DETERMINING TEAM EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH SPORTING EVENTS

• US 20080140233A1
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seacat, Lisa A.
• Application Number:
  US11/609,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140233A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/91
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for analyzing team effectiveness for a sports team, based at least in part on information obtained from an ongoing sports game. Location data is generated by tracking a location for at least some players in the sports team during the ongoing sports game. The location data is processed in real time in a computer to determine a team effectiveness for the sports team. A system for analyzing team effectiveness for a sports team, based at least in part on information obtained from an ongoing sports game is also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for analyzing team effectiveness for a sports team, based at least in part on information obtained from an ongoing sports game, the method comprising:

generating location data by tracking a location for at least some players in the sports team during the ongoing sports game; and

processing the location data in real time in a computer to determine a team effectiveness for the sports team.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating location data includes:

tracking the location of the at least some players using a radio frequency identification tag for each of the at least some players and one or more radio frequency identification readers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each player'"'"'s radio frequency identification tag stores at least one of the following data items:

the player'"'"'s name, the player'"'"'s position in the team, statistics about previous games for the player, and various trivia about the player.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

encoding the generated location data; and

transmitting the encoded data to a computer over a network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein processing includes:

applying a set of rules to the received location data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rules in the set of rules are specific to a particular sport.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the rules in the set of rules are operable to evaluate a performance of the team as a whole during a particular time period of the ongoing sports game.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the rules in the set of rules are operable to evaluate a performance of a specific combination of players in the team during a particular time period of the ongoing sports game.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the rules in the set of rules are operable to determine whether a particular play was successful.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein applying a set of rules includes:

retrieving historical statistical data about one or more individual players from a database; and

accounting for the retrieved statistical data when applying the rules.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location data is provided as coordinates in a coordinate system specific to a field where the sports game is being played.

12. The method of claim 1, further including:

presenting the processed location data to the user in a graphical format on a device having a display.

13. The method of claim 1, further including:

transmitting the location data in real time to a public accessible network for further processing.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the location data includes combining the location data with historical statistical data.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

generate location data by tracking a location for at least some players in the sports team during the ongoing sports game; and

process the location data in real time in a computer to determine a team effectiveness for the sports team.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to:

encode the generated location data; and

transmit the encoded data to a computer over a network.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to:

apply a set of rules to the received location data, wherein the rules in the set of rules are specific to a particular sport.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the rules in the set of rules are operable to evaluate one or more of:

a performance of the team as a whole during a particular time period of the ongoing sports game, a performance of a specific combination of players in the team during a particular time period of the ongoing sports game, and whether a particular play was successful.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein processing the location data includes combining the location data with historical statistical data.

20. A system for analyzing team effectiveness for a sports team, based at least in part on information obtained from an ongoing sports game, the system comprising:

one or more radio frequency identification tags, each radio frequency identification tag being associated with the physical location of a player in the sports game;

one or more radio frequency identification readers, the radio frequency identification readers being operable to;

determine the location of the one or more radio frequency identification tags;

read information stored in the one or more radio frequency identification tags; and

transmit the location and read information to a computer for further processing; and

a computer operable to;

receive the transmitted information from the radio frequency identification readers;

apply a set of rules to the received information in real time to analyze specifics of the ongoing sports game; and

produce a graphical output of the results from the analysis to a user on a display screen.