For the 56th Kékszalag Raiffeisen Grand Prix sailing race, for the first time this year all boats will be equipped with a tracking device, which, together with the corresponding online application, was developed by the Digital Development Centre of Széchenyi István University in cooperation with Hungarian Telekom and the Hungarian Sailing Federation. The innovation allows the continuous monitoring of the competitors' progress and provides background support to the organisers.

The 56th edition of the Ribbon Raiffeisen Grand Prix (56. Kékszalag Raiffeisen Nagydíj), which has been held since 1934, will start on 18 July. This year, the Hungarian Sailing Association is expecting more than 500 boats to take part in the race around Lake Balaton. As an innovation last year, Hungarian Telekom broadcasted the event live online, and this year the partnership with Széchenyi István University will take it to an even higher level. The institution's Digital Development Centre, together with Telekom, has developed a system that allows the exact progress of all the boats to be monitored. This is made possible by a palm-sized device that uses satellite tracking technology to calculate its position at regular intervals and then transmits the data to the web application site using mobile communication technology.

Staff members of the Digital Development Centre of Széchenyi István University - Csaba Németh, Kristóf Hartmann, Tamás Lázár, Tamás Budai and Balázs Lukács - with the tracking device (Photo: András Adorján)

"The device itself consists of three main parts: a case, a battery and a printed circuit board. The latter contains the GPS and communication modules that send the position data extracted from the satellite signals to our online system via the Telekom network. In this way we can determine where the ship is and at what speed it is travelling," said Balázs Lukács, Head of Infocommunication Technology (ICT) Development at the Digital Development Centre of Széchenyi István University.

The centre's staff have created an online app that allows visitors to see the status of the competition live, check back the times and even set their favourite team. The tracking system is a great help not only for fans, but also for the organisers of the Kékszalag race, as it provides the race management with reliable data on the whereabouts and times of the approximately 5,000 runners. The data collected by the GPS device will also provide additional information to race watchers during live coverage.

"We have worked in close cooperation with the Hungarian Sailing Association, taking into account the sport-specific requests and specific needs. We have developed a stable system for the Kékszalag race, for which we provide the tools and the user-friendly web interface", said Balázs Lukács, the project manager. He added: "Our primary goal is to enhance the spectator experience and to provide decision support to the organisers in case of difficult situations in the race”.  

"The dress rehearsal at the Fehérszalag on 13 July went well and we are confident that the system will work perfectly at the Kékszalag," said Balázs Lukács. He continued: “Our goal is to maintain close relations with the Hungarian Sailing Association and Telekom in the future and to provide tracking at international races as well."

The tracking system made its successful debut at the Fehérszalag sailing race on 13 July. (Photo: Áron Szántó/Hungarian Sailing Federation)