With just a few days until the return of Cowes Week, organisers share news of a spanking brand new Website. In their own words. Ed
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week has a new online presence for this year’s regatta which starts on Saturday 6 August.
With funding support from Aberdeen Asset Management, the event’s fresh, new-look website has been designed and built by technology partner, NGR, and features special user zones for competitors, visitors and press and improved navigation to make the site easier to use.
Mobile version now available
A mobile-friendly version of the site has also been created to give smartphone users instant access to results, news, start times, courses and entertainment schedules during the regatta.
The design of the new website has taken into account feedback received from competitors and online visitors.
Competitor’s smartphones to be used for GPS tracking
Aberdeen is also providing support for a live GPS boat tracking system trial at this year’s regatta. The ‘ngTrack’ system, also developed by NGR, uses competitors’ own smartphones instead of expensive dedicated tracking devices to monitor the locations of boats taking part.
Position data is transmitted in real-time to regatta HQ and is available to view online through a simple, easy-to-use viewer.
The system is being trialed with the IRC Class 0, Dragon and Multihull classes this year, but Aberdeen hope to extend the facility to the wider Cowes Week fleet in 2012.
Huge bonus for spectators and competitors
Commenting on this year’s tracking trial, CWL Chief Executive, Stuart Quarrie commented, “I have been keen to secure a tracking solution for the regatta for some time and this trial bodes well for a total solution in future years. Being able to track the fleet will be a huge bonus from both a spectator and race management viewpoint.”
Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management said, “The new tracking system is something we’re really pleased to have been able to support in our first year at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. At Aberdeen we are aiming to help enhance the event and hopefully this cutting-edge GPS tracking system trial will do just that for all those taking part. We are very much looking forward to receiving feedback from these initial trials to find out if this initiative has been the success we all hope it will be so that we can look to extend it to the whole fleet in 2012.”
