What your organisation can learn from data in sport

As much as debates may rage as to what is or is not a sport every time the Olympics takes place, one thing that is in increasingly little doubt is that even the most tenuously sporting activities are also becoming a science. The applicability and usefulness of a wide range of data parameters in sport is something to which prospective clients of panintelligence’s (http://www.panintelligence.com) business intelligence analytics should take notice.

Dashboard reporting software first came into being due to the growing volumes of data that businesses find themselves having to produce meaningful conclusions from, with sources seemingly ever-multiplying and emerging at an unprecedented rate. Data is permeating every aspect of public life, from supermarket loyalty cards to the world of sport. Its relevance in the latter in recent times is particularly demonstrated by the emergence of organisations like Opta using unique collection methodologies to produce highly detailed data on player performance. Meanwhile, sports like Formula One have always revolved around the skilful interpretation of the right data, including as a means of counteracting the strategies of competitors.

In Formula One, data has a real influence on outcomes, with mere milliseconds dictating whether a driver scores a pole position, or is consigned to the disadvantageous ‘dirty’ side of the grid at the start of a Grand Prix. Similarly, football fans know all too well the frustration of recent failures by referees to spot legitimate goals, leading to calls for the implementation of goal line technology that a long-technophobic FIFA is finding increasingly difficult to resist.

The sheer amount of analysis that continually happens in sport, covering such parameters as game statistics, leaderboards, games played, goals scored, metres run and even player heart rates, is not a new phenomenon. However, the methods that are used have certainly changed, as the amount of data being recorded and analysed has become ever greater. All of this holds real lessons for firms considering an investment in a business intelligence solution.

In short, it has never been more important for organisations inside and outside sport to have the right application to monitor, interpret and present data back to users in an easy to interpret fashion. With business intelligence software from panintelligence (http://www.panintelligence.com), firms can not only acquire relevant data, but also recognise patterns and leverage insights in real time, using the dashboard to continually refine their strategy and affirm industry competitiveness.

Editor’s Note: Panintelligence (http://www.panintelligence.com) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.