As a proudly South African company, Ctrack is right behind South African sport - literally! The company sponsored a state-of-the-art monitoring system to watch over the medical emergency vehicle network in the Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour. The gruelling 110 km race gets the better of many participants, and it is essential that emergency vehicles are constantly roaming the vast route to pick up those who fall foul of the hot and tiring conditions.
Using a computerised grid positioning system, Ctrack enabled the Argus venue operations centre (VOC) to track the progress of emergency vehicles, establishing exactly where they were every minute of the day, and ensuring that the thirst-quenchers and life-savers were indeed on patrol at all times.
While this sponsored system was of great benefit behind the scenes - particularly to those cyclists who crashed out at Suikerbossie or fell by the wayside between the widely spaced medical points - the initiative also aided Ctrack in developing a sophisticated new disaster management product for the South African market. "The cycle tour offered us a brilliant opportunity to test the system on a large and realistic scale," reported Bruce Richards, marketing and sales director of Ctrack. "The number of people, and the logistics involved in this prestigious event, simulates the concentrated crowds, road closures and congestion that might be experienced in a major disaster. No other event could in fact prepare us better for disaster management than the cycle tour."
Winning British contestant Russell Downing had no need of medical attention, and Giro del Capo winner Tiaan Kannemeyer also kept out of harm's way, managing to win the Giro contest, of which the Argus formed the final stage. Many participants did indeed fall prey to the windswept route, though. Three-times winner of the Cape Giro, David George, came down in the final sprint, and South African road champion Ronel van Wyk suffered a puncture in another crash.
In the aggressive, every-man-for-himself world of competitive racing, it will always be a blessing to have the support of a well-organised guardian angel in the form of a dedicated medical team. If that angel happens to have the omniscient power of a fleet management system behind it, so much the better. Ctrack was proud to be the wind beneath the medics' wings.
Lieutenant Colonel Brad Geyser, commanding officer of the Cape Town Highlanders, heads up this monitoring aspect of the Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour in his private time. "For the past three years we have been using the Ctrack tracking system and it has been simply invaluable.
"If you look at the race in terms of logistics, there are 35,000 cyclists ranging from ages 4 to 94, who are all travelling along the 110 km route consecutively. We needed a system that would provide us with real-time tracking along every step of the course; that way we are able to use our emergency resources efficiently.
"Through the Ctrack monitoring system we are able to identify the spots where medical and emergency assistance will be the most beneficial," continues Geyser. "We can actually go one step further and recognise patterns or trends and make the necessary adjustments in the following year. For instance, we will be able to categorise areas based on certain factors. On one section of the route, we may discover that the climatic factors are far more strenuous than on others and, as a result, set up more refreshment stations along that section."
In fact, the sheer brilliance of the Ctrack system has met with some international interest. "We impressed some of the officials from Athens who were part of the Olympic planning team," explains Geyser. "They were completely bowled over by the Ctrack system, and exclaimed their surprise that we used the system for an event as relatively small as a cycle tour. The Ctrack system has basically set us apart and, in the international sporting arena, Ctrack has set the benchmark."
As a proudly South African company, Ctrack is right behind South African sport - literally! The company sponsored a state-of-the-art monitoring system to watch over the medical emergency vehicle network in the Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour. The gruelling 110 km race gets the better of many participants, and it is essential that emergency vehicles are constantly roaming the vast route to pick up those who fall foul of the hot and tiring conditions.
Using a computerised grid positioning system, Ctrack enabled the Argus venue operations centre (VOC) to track the progress of emergency vehicles, establishing exactly where they were every minute of the day, and ensuring that the thirst-quenchers and life-savers were indeed on patrol at all times.
While this sponsored system was of great benefit behind the scenes - particularly to those cyclists who crashed out at Suikerbossie or fell by the wayside between the widely spaced medical points - the initiative also aided Ctrack in developing a sophisticated new disaster management product for the South African market. "The cycle tour offered us a brilliant opportunity to test the system on a large and realistic scale," reported Bruce Richards, marketing and sales director of Ctrack. "The number of people, and the logistics involved in this prestigious event, simulates the concentrated crowds, road closures and congestion that might be experienced in a major disaster. No other event could in fact prepare us better for disaster management than the cycle tour."
Winning British contestant Russell Downing had no need of medical attention, and Giro del Capo winner Tiaan Kannemeyer also kept out of harm's way, managing to win the Giro contest, of which the Argus formed the final stage. Many participants did indeed fall prey to the windswept route, though. Three-times winner of the Cape Giro, David George, came down in the final sprint, and South African road champion Ronel van Wyk suffered a puncture in another crash.
In the aggressive, every-man-for-himself world of competitive racing, it will always be a blessing to have the support of a well-organised guardian angel in the form of a dedicated medical team. If that angel happens to have the omniscient power of a fleet management system behind it, so much the better. Ctrack was proud to be the wind beneath the medics' wings.
Lieutenant Colonel Brad Geyser, commanding officer of the Cape Town Highlanders, heads up this monitoring aspect of the Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour in his private time. "For the past three years we have been using the Ctrack tracking system and it has been simply invaluable.
"If you look at the race in terms of logistics, there are 35,000 cyclists ranging from ages 4 to 94, who are all travelling along the 110 km route consecutively. We needed a system that would provide us with real-time tracking along every step of the course; that way we are able to use our emergency resources efficiently.
"Through the Ctrack monitoring system we are able to identify the spots where medical and emergency assistance will be the most beneficial," continues Geyser. "We can actually go one step further and recognise patterns or trends and make the necessary adjustments in the following year. For instance, we will be able to categorise areas based on certain factors. On one section of the route, we may discover that the climatic factors are far more strenuous than on others and, as a result, set up more refreshment stations along that section."
In fact, the sheer brilliance of the Ctrack system has met with some international interest. "We impressed some of the officials from Athens who were part of the Olympic planning team," explains Geyser. "They were completely bowled over by the Ctrack system, and exclaimed their surprise that we used the system for an event as relatively small as a cycle tour. The Ctrack system has basically set us apart and, in the international sporting arena, Ctrack has set the benchmark."