The Technology Behind London 2012

The last time London hosted the Olympics was in 1948, and it was a very different event to the Games taking place in London today. There was very little technology in use - the general public listened to events on the wireless, and if it was a really significant event neighbours would get together to listen, bringing people together to share the experience.

Keeping up to date with London 2012 will be completely different; the Games today are much more accessible. There are many ways of keeping up to date, via your mobile phone, tablet or PC.

Alongside the visible tech; the glittery scoreboards and instant replays on the big screens, behind the scenes technology including switches and routers will be helping information whizz seamlessly across the Olympics Park. Cisco said earlier this year that it believes its network will handle around 60GB of data every second during the Games, as scores, event listings, video data and other information is sent to organisers and broadcasters. Those working in the Games' various operations centres have 12,000 PCs, 900 servers and 1,000 notebooks from Acer behind them.

On Your Marks….. The London games are the first to feature an electronic starter’s gun, linked to speakers behind each sprinter to ensure that they all hear the “shot” at the same time. There is also a laser projected across the finish line to record the winner with maximum accuracy – a bit different from the 1948’s London Olympics, where the athletes broke through a fluttering white tape. Times, previously recorded by a chap with a stopwatch and a keen eye, are now obtained by speed guns that can capture the moment an athlete crosses the finishing line to the millisecond, helping ensure the right athlete is at the top of the podium!

The security operation is led by the police, with 10,000 officers available, supported by 13,500 members of the armed forces. Ships situated in the Thames, Eurofighter jets and surface-to-air missiles will be available as part of the security operation. 

The BBC is the primary broadcaster for the Olympics and plans to broadcast coverage of every sport, either on TV or online. Events like the 100m final will be watched by billions, but for those of us that enjoy a bit of archery or judo, you can hit the red button, and enjoy  some of the less mainstream sports. YouTube will live stream the games in 64 territories in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and this content will also be viewable on YouTube's mobile and Xbox Live applications, giving the public unprecedented access to the Olympics.

The Games will also see a huge demand for Wi-Fi, as visitors send pictures and links to Twitter and Facebook.Twitter is the social network king for big events. Sharing news and views in 140 characters couldn’t be easier. During the Olympics everyone from Lord Coe to the athletes in the stadium, to those watching trackside will be busy tweeting their perspective on the Games.

If all that tech isn’t enough for you, don't forget all the bookies' computer systems processing bets; all the medical equipment on standby for every eventuality; TfL and the on-going challenge of making sure everyone, spectators, athletes and the working public alike can get to where they need to be; all the cutting edge technology that has gone into the design and manufacture of all the kit – javelins, discus, tennis rackets, cycle helmets….. even the track itself.

Next time you watch Team GB win a medal remember the technology behind the scenes that is making this all possible!

Some data supplied by The Inquirer and Knovel.com