FIFA Goal-Line Technology: #Gamechanger

It is likely that many years into the future, historians will look back at this decade as the time when technology truly penetrated all walks of human life. It is a sign of how easily humans can adapt to the changing landscape of the world in which they live, that people do not wonder at the preponderance of smartphones, Wi-Fi and CCTV. These inventions have and are still reshaping the ways in which we live our lives, but yesterday’s innovation is often tomorrow’s outdated and unwanted tool. In the tech world, we always struggle strive to keep up with the times.

Since the time of the TV remote control’s inception during the late 70’s, we have increasingly utilized technology to improve upon tasks regularly and easily undertaken by human hands. While some may bemoan the lack of manufacturing jobs today as being a direct inheritance of automated production lines, it is clear that the replacement of humans in favor of machines is a one way trend. This may explain why so many people are looking to enter the IT world—at least there are still lots of jobs for people who are making sure that the machines are still working!

Often this machine-human replacement is due to the fact that humans can rarely match the accuracy and consistency in technique and observation that man-made machines are capable of.

Certainly sports fans around the world would agree with this sentiment (this would include myself as a proud, football-mad Englishman). As a result, I read with great interest how FIFA recently decided to approve the usage of goal-line technology in the 2014 World Cup. They selected the German provider Goal Control to act as a back-up referee in instances of questionable goals. It seems that this goal-line technology is based on 14 mounted cameras that can pinpoint the precise position of the ball on the pitch and will notify the referee via vibrations and optical notifications if, indeed, the ball has crossed the lines.

Clearly 14 eyes have proven to be superior to just 2 and while some may say that the dehumanization of the Beautiful Game is one step towards a sporting disaster, many will feel that this is a step in the right direction.

Given how much machines are taking over, even in areas where we never thought that would be the case, it is becoming more and more important for those formerly outside the IT universe to get up to speed quickly…before it’s too late.

For me personally, now that FIFA has revealed their openness to new technology, my next move is to get FIFA to implement SysAid, even on the playing field :).

Stay tuned…

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