Driving Data Further: NTT DATA at The 152nd Open
NTT DATA has proudly powered The Open as its official IT provider since 2013, transforming the world’s most historic golf tournament with cutting-edge technology.
From the launch of the NTT DATA Wall in 2014 - an instant fan favourite - to the introduction of ShotView, our digital-twin powered data intelligence platform, and Lottie, our GenAI-driven digital guide, we have consistently enhanced the spectator experience. Each Championship has been a showcase of innovation.
As The Open returns to Royal Troon for its tenth time this year, NTT DATA is set to elevate the experience even further.
Celebrate over a decade of transformation with us as we tee off another unforgettable Open Championship, driving the sport of golf into the future with each swing.
The NTT DATA Technologies Driving Data Further at The Open 2024
ShotView
The latest version of ShotView being launched at The Open 2024 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 simplifies navigation for those seeking straightforward information while providing deeper data access for analysts, capturing every shot in real-time and offering insights like never before.
ShotView 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.
The NTT DATA Wall
The NTT DATA Wall is a 20-metre-wide LED screen in the spectator village showcasing real-time broadcasts following the best players in the world, captivating statistics and engaging data visualisations.
Since its creation in 2014, the NTT DATA Wall has evolved significantly, featuring advancements in capability and design to present real-time data and insights more effectively.
This year's enhancements are all about pushing the boundaries of real-time interaction and immersive fan experiences. The 2024 upgrades feature a step change in photo-realistic, real-time graphical rendering of the Old Course mapped to centimetre accuracy, and a new AI prioritisation algorithm to ensure the most important shots are shown the instant they occur on the course. Along with better synchronisation to the broadcast feed, leading to a vastly improved experience.
The Digital Human – Lottie
Lottie is a GenAI powered digital human, creating an interactive and engaging offering which combines the best of digital and human interactions.
This year, Lottie, showcases significant enhancements. Upgrades include a much-improved user interface now 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.
Private 5G
This year, NTT DATA is introducing a private 5G network at The Open, marking a significant technological advancement in network infrastructure at the event.
Fast becoming a fundamental enabler for the next generation of technology driven transformation, NTT DATA, along with strategic technology partners, are 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 estate, providing step change in performance, resiliency and security as well as enabling connections to millions of sensors and other devices.
We are honoured to continue our partnership with The R&A, marrying the rich heritage of the iconic Open Championship with NTT DATA's innovative technologies. Since 2013, our collaboration has not only propelled the championship forward with state-of-the-art technology but also demonstrated our commitment to enhancing global sports and business landscapes alike. At Royal Troon - a course steeped in history - we're proud to showcase our transformative digital capabilities to fans and participants around the world.
Driving Sustainability Further
In 2023, we brought sustainability insights to fans onsite via the NTT DATA Wall, empowering them to understand their attendance's carbon footprint and, therefore, 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 utilised, and even the locally sourced food consumed.
This is a step in the three-way collaboration between NTT DATA, The R&A and Cardiff University on a multi-year research project entitled "Sports Events as Agents of Change". We are attempting to understand if we can use the passion of sports fans to drive long-term behaviour change 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.
A History of NTT DATA and The R&A
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 and supported The R&A's mission to grow the game globally while maintaining its rich traditions.
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. 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.
2013
NTT DATA became The Open's Official Patron and IT Provider.
2014
Debuted the immersive NTT DATA Wall, providing comprehensive data analytics to fans everywhere.
2015
Launched the NTT DATA 'mini-wall' at St Andrews, allowing fan interactions through tweets for specific player data.2016
Made the NTT DATA Wall accessible online, featuring real-time 'Hotspots' for those not attending.2017
Used AR via HoloLens for real-time tournament visualisation on the NTT DATA Wall in the hospitality suite.2018
Enhanced the NTT DATA Wall with 3D visuals and live TV synchronisation, offering detailed hole-by-hole data analysis.2019
Introduced video AI at The Open, capturing fan emotions for instant highlights using Kirari and AI video clipping technologies.2020
Hosted 'The Open for the Ages', a virtual event featuring golf legends, as a response to the pandemic.2021
Launched the "My Newsfeed" service for personalised updates, providing fans with insights from 8 billion data points, regardless of their location.2022
Celebrating The Open's 150th year, we introduced the ground-breaking ShotView technology, enhancing fan engagement with live, data-driven insights.2023
Updates to the NTT DATA Wall enhance fan interaction with data on screen, alongside the reintroduction of ShotView technology and the debut of an AI-driven digital human guide.2024
Launching ShotView 2.0 and greater insights presented on the NTT DATA Wall, fans can get closer to the action than ever before with advancements that provide more accurate insights. Alongside this, we’ll showcase the transformative power of a private 5G network for enabling the next generation of technology driven transformation.Awards
ESA Awards 2023 - 'Best Use of Cutting-Edge Technology'
'Best Technology for Data and Analytics' Winner 2023