Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi safeguards 10,000 people using IoT technology
Following the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, IoT service provider, Sigfox announced its partnership with technology provider iWire and Lite-on Technology Corp to successfully roll out an optional personal tracking solution. This reportedly safeguarded the 10,000 athletes and delegates opting into the safety and security scheme throughout the Games.
Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 is said to have been the largest sports and humanitarian event on the planet, featuring 200 nations, more than 7,000 athletes, 20,000 registered volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators this year. Taking place in the 50th anniversary year of the Special Olympics movement, the event empowers people with intellectual disabilities through sport and champions social inclusion.
Partnering with technology provider iWire Connect LLC and Lite-on, Sigfox created a solution bringing together its connectivity and Wi-Fi in a simple device resembling a credit card. In less than three months, Lite-on was able to develop, produce, certify and deliver 10,000 devices that run on Sigfox’s 0G network, all fitted with batteries providing up to four months of charge for an uninterrupted and reliable service throughout the week-long event.
“We’re proud to have created a simple yet innovative monitoring device that truly puts safety at the heart of technology. From tracker design to Wi-Fi and Sigfox communication modules design, the time in which we were able to deliver on the project illustrates the potential of the technology and the industrial expertise of Lite-on synergy across its business portfolio,” says Shilung Chiang, president of Mechanical Competence Business Group and Steven Wu, BU head from Smart Life and Applications Business Group, Lite-on Technology.
The project was brought to life under the guidance of Sigfox’s IoT agency which specialises in advising customers around successful digital transformation from project organisation to solution industrialisation.
Throughout the course of the event, devices worn by those opting into the scheme periodically transmitted messages including the closest Wi-Fi MAC addresses to help identify the location of athletes and delegates in the event a person became lost. These MAC addresses were converted into coordinates based on Sigfox Atlas Wi-Fi services. Integrating a button, the devices were also able to send an alert if a person were to find themselves in an emergency situation or in need of assistance, immediately triggering the tracking mode to get help to the scene.
“With the Special Olympics World Games hosted in the UAE this year, we had the unique opportunity to provide energy efficient connectivity for the 10,000 people connected at the event – maximising their safety and delivering on the region’s sustainability vision, thanks to our global network coverage,” says Ahmed Fasih Akhtar, founder, vice-chairman and CEO of iWire Connect LLC, Sigfox operator in the UAE.
Raouti Chehih, chief adoption officer at Sigfox, remarks: “This is the first time the solution has been rolled out and its great success at the Games points towards the huge potential the technology has not only for larger sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics, but also for massive IoT applications such as asset tracking.”
Chehih adds, “We are thrilled to have been involved in providing a service that has helped to ensure the safety of the 10,000 attendees at the Special Olympic World Games and look forward to seeing how we can leverage this solution for future applications.”
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