The sport industry provides new technological solutions to sport science offering the opportunity to conduct academic research in sport practice with high external validity. Sport science should make use of this new possibility, but also be aware of their role and responsibility in the symbioses between sport scientists, stakeholders in sports and the industry. One key responsibility is to approach the use of tracking systems with a critical eye. This will be exemplified through validation methods in this talk: Since wearable tracking devices applied in sports should be small, light and user-friendly, the manufacturers of such devices must optimise the trade-off between system performance, handling simplicity and cost, thus compromises are unavoidable. Due to this, and the continuous system improvements in hardware, firmware, and software, the validity of different systems needs to be investigated before use. To date, there are several validity studies published on GNSS and LPS in team sports. However, there is a large variety in the validation methods applied to assess the accuracy of position tracking systems, including a large range of reference systems and criterion measures. In this talk we will assess how the choice of reference systems and methods affect the outcome of validation studies. By mapping out the consequences of these methodological choices we aim to raise awareness for the 1) consequences of these methodological choices, 2) for the responsibility sport scientists have when conducting tracking device validation studies, 3) and the impact on credibility and trust between sport practice, sport science and the sport technology industry. Hence, this lecture highlights how sport scientists should validate tracking devices, be aware of their responsibility to apply and share their knowledge to advance the field of position tracking systems in sports.
© Copyright 2024 29th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, 2-5 July 2024, Book of Abstracts. Veröffentlicht von European College of Sport Science. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.