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CORPORATE OVERVIEW
SMT-VOL PRESENTATION
CHANGING THE GAME
SMT has more than 30 years of experience in designing, developing, deploying, operating, maintaining, refining, and servicing award-winning, best-in-class technology solutions for sports.
35
YEARS
60
SPORTS
70
PATENTS
20K
ANNUAL EVENTS
220
CLIENTS
33
EMMY AWARDS
Customers and Partners
Over 200 clients entrust us with their most valuable assets: their fans.
Scoring and Statistical Systems
SMT designed and developed the official timing and scoring systems for:
Culture of Innovation
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.
SMT Sport-Specific Systems
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Real-time Player- and Object-Tracking Systems
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Official League-Wide Scoring Systems
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Live Biometric Tracking Systems
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Live Athlete Performance and Coaching Systems
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3D Visualization and Analytics Systems
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Real-time Accessible Archived Statistics Systems
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Virtual Replay and Official Review Systems
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Live Athlete Safety and Monitoring Systems
Digital Media Systems
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Website Creation: Deployment and Hosting
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Mobile Apps: Creation and Deployment
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Social Media: Curation and Publishing
Client Services
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24/7 Live Help Desk Support
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Consultancy Services
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On-Site System Operations
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Project and Account Management
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System Design and Development
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Creative Services and Graphic Design
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Event Planning and Event Execution
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Multi-Vendor System Integration
Live On-Site Event Operations
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Official Event Scoring Systems
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Video Wall Displays
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Scoreboard Displays
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Event Information Systems
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Social Media Integration Systems
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Fan Engagement Systems
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IPTV Systems
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Press and Media Information Systems
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Event Management and Admin Systems
Real-Time Data Processing
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Data Creation, Parsing, Ingestion and Synchronization
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Data Processing, Organization, Integration and Aggregation
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Designing, Developing and Deploying Data Protocols and Schemas
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Data Distribution via APIs, RTP Protocols and Cloud Architecture
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Real-time Artificial Intelligence Eventing
Highlight Reel
VIRTUAL OFFSIDE LINE SYSTEM
About SMT's VOL
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SMT is a U.S.-based world leader in geospatially accurate augmented reality graphics for live sports broadcast, player and ball tracking, scoring systems and on-site event presentation.
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The SMT-Virtual Offside Line system (SMT-VOL) is a sophisticated and highly precise analytical and graphical presentation tool developed by SMT.
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The SMT-VOL process begins with a highly accurate scan of the pitch for each stadium.
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The crown and slope of each dimensionally unique pitch is precisely measured with sophisticated laser surveying tools.
Our Differentiators
SMT Measurement System
Measurements of each pitch, including precise measurements from the pitch center to the penalty box corners, the goal corners and many other reference points are recorded into the SMT measurement system.
SMT Unique 3D Modeling
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For each stadium, a series of photographs are taken documenting the location of each camera used in the recording of matches. In addition, photos are taken of the pitch from various angles.
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The photographs, along with the pitch measurements, are used to reconstruct a highly accurate 3D model of each individual pitch including a 3D blue field wireframe.
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This wireframe is used to register each camera used in VAR replays and to analyze potential offside violations during games.
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The registration process aligns the unique angle view (line of projection) for each camera to the geospatial orientation of the field to account for distortion caused by the camera’s line of sight.
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In addition, the system accounts for the unique distortion caused by the individual lens on the cameras being used. The processes occur before the first match is played.
How We Do It
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During a match, the SMT-VOL system is constantly ingesting live feeds from up to seven camera positions.
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Each of these camera feeds are time-synchronized on a frame-accurate basis.
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When a potential offside violation occurs, the SMT-VOL system operator selects the camera with the most unobstructed view of the offensive player about to play the ball.
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The camera feed is frozen at the video frame where the point of impact between the player’s foot and the ball occurs.
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This freezes all other camera views to the exact same point in time.
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The operator next selects two or more camera views with the best viewpoints of the forwardmost attacker and second rearmost defender.
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The video frames from these viewpoints are checked for alignment with the blue field wireframe and manually adjusted as necessary by mouse via the user interface.
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Once alignment is confirmed, the operator selects the forwardmost legal body point of the forwardmost attacker from two camera angles.
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The point where the lines of projection from these two camera angles intersect determines a 3D point in space accurate to within 2.5 centimeters.
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A vertical line is dropped by the system from this point and a horizontal is drawn by the system across the field.
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Due to the precise measurement of the pitch, accounting for pitch slope and for lens distortion, this line is precisely parallel to the front of the goal.
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The same process is repeated for the rearmost defender: The two lines are compared, clearly indicating whether the attacker was in an offside position at the point of the pass.
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The combined image with attacker and defender positions indicated by horizontal lines are forwarded to the replay referee for a final call.
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All relevant frames from the various camera angles, selected positions of the players, line of projection intersection points and the resulting horizontal lines, are captured and saved for review and analysis.
VOL Visualization
SMT-VOL is the world's most accurate Virtual Offside Line system. Harnessing decades of 3D and augmented reality graphics expertise, we have created a system that gives VAR, AVAR, and on-field referees the tools to confidently scrutinize any potential offside situation.
Interview with SMT and the Portuguese Football Federation
In August 2019, the Federação Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF) chose SMT to be its inaugural Virtual Offside Line (VOL) provider. Used in conjunction with the EVS Xeebra system, SMT-VOL has experienced resounding success in Portugal. Sport TV in Lisbon highlighted SMT-VOL in a special segment just before the 2019/20 FPF season kicked off.
THE FUTURE: SMT OASIS PLATFORM
The OASIS Platform: Now and into the Future
The OASIS Platform is the central component of SMT’s vision for football’s next-generation data infrastructure. It leverages the full benefits of video, tracking, scoring and statistical data for all stakeholders including broadcasters.
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The Eventing Intelligence Engine Inside OASIS (E.I.E.I.O) is the core component of the OASIS Platform.
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The E.I.E.I.O. integrates and synchronizes all the disparate data inputs to produce the league’s official record of its matches and official “next-gen” statistics.
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The E.I.E.I.O. provides automatic live detection of events (e.g., passes, player possession, shots, goals, offside position, etc.) to be used in enhancing the presentation of the game to the public and the league's vendors.
The OASIS Platform organizes football data infrastructure and systems into three levels:
