Interested
Mike Butterfield
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Sent from my Windows Phone
From:
richard@radixsoftware.co.uk [sailwave]
Sent:
07/08/2014 18:51
Subject:
[sailwave] Re: Updating sailwave using smartphone or similar…
As Jon has hinted I have indeed developed what is best looked at as a multi-user cloud-based front-end to Sailwave.
The main cloud components are
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shoreside admin functions to maintain the entry list, record signing afloat and ashore, reporting and so forth
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race team functions for transcribing paper finish sheets into machine-readable format. (In my experience you have to have the paper - you just can’t type fast enough.) This runs on any web-connected device including smartphones but seems to work best on
tablets. It can be used on the water but doesn’t have to be. The key thing is that it validates data entered against the one definitive list of competitors. -
functions to view results on phones, tablets, big TVs in the bar, etc.
The above are all web pages and IMHO there are good reasons why this is a better approach than an app.
There is also a Windows program which reads and writes the competitor and results database in the cloud and drives Sailwave via Windows messaging.
So what happens is that the race teams type in their finish sheets on the water, validate them and submit them. That raw finish data is passed through Sailwave to work its magic and the results appear on the big TV moments later.
At least that’s the theory. The big test comes next week with 3 races teams and over 300 competitors so in 10 days time I shall report here either success or disaster!
This is work in progress and I’m keen to develop it as a generalised solution so, assuming it is a success, then I’d like to hear from anyone interested in helping me take it forward by using it at their own events.