The growing usage for Internet-based entry, result and analysis system will give the opportunity to exchange information between competitor, club, organizer and even between national federations without manual punching.

The information must be understandable for all included parties. An international interface standard will one big step in the efforts to integrate the events from entry to final result.

Aim of effect

A standard interface for data exchange between different parts of soft- and hardware for administration of orienteering events will increase the possibility to offer high quality events with a minimum of effort. It also gives the opportunity for different vendors to compete with best solutions for a part of the event administration.

Aim of delivery

The project will deliver a specification containing valid messages and attributes for the primary part of the event administration. It will also deliver the syntax for message structure and rules for standard standard interface usage. All documents are proposal to the IOF Technology Development Committee and will be in final version for late march 1999.

Postulation

The standard interface must be understandable for both computers and humans. A small event organizer will be able to create a message with only a text editor.

The standard will be based on other international accepted standards.

Under an official phase of the project it is possible to comment the work direct to the member of the working groups.

Procedure

The working groups will do most of the work with no or few personal meetings. Communication between the members of the working groups, project group and TDC will be done by e-mail.

Kell Sønnichsen hosts one internal and one public mailing list. All questions and messages of common interest will be posted to one of or both mailing lists.

Results, inputs and proposal will be published in the IOF web pages. The project group has responsibility for all publishing.

Description

The major tasks for this project is

• Identify and describe typical modules, independent systems or equipment used in an orienteering event e.g. timing systems, punching systems, event administration (entry and results) software, speaker software, course setting software, position monitoring systems
• Identify messages and attributes for data exchange between those modules
• Create a syntax and data structure for transferring of messages
• Inform the world wide orienteering society and take care of comments and suggestions

IOF Technology Development Committee
Orienteering Interface Standards Project
Stefan Nordmark
stefan.nordmark@tonshammar.se