Millions worldwide have been watching the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, cheering for their favorite athletes representing their countries worldwide. The Olympic Games continue to evolve with every iteration, from the increase in the number of sports offered to the innovative technological advancements.
Geospatial technology has been a significant component in the last several Olympics, and Paris 2024 is no exception. Check out how geospatial tech and data work behind the scenes to help run the year’s biggest sporting event.
Transportation To the Games
Athletes from 184 countries (representing 206 National Olympic Committees) traveled across the globe to Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The total number of athletes is around 10,500; add in coaches, team officials, families, and fans, and you end up with a significant number of people to move.
Many major airlines, railways, and other transportation hubs integrate their operations with geospatial data. For airlines specifically, analyzing geospatial data can aid with optimizing flight paths and fuel consumption. With potential extra flights between countries, scheduling is essential to ensure all athletes arrive safely – even the planes that fly the Olympic horses for Equestrian events (check out this video showing how the horses made it to Paris!) can benefit from GIS flight optimization.
Digital Twins
Digital Twins are a potent tool for large-scale events like the Olympic Games. OnePlan, a company that uses geospatial modeling to aid event planning, created digital twin venues for all real-life venues for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Before digital twin technology was standard, event planners relied on sketches, physical scale models, or earlier mapping technology to represent how venues would look. With digital twins, stakeholders and planners can add details for operations, run tests and simulations, and have a more robust event visualization.
For the Olympic Games, it’s common for the host countries to use existing venues and build temporary and new ones. Digital twins have become an excellent tool for this process.
Wayfinding and the Athlete Experience
A significant part of the Olympic games is the athlete and guest experience. This year, many athletes, family members, and celebrities have taken to social media to show what it’s like to be in Paris for the games; this increased visibility pressures the host country to ensure a strong athlete and guest experience.
Geospatial technology can improve the athlete and guest experience by helping with wayfinding. With so many people in one area, interactive maps and applications aid athletes and guests in moving from venue to venue. Further, foot traffic patterns can be anticipated through modeling beforehand, helping predict busier times during the Games.
T-Kartor was pivotal in planning the new Saint-Denis — Pleyel multi-level métro station, which opened last month. T-Kartor designed and delivered several one-and-a-half-metre square plans de quartier for Île-de-France Mobilités. These guides help everyone navigate from the station to their next destination. The best part is that these plans will continue positively impacting Grand Paris transport after the Olympic and Paralympic Games wrap.
Emergency/Disaster Preparations
Emergencies and disasters can happen anywhere, even at the Olympic Games. With so many sporting events happening daily, first responders and healthcare professionals must be ready to respond when injuries occur. Geospatial analysis can identify the most efficient emergency vehicle routes and track availability.
Natural disasters are also a concern for host countries. While the chances of a natural disaster happening at the location of an Olympic Games may seem slim, it would nonetheless be devastating for the entire world. When Japan hosted the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympic Games, concerns over potential earthquakes and landslides in southwest Japan spread.
Natural disaster mitigation is another task made more manageable with geospatial technology. Geospatial programs can help with damage control, environmental concerns, predictions, modeling, and even search and rescue operations. That said, we hope always to have a safe Olympic Games.
Security
Security is critical with the world’s most elite athletes, their beloved families, and their fans in one spot. For this year’s Olympics, France assembled many security company contracts. Geospatial technology and security, not surprisingly, go hand in hand. Security companies can analyze patterns across Paris and respond quickly to any incidents.
Workforce Management
While thousands of fans attend the Olympic Games, the host country’s workforce stays busy. Volunteers and workers from France and worldwide keep all the venues, the village, and facilities running.
Geospatial programs can make all the difference for managers anticipating staffing needs and bringing all the goods, food, and water to the Games. Waste management teams can also utilize geospatial data to optimize trash and recycling receptacle placement and pickup routes. A lot goes into exciting Olympic games.
Work With T-Kartor
Watching everything from logistics to sportsmanship at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been exciting. Geospatial technology has played a tremendous role in helping the Games run. Undoubtedly, the United States will also utilize cutting-edge geospatial technology when the Summer Olympic Games come to Los Angeles in 2028. We can’t wait!
At T-Kartor, our expert teams work on projects and development in defense, innovation, satellite imaging, and more. If you are interested in working with us or have any geospatial questions, contact us today!