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Data is a Game Changer

Data is a Game Changer.

For 20 years of the Australian Open, IBM has been changing the game.

When IBM® became Tennis Australia's technology partner in 1993 the future looked exciting. The last two decades have delivered more innovations and advanced technologies than we could have imagined. Today, players develop strategies, officials feed match statistics to live data streams and fans use the data analysis to get an understanding of the players, matches and game of tennis.

Explore this site to learn about IBM's success stories in sport and business, and how data can be used to make your organisation work smarter.

Social Analytics

Track the most popular players on social media.

During the Australian Open, the IBM Social Sentiment platform will be analysing social media posts from tennis fans to measure the popularity of players.

IBM will analyse the thousands of public posts across social media including Twitter, Facebook, news sites, blogs and videos to understand fan sentiment. See how organisations can harness the power of social media data for deeper insights.

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IBM Perspective

  • Dev Mookerjee

    Dev Mookerjee

    Senior Consultant - Business Analytics
    Software Group
    IBM Australia

     

The Daily Player Popularity Dashboard is a daily snapshot of the most popular players at the Australian Open being discussed on social media. This includes all the Australian players, and the top 20 men’s and women’s seeded players at the tournament this year. The dashboard is updated every morning and will run for the duration of the Australian Open 2013. Post event, we will be releasing an infographic to summarise our findings.

Read Dev’s full post

  • Ian Wong

    Ian Wong

    Partner, GBS Retail and Consumer Products Industry Lead
    Global Business Services
    IBM Australia

     

The needs of Australian and global tennis fans have shifted, and the challenge for tennis authorities is how to interpret the growing volume of data tennis fans now offer to provide the best customer experience and keep fans engaged on- and offline.

Read Ian’s full post

  • Mark Wilson

    Mark Willson

    CMO, Director of Marketing & Communications
    IBM Australia

     

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of IBM's partnership with the Australian Open. Since IBM became the official Technology Partner in 1993, Tennis Australia has embraced advanced technology and analytics to enhance the tournament experience for fans, officials, players and media.

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While I will be among the thousands of tennis fans attending the matches at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, millions of tennis fans will also engage with the tournament on TV, through the web and on their mobile devices.

But major sporting events like the Australian Open are not just exciting to follow, they are also a living lab for how big data can translate into big business. Tennis Australia is using business analytics to connect fans to the action on the court by providing a deeper insight into match analysis and player performance.

Interactive tools such as IBM SlamTracker, Momentum Meter and Keys to the Match use sophisticated algorithms to create a simple, engaging online dashboard. Not only can you follow live scores, point by point, you can click on any section in the match's timeline for additional details about each player's performance. Keys to the Match takes it one step further by surmising the top three 'keys' each player needs to deliver on to perform well.

As I've seen firsthand, use of this technology is not limited to sport. The same analytics software is being used by hospitals to monitor babies in prenatal wards, police forces to prevent crime and financial organisations to improve customer service and reduce churn. From a marketing perspective, I've seen how data and analytics can uncover unique consumer insights, allowing organisations to achieve a deeper connection with customers.

The 2011 IBM Global CMO Study discovered the three key objectives of businesses are to deliver value to customers, foster lasting connections and measure these results. The Australian Open is a great example of how data and analytics can be used to enhance the tournament experience, engage with global fans and identify new business opportunities both on and off the court.

For more information about IBM's work with the Australian Open, click here(907KB)

Mobile solutions for roaming Australian Open fans

The Australian Open website is mobile-optimised to give roaming fans an engaging tournament experience. IBM has also developed official Australian Open apps which contain live scores, match results and schedule of play as well as video highlights.

IBM and the four Grand Slams™

IBM's involvement with Grand Slam tennis doesn't end with the Australian Open. The same dedicated team of IBM experts partner with all four tennis Grand Slams. The same sophisticated solutions that enhance the fan experience also provide a vital resource to the media, coaches and players.

In both sport and business, IBM is changing the game. Download the Case Study or call us on 1800 062 045.

Predictive Analytics

Data and predictive analytics transform the experience.

IBM SlamTracker™is a real-time stats and visualisation platform that leverages IBM's predictive analytics technology. IBM SlamTracker™ analyses over eight years of Grand Slam data (over 41 million data points), to identify patterns in player styles. Before each match, IBM analyses historical matches between the players (for first-time matches, players with similar styles are analysed). This analysis identifies key performance indicators—what players need to do to succeed in a match—known as 'Keys to the Match'. During the match, each player's performance is measured against their keys and updated in real time on australianopen.com, providing fans with a deeper level of insight as the match unfolds.

Our history

20 years at the Australian Open

In sport and business, data is a game changer.

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Leicester Tigers infographic

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CMOs and CIOs. Working better together.

  • Mark Wilson

    Recent global research conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value has found CMOs and CIOs share very similar visions for the organisation. As we enter the age of the customer, there is a greater need for these two C-Suite roles to collaborate. The Australian Open is a great example of the unique insights that can be discovered when the CIO understands data, and the CMO understands customers.

Cloud

Flexible, scalable and secure – the private cloud.

During the Australian Open, Tennis Australia experiences a huge spike in data generation and traffic—up to 100 times its usual volume. By operating in a private cloud, Tennis Australia has the flexibility to dynamically scale capacity when needed. By replicating Australian Open data across three Service Delivery Centres, IBM ensures the availability and security of the data.

Security

Security you can't see

With over 49 million page hits in 2012, a high-traffic website like australianopen.com is not immune to security threats. The challenge for IBM is to provide watertight protection without affecting the speed or accessibility of the website. IBM Internet Security solutions are designed to block malicious attackers while maintaining a great user experience

Australia's digital future in 2050.

It's clear the internet plays a huge role in the Australian Open experience. It's become a crucial business tool for many Australian organisations. A world-first report by IBISWorld, A Snapshot of Australia’s Digital Future to 2050 commissioned by IBM, reveals ICT enhanced with ubiquitous high-speed broadband is becoming Australia’s new utility - making it as historic and game changing as electricity or telephony.