Singapore Sports Hub has issued an innovation challenge to accelerate its digital transformation, in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
The public-private partnership project managed by SportsHub has also entered a strategic partnership with Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC), which gives the former access to rich resources and forward thinkers in sports technology and innovations from around the world.
These collaborations and partnerships are geared towards delivering a richer, more seamless and immersive experience for fans.
As part of Singapore’s Smart Nation drive, the innovation challenge is being hosted on IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform (OIP), and calls for submissions of a working prototype solution that uses 5G network architecture and technological capabilities to deliver contextually-relevant immersive experiences for audiences and visitors to the Singapore Sports Hub.
The winning innovation will be awarded S$30,000 and will have the opportunity to commercialise their solutions at the National Stadium.
As part of the prototype development process, they will also be able to tap on expertise from Singapore Sports Hub and STB, with open access to IMDA’s technology resources and facilities.
“Singapore Sports Hub continues to focus on improving the customer experience by leveraging emerging technologies that enhance fan engagement as we steadily transform ourselves into a smart stadium, aligned with Singapore’s Smart Nation vision,” said Michael Henry, CTO of Singapore Sports Hub.
“Through our strategic partnership with (GSIC) and the innovation challenge in partnership with IMDA and STB, we hope to accelerate our journey as we safely welcome the return of events and create highly immersive experiences for fans,” said Henry.
Wong Ming Fai, CTO of STB, said STB has been looking at the use of 5G to push the boundaries for Augmented Reality (AR) and eXtended Reality (XR) with 4K-resolution immersive experiences.
Building upon Singapore Sports Hub’s existing and advanced technologies as a world-class integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub, submissions for the innovation challenge will need to include and integrate several features such as the following.
One is a cloud-based 5G network architecture to create real time personalised, optimised and contextualised experiences via real time data transmission.
Another is smart, accurate and real-time data capture via IoT devices with cross analysis capabilities to provide information to organisers and visitors who can make instant informed decisions.
Also needed is an intuitive, engaging and simple user experience and interface that can be understood and used easily by a majority of the public.
Kiren Kumar, deputy chief executive of IMDA, said technologies such as 5G and AR/VR have the potential to help our iconic businesses such as the Singapore Sports Hub transform their operations and deliver superior customer experiences, to thrive in today’s fast-evolving digital economy.
