PUCK AND PLAYER TRACKING
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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.
36
YEARS
60
SPORTS
70
PATENTS
20K
ANNUAL EVENTS
220
CLIENTS
36
EMMY AWARDS
Industry Recognition
We are honored to have been awarded 36 Emmys over the past two decades on behalf of our work with our stellar roster of clients, including three this year for our contributions to:
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Outstanding Playoff Coverage: NFC Wild Card Game | Nickelodeon (CBS Sports)
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Outstanding Live Sports Series: Sunday Night Football | NBC
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Outstanding Technical Team Event: Super Bowl LV | CBS
Our Technology
Craft the story of your game by choosing from live and historical data and statistics, social media feeds, video and telemetry, all integrated into compelling graphics for display on video boards, scoreboards, and screens of all kinds.
Our Services
SMT's broadcast and event specialists take pride in helping our clients turn their visions into reality. From site review to choosing our most impactful solutions and on-site set-up and operation, SMT is devoted to our clients’ success every step of the way.
The OASIS Platform
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 (Optimal PPT Television Integration and Control Solution) 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 subsystems that consume, present, or use the data via OPTICS
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.
(OPTICS)
NHL AND OASIS: CASE STUDY
SMT's OASIS Platform
The OASIS Platform is the central component of the NHL’s next-generation data infrastructure and leverages the full benefits of PPT data for all NHL stakeholders including NHL broadcasters.
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The Eventing Intelligence Engine Inside OASIS, the EIEIO, is the core component of the OASIS Platform.
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The EIEIO integrates and synchronizes the PPT data with the HITS data to produce the official NHL stats.
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The EIEIO provides automatic live detection of hockey events (e.g., passes player possession, shots, goals, time on ice, etc.).
Player and Puck Tracking for NHL Broadcast Partners
Situational Analysis
The NHL has invested millions of dollars in a live Player and Puck Tracking (PPT) system.
Statement of Challenges
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NHL broadcast partners have historically expressed resistance to using live VIRTUALf/x.
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The fast pace of NHL play relative to the pace of other professional sports that use tracking systems, e.g., NFL and NBA, has caused NHL broadcast partners to express disbelief that PPT data can be effectively integrated into their production workflow in a timely, meaningful and positively impactful way.
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If NHL broadcast partners cannot use the PPT data as a "natural" component within their current production workflow then NHL viewers will not see the benefits of the NHL's investment in the PPT technology.
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If NHL broadcast partners do not see the value and benefit of integrating PPT data into their productions, then the NHL fans will not see and enjoy the visual, informational, and analytic benefits of PPT data.
SMT’s Solution for Packaging PPT Data for NHL Broadcast Use
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SMT created a PPT data architecture and solution suite to meet the needs of NHL broadcast partners.
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SMT solutions and systems:
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harness the power of the PPT data for the benefit of NHL broadcast partners
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package the PPT data in ways that NHL broadcast partners can easily use it
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integrate PPT data into NHL broadcast partners' current production workflow
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promote the use of PPT data across multiple points of NHL broadcast partners' production
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provide NHL broadcast partners with control over the implementation of their own VIRTUALf/x
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provide for automatic graphic creation using PPT data and artificial intelligence eventing
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SMT created a solution suite that allows NHL broadcast partners to naturally evolve the use of the PPT data within the current workflow of their NHL broadcast productions.
SMT VIRTUALf/x Architecture and NHL Broadcast Partner Solution Suite
SMT’s VIRTUALf/x Architecture for League-Wide Solution
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Three (3) high-end, real-time, graphic renderers per broadcaster
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Two (2) NHL-provided laptops running lightweight web apps to control graphic renderers
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Single-click operation to simplify insertion of VIRTUALf/x
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One (1) VIRTUALf/x standardized I/O panel in each arena truck bay for use by each broadcaster
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Flight-pack renderers available for non-NHL arena games
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One (1) SMT-trained VIRTUALf/x staff person on-site in each arena for each NHL game
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Four (4) POV cameras supported
SMT's Solution Suite for NHL Broadcaster Partners
SMT’s Solution Suite for NHL broadcast partners debuted at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game and includes systems to seamlessly integrate PPT and eventing data into the three (3) key functional areas of the broadcast presentation of a live NHL game.
Talent Prompters and Information Displays
Commentator Information Screens (C.I.S.)
2D Graphic Presentation
Scorebug integration of call-ups and auto-triggers
3D VIRTUALf/x Presentation
VIRTUALf/x – Live
VIRTUALf/x – Instant Replay
VIRTUALf/x – Packaged Replay
SMT’s vision is that PPT and eventing data can provide much more value to an NHL broadcaster than merely being the primary data source that drives VIRTUALf/x.
Talent Prompters and Information Display
Encourages talent to refer to unique PPT and eventing data on a regular basis throughout a telecast PPT and eventing data drive the live information screen content.
Current data displayed includes:
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Distance Skated
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Number of Shifts
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Total Time on Ice (TOI)
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TOI – This Shift
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Player in Possession
Color-coding highlights when a player's shift time exceeds 30 sec and 60 sec.
C.I.S. displays will evolve over time and are customizable for each user profile.
2D Graphic Presentation
Scorebug integration via API and RTP ensures that all NHL broadcasters partners enjoy the maximum benefit of PPT data and EIEIO eventing data expressed graphically on their scorebug devices.
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Unique PPT and eventing data can drive compelling scorebug drop-downs and slide-outs.
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EIEIO triggers can coordinate and synchronize scorebug displays with VFX-Live on-ice displays.
3D VIRTUALf/x Presentation
VFX - Packaged Replay System
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Standard timeline-based editor
VFX - Live System
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Single-click, intuitive, easy to use GUI
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Live insert from Center Ice POV
VFX - Instant Replay
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Auto-generated graphic analysis packages
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EIEIO "Eventing Intelligence Engine Inside OASIS" Driven
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Supports four (4) unique camera POVs
Additional SMT Solutions Since 2019 NHL All-Star Game
EIEIO
Eventing Intelligence Engine Inside OASIS
Script Editor
VIRTUALf/x – Instant Replay Treatment and Script Editor
Video Demo - NHL All-Star Game
The OASIS Platform organizes the NHL’s data infrastructure and systems into three levels.
