NTT DATA has announced its plans to transform the fan experience at The 152nd Open, which is taking place from 14-21 July at Royal Troon, in Scotland. As the official IT provider for the golf championship, the company has been improving upon the fan experience for over a decade.
Fans will benefit from real-time data and intelligence, as well as state-of-the-art live video and data displays on the iconic NTT DATA Wall. They will also experience GenAI-powered Digital Human technology and interact with ShotView, a digital twin technology platform. These advancements are supported by a Private 5G network, ensuring these complex technologies are connected with the fastest, most resilient, and secure network available, with cloud technologies extended to the edge.
The NTT DATA Wall will use cutting-edge Hollywood-grade CGI. Data insights and ball-tracking statistics will be rendered in real-time, alongside engaging visualisations. This hyper-realistic rendering, complete with real-world lighting, shadows, and textures (even down to blades of grass), takes the digital twin to the next level.
Returning this year is NTT DATA’s AI-powered Digital Human, Lottie. Lottie represents the future of spectator sport and customer service, delivering interaction and engagement through real-time insights and updates from the golf course, statistical data, and deep knowledge of the sport’s rules and history. It offers a dynamic experience that educates and entertains through a unified conversational interface powered by advanced GenAI. Lottie’s visual representation has been improved, ensuring more human-like movements and a physically accurate avatar, enhancing the realism of interactions.
Underpinning all of this onsite technology is a new Private 5G network, introduced to The Open for the first time by NTT DATA and its strategic partner. This significant technological advancement in network infrastructure will deliver high bandwidth and reliability, bringing cloud to the edge for applications requiring super low latency compute, storage, and networking.
Building on last year’s initiatives, sustainability remains a key focus for NTT DATA at The Open. In 2023, the NTT DATA Wall provided up-to-date sustainability insights, such as the use of on-site water refill stations, plastic savings from reusing water bottles, travel by public transport, and purchase of low-carbon meals. This helped fans understand how they can reduce their personal environmental impact and support The R&A in staging a more sustainable Championship.
A collaborative research project between The R&A, NTT DATA, and Cardiff University, titled “Sports Events as Agents of Behaviour Change,” found that 80% of fans felt proud if they contributed to reducing the environmental impact of golf tournaments—a 10% increase from the previous year. Additionally, 80% of spectators who saw the sustainability insights on the DATA Wall agreed they were informative, easy to understand, and relevant. This project is providing valuable data points for this important initiative and evidence of its impact.
“NTT DATA is revolutionising the fan experience, on and off the course, at The Open with cutting-edge technology,” said Mona Charif, Global CMO, NTT DATA. “In partnership with The R&A, we are catalysing change by applying our sports and entertainment expertise and integrating our latest advancements in technology.
“From 5G technology to digital analytics, we’re enabling deeper, more dynamic insights into every aspect of the game. Our innovative partnership will have a lasting impact, not just on transforming the fan experience, but on the planet. We’re pioneering new methods to provide sustainability information and interactive experiences, setting new standards for how sports can engage, inform, and inspire audiences worldwide.”
“NTT DATA’s long-term partnership enables us to develop new ways to harness the opportunities of modern golf championships, from commercial viability to sustainability and broadening fan engagement. Their insights, and innovative application of technology, particularly the use of data, not only makes golf more accessible and appealing, but also ensures The Open is poised to thrive for many years to come,” added Professor Steve Otto, Chief Technology Officer, The R&A. “Amidst environmental sustainability efforts, digital solutions like the NTT DATA Wall transforms how fans interact with The Open, while the Digital Human, Lottie, showcases what the fan experience of the future could look like, maintaining golf’s vibrancy in today’s rapidly changing world.”
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