Local know-how will put yacht races on Internet

By Keith Newman

Instead of crowding vantage points around the Hauraki Gulf, Internet users will be able to log on to a Web site and watch live yachting action as it happens in the lead-up to the America's Cup.

Virtual Stadium, a hybrid CD-ROM and Internet product, similar to that to be used by 2000 journalists covering the challenger series, will be made available on the covers of world yachting magazines from September 15.

The CD, once placed in a computer, will provide a rich history of the America's Cup, including racing rules and detailed profiles of the competitors.

It will also have an "engine" which, for a fee, can be unlocked to view the race live on the Internet.

The Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, officially launched the product yesterday before a line-up of high-tech and tourist industry representatives and yachting luminaries.

The technology will be used for the first time during the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series which determines who will challenge Team New Zealand for the America's Cup.

Journalists at the Louis Vuitton centre will be able to see the boats, complete with their distinctive sails and identity markers, on their computer screens. The public version, however, is limited to 100,000 "season tickets" which will sell for about $140. These will allow Internet users access via the CD to animated versions of all 192 races.

The software was created by joint venture company Virtual Spectator (VSL) which has the telemetry rights for on-boat global positioning technology for the series.

Live coverage over the Internet will keep users up with progress well before live television coverage begins with the semi-finals.

Virtual Stadium overcomes what would normally be a major bandwidth problem by placing most of the 3D content on a CD-ROM, taking boat positions with satellite global positioning technology and broadcasting this to the Internet.

VSL is a partnership between Auckland Internet developer Terabyte and Dunedin-based Animation Research which creates realistic animated graphics for television and the Web.

VSL director Craig Meek said interest in Virtual Stadium was world-wide, for yacht racing, golf, marathons, motor racing and other events.

His company has entered a partnership to help the Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson enhance its technologies for sports coverage.