GPS devices, historically, have been a black box. That’s true of the physical appearance of many harness-worn trackers as well as the data they generate. That information is typically viewed after a workout and only through metrics created by the manufacturers.
With its latest software iteration STATSports is hoping to continue doing the opposite: making its data as accessible and customizable as possible. David McKenny, a senior sport scientist at the company, called its Apex Pro Series X update a “massive step forward” for its cloud-based analytics, processing speed, bespoke metrics, video and data integration, and monitoring through a smartwatch.
“The software is essentially going to revolutionize the daily workflow for a sports scientist within a team monitoring athletes with wearable products,” McKenny said, before adding: “The entire front end of the software has been revamped so there’s completely customizable dashboards and widgets.”
Two years after STATSports’ Apex hardware supplanted the company’s Viper predecessor, the Apex Pro Series X expands the potential of the GPS unit with interface compatibility across all major platforms. A new drill editor allows custom monitoring of particular exercises. A scientific calculator enables sport scientists to access the raw data generated by the device and to craft their own statistics.
And video manager syncs player tracking data with video for multi-faceted analysis. That should allow coaches and trainers to create activity benchmarks. For instance, the ideal speed to be moving when delivering a crossing pass could be determined.
“We can bring in their event-based data, and we can play it in a dual timeline with the GPS data,” McKenny said. “Within that, we then would then be able to run analytics on certain periods of play, such as a turnover or breakaway, and be able to analyze that data not just from a physical perspective but also a tactical and skills perspective. The implications of that for a practitioner are enormous.”
Pro sports teams using STATSports include four of the five clubs currently at the top of the English Premier League table (Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United), other European soccer powers like Juventus and Paris Saint Germain, national soccer federations such as the U.S., China, and Brazil, and North American franchises like the NFL’s Panthers and NBA’s Knicks. The same base device is used across all sports, although position-specific metrics for soccer goalkeepers as well as rugby and cricket players are available. (NFL-focused metrics are in development.) The Apex Pro Series X runs on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
The Apex carries both GPS and ultra-wideband technologies, although the latter is primarily used for data transmission rather than location tracking given the usage in outdoor sports. While the devices are predominantly used for training sessions, they are growing in value during games as more sports permit them in competition. FIFA, for instance, authorized electronic performance tracking systems at the World Cup for the first time last summer. STATSports says their use in EPL matches is growing, and they are already common in lower tiers of soccer.
“There’s been a massive cultural shift in the perception of GPS technology, especially with athletes and coaches, and I think that’s largely come down to their understanding of the technology and how it applies to improving their game and also their understanding of the game,” said STATSports senior sport scientist Jason Black.
While most real-time monitoring will still be done by tablet-carrying sport scientists, the smartwatch capability empowers athletes to more closely track their own speed or overall training load while training. That, McKenny said, can be particularly important for those rehabbing who need to stay at a certain running pace.
“The use of live data is available completely hands-free and at a glance,” he said.
Last year, STATSports released its Apex Athlete Series for dedicated amateur athletes, in an effort to broaden the company’s market. The Apex Pro Series X, on the other hand, is very much targeted at elite clubs and the most intricate use cases.
“The software has always been designed by sport scientists for sport scientists,” Black said.