Play at Wimbledon begins on Monday, and cameras linked to IBM Watson's machine-learning platform "may be monitoring" fans' facial expressions and "trying to work out what emotions" they are displaying, according to Matthew Wall of the BBC. The All England Lawn Tennis Club and IBM are "remaining tight-lipped on the details of the new technology -- not least because it needs legal approval and raises privacy concerns." But it is "another example of how sport is becoming increasingly digital, for fans, players and venues alike." Even if Watson is not tracking fans' "every cheer and grimace at the championships ... it will be digesting millions of conversations on social media platforms." IBM Client Exec for Wimbledon Sam Seddon said, "During last year's final we were analysing about 400 tweets a second." He added, "We can come up with insights much faster than humans can and inform the media team so they can decide what kind of content they should be offering." Wallace noted in addition to this "social analysis by IBM's 'cognitive command centre,' sensors and computers at the venue will be collecting about 3.2 million pieces of data from 19 tennis courts across the fortnight." But to the "surprise of many tech commentators, Wimbledon still has no plans to introduce wi-fi in the grounds." It will be "interesting to see if this limited connectivity -- and potentially higher mobile data costs -- mars the user experience" (BBC.com, 6/21).
SAFETY FIRST: In London, Martyn Ziegler reported armed police "will be on patrol at Wimbledon next week as part of heightened security measures for the championships." The All England Club "increased the numbers of their private security staff and the Metropolitan Police will provide armed officers both inside and outside the venue to protect" the half a million spectators expected to attend. Armed officers "were used at Wimbledon last year but on a lower scale" (LONDON TIMES, 6/21).
