Real-time Wireless Player Positioning System in Basketball

Abstract

Positioning systems for the tracking of players in indoor sports provide coaches and educators valuable information for improving player performance and ultimately the team’s offensive and defensive plays. The play area layout in indoor basketball follows international specifications and is replicated at hundreds of venues around the world. A positioning system engineered once can potentially be deployed at multiple locations without redesign. Player positioning systems that were once mainly dominated by video tracking systems are now possible through current and emerging technologies using wireless RF signal technologies and significant smaller devices. Wearable technology has not only reduced in size considerably but also in cost which are favourable to these wireless positioning systems. This thesis examines whether a low cost, robust wireless RF signal player positioning system can be implemented in an indoor sporting environment, such as that used by the game of basketball. This system will not only benefit indoor basketball but potentially could be employed for other indoor sports such as indoor soccer, indoor tennis, indoor volleyball, indoor netball, indoor cricket and handball.