NTT DATA continues its legacy of transforming The Open, golf’s oldest championship, with cutting-edge technology since 2013. As The Open returns to Royal Troon for its tenth time, NTT DATA is set to elevate the fan experience further, showcasing over a decade of transformative innovation.
New Technological Enhancements at The Open
NTT DATA has consistently introduced groundbreaking technological innovations at The Open. From the NTT DATA Wall, a fan favorite since 2014, to ShotView and Lottie, our GenAI-driven digital guide, each tournament showcases our commitment to enhancing the spectator experience.
Upgraded NTT DATA Wall: Real-Time Stats and Visuals
The NTT DATA Wall is a 20-meter-wide LED screen in the spectator village, showcasing real-time broadcasts, captivating statistics, and engaging data visualizations. Since its creation, the wall has evolved significantly, featuring advancements in capability and design to present real-time data and insights more effectively.
This year’s enhancements include photo-realistic, real-time graphical rendering of the Old Course, mapped to centimeter accuracy, and a new AI prioritization algorithm to highlight important shots instantly. Improved synchronization with the broadcast feed ensures a vastly improved experience for fans. These innovations push the boundaries of real-time interaction and immersive fan experiences, making the NTT DATA Wall a central attraction for spectators.
Lottie: Gen AI-Powered Digital Human
Lottie, our GenAI-powered digital human, offers an interactive and engaging experience combining digital and human interactions. This year, Lottie showcases significant enhancements, including a much-improved user interface unified into a single conversational mode using advanced Gen AI technologies. These improvements allow Lottie to provide on-the-spot insights, blending static data such as golf rules with dynamic, real-time updates from the golf course.
Moreover, Lottie’s visual representation has been dramatically enhanced, ensuring more human-like movements and a physically accurate avatar, enhancing the realism of interactions. Lottie represents the future of spectator and customer service, capable of delivering real-time data analysis and historical insights, enhancing educational and entertainment value for fans.
Private 5G Network at The Open
This year, NTT DATA introduces a private 5G network at The Open, marking a significant advancement in network infrastructure. Fast becoming a fundamental enabler for the next generation of technology-driven transformation, NTT DATA, along with strategic technology partners, is creating a world-leading, enterprise-grade private 5G network at The Open.
In addition to providing high bandwidth, reliability, and security, the 5G showcase will demonstrate use cases requiring low latency edge compute and networking. Private 5G networks will form the backbone of many businesses’ technology estates, providing a step change in performance, resiliency, and security while enabling connections to millions of sensors and other devices.
ShotView 2.0: Advanced Golf Analytics
Launching at The Open 2024, ShotView 2.0 is a significant advancement in golf analytics. Designed with input from previous iterations, it showcases a more intuitive user interface and enhanced statistical models to cater to both casual viewers and dedicated golf enthusiasts. ShotView captures every shot in real-time, offering insights like never before.
ShotView 2.0 leverages advanced digital twin technology, transforming how fans engage with the sport by enabling them to explore nuanced aspects of play and player strategies with unparalleled clarity and depth. Digital twin technologies are set to transform every industry, with the ability to derive deep insights from real-time data, increasing efficiency, productivity, and identifying new opportunities.
Sustainability Insights at The 152nd Open
In 2023, NTT DATA introduced sustainability insights to fans via the NTT DATA Wall, empowering them to understand their attendance’s carbon footprint and make more informed decisions. The NTT DATA Wall showcased live updates on water usage, the number of plastic bottles saved, the amount of public transport utilized, and locally sourced food consumed.
This initiative is part of a three-way collaboration between NTT DATA, The R&A, and Cardiff University on a multi-year research project titled “Sports Events as Agents of Change.” The goal is to understand if sports fans’ passion can drive long-term behavior changes in sustainability choices. As we look to the 2024 Championship, NTT DATA will enhance the onsite experience again, continuing our mission to educate and empower fans with real-time sustainability insights on the NTT DATA Wall. This ongoing initiative showcases our commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility, cementing our role in shaping future sports events as platforms for positive change.
Ten Years of NTT DATA Innovations at The Open
NTT DATA’s partnership with The R&A began in 2013, marking the start of a dynamic collaboration that has significantly transformed The Open, one of golf’s most iconic championships and the only golf Major outside the USA. Over the years, this partnership has focused on leveraging NTT DATA’s extensive capabilities in digital and IT solutions to enhance the fan experience, both onsite and online.
This collaboration has set new standards in sports technology and fan engagement, supporting The R&A’s mission to grow the game globally while maintaining its rich traditions. “NTT DATA’s long-term partnership continuously inspires new ways to navigate the challenges facing modern golf championships, from commercial viability to sustainability and broadening fan engagement. Their insight, foresight, and innovative application of technology and, in particular, use of data not only makes golf more accessible and appealing but also ensures The Open is poised to thrive for the next fifty years and beyond,” said Professor Steve Otto, CTO at The R&A.
Accolades for NTT DATA’s Sports Technology
NTT DATA’s digital initiatives, including the NTT DATA Wall, were honored with nominations and awards, recognizing cutting-edge digital technologies in sports. ShotView, at The 150th Open, received the “Best Technology for Data and Analytics” prize at the prestigious Sports Technology Awards in New York City in May 2023. NTT DATA is proud to push the boundaries of what is possible and help reshape how sports are enjoyed.
As we look forward to The 152nd Open, NTT DATA’s innovations, from the NTT DATA Wall and Lottie to ShotView and the private 5G network, continue to transform the fan experience, driving the sport of golf into the future. Celebrate over a decade of transformation with us as we tee off another unforgettable Open Championship.
