like player speed, puck speed and pass distance are extracted from tracking data to add elements not seen by any other hockey replay system. Using four camera angles, SMT can infer the most relevant plays delivering custom replays to a production with speed and accuracy. 

INSTANT REPLAYS

Instant Replays are quick and automated replays driven purely from tracking data. 
 
Tracking data provides information such as goal scorer, assister or puck location, while SMT’s Instant Replay system builds a replay purely from its data. 
 
When a goal is scored, an SMT operator selects the most relevant play for an Instant Replay by pressing a single button, and that replay is pushed out within 5-10 seconds of the goal. Because of automation, telestrated replays can often be seen in the first replay sequence after a goal.

IN-VENUE SOLUTIONS

IN-VENUE OPTICS

SMT’s in-venue production combines in-game stats integrated into SMT-designed L-bar graphics packages displayed on stadiums’ scoreboards and video displays in suites and concourses, providing fans with the same innovative SMT broadcast technology everywhere in the arena. During breaks in the action, the L-bar provides sponsors and advertisers with opportunities to showcase their brands and messages.

LIVE INSERTS

PUCK AND PLAYER TRAILS WITH SHOT SPEED
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LIVE PUCK AND PLAYER STATS

PUCK AND PLAYER TRAILS WITH SHOT SPEED

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SPRITES

The SPRITES app uses tracking data to project computer-animated digital players, displaying names and possessions, automatic shot speed displays, circle pulse animations indicating time on the ice, an oversized puck, and puck-and-player trails.

IN-VENUE CHANNEL

PPT SPRITES - ENHANCED VISUALIZATIONS

NHL GAMEDAY MULTI-SPRITES VIEW

ROOSTER

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SMT’s ROOSTER remote production studios provide each NHL broadcast partner with an enhanced feed with live data and tracking from SMT’s Durham, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., divisions. SMT’s ROOSTER workflows allow the graphics coordinator and operators in remote studios to communicate in real-time with production teams around the world, a workflow SMT can implement in any studio our clients choose.

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THE OASIS PLATFORM

OASIS Platform Overview

SMT’s powerful organizing philosophy called OASIS (Organization of Asynchronous Sports Information Subsystems) is the basis upon which the OASIS Platform data management and OPTICS systems were built. ​

 

OASIS as an organizing philosophy views the data landscape of a sports league in three (3) layers: ​​

 

Level 0    All subsystems that create data or video

 

Level 1    The central hub that absorbs, collates, synchronizes, organizes, expands, and distributes all

                 Level 1 data via push and query APIs

 

Level 2    All systems that consume, present, or use the data and video via API from Level 1

 

OASIS’ organizing philosophy defines a simple, intuitive approach to a sports league’s data governance and data management but requires a highly disciplined, central authority to maintain the proper separation of the layers and to maintain functional independence between layers for a sports league to gain the full benefits of the OASIS organizing philosophy.

 

OASIS is agnostic as to whether there are multiple individual vendors supplying the various subsystems at Level 0 or Level 2 or whether there is just one vendor supplying all subsystems at Level 0 or all subsystems at Level 2. The OASIS organizing philosophy ensures all subsystem suppliers maintain functional independence, communicate clearly to others and receive the full benefit of their participation. ​

 

As a product, the OASIS Platform is a highly integrated, multi-venue, time-synchronized, multilevel, data/video management system that SMT architected, designed and created to provide professional sports leagues with a centrally controlled and league-controlled platform to organize, maintain, administer and manage all phases of the league’s data creation, data distribution, data visualization and data monetization.

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PACKAGING PPT DATA FOR NHL

The OASIS Platform is the central component of the NHL’s next-generation data infrastructure and leverages the full benefits of puck and player tracking (PPT) data for all NHL stakeholders including NHL broadcasters and NHL arenas.

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  • SMT created a PPT data architecture and solution suite to meet the needs of NHL partners.

  • SMT solutions and systems:​

    • ​Harness the power of the PPT data for the benefit of NHL broadcast partners;

    • Package the PPT data in ways that NHL broadcast partners can easily use it;

    • Integrate PPT data into NHL broadcast partners' current production workflow;

    • Promote the use of PPT data across multiple points of NHL broadcast partners' production;

    • Provide NHL partners with control over the implementation of their own OPTICS visualizations

    • Provide on-ice virtual sponsor insertions; and

    • Provide for automatic graphic creation using PPT data and artificial intelligence eventing.

  • SMT created a solution suite that allows NHL partners to naturally evolve the use of the PPT data within the current workflow of their NHL broadcast and arena productions.

  • Beyond game broadcasts and in-venue enhancements, PPT data presents the opportunity for direct-to-fan betting and gaming applications.

  • SMT developed a workflow to provide our real-time services remotely from our studios or any studio of our clients' choosing.

OASIS Sport-Specific Solutions

  • Real-time Player and Object Tracking Systems

  • Official League-Wide Scoring Systems

  • Live Biometric Tracking Systems

  • Live Athlete Performance and Coaching Systems

  • 3D Visualization and Analytics Systems

  • Real-time Accessible Archived Statistics Systems

  • Virtual Replay and Official Review Systems

  • Live Athlete Safety and Monitoring Systems

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