Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Ondeck security and audit

By default, all registered team families have access to the ONDECK functions. It may be desired to only allow volunteers who will serve Clerk of course, judges and scorers etc. to access such functions during a meet because we don't want unauthorized people to make changes to meet data (imagine a person using a mobile device playing with the ONDECK data pretending as a place judge). ONDECK has role security built in so you can enable the relevant families to do the tasks for a particular meet.

First things first, you go the the Team Setup page and select the "Enable ONDECK Security" checkbox.

Then, go to Admin menu Other->Manage roles. You should see a new button "Toggle ONDECK access" shows up. Select all the families that will be serving as one of the ONDECK functions and give them the ONDECK access. This is a toggle button so you can remove such access the same way. All super admins, admins and coaches automatically have ONDECK access.

If there is a need to trace down exactly who updates an ONDECK record, ONDECK has audit data that tracks the last update. We should be able to identify the account that makes the last change of a record. Please contact us if such a need arises.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Ondeck System

ONDECK is a TSTM subsystem that intends to improve TSA dual meets on deck experiences and efficiency.

Prerequisites:
1. Both teams must use TSTM and do the auto lineup process described here:
http://tsaswimteam.blogspot.com/2013/04/automatic-line-up-seeding-function.html

2. Both teams must also create the heat sheets using the following directions. The Enable ONDECK checkbox will only show up if both teams are using TSTM.
http://tsaswimteam.blogspot.com/2012/02/printing-features-for-tsa-swim-team.html
After your opponent team enables ONDECK for the meet, you will see a green check icon



3. Must have strong and robust internet connection at the pool (wifi or cellular). This is very important because data need to be passed around through out a meet. The data is mostly texts so it should not consume too much of your data plan.

4. TSTM server must be up during the meet.

As with any electronic system, when it works, it is great. When it doesn't, it can be very frustrating. Please still prepare the paper TSA pink/blue sheets just in case something doesn't work out at the pool.


How it works:

There are 5 parts of the ONDECK system and can be used by Clerks of course, Place judges, Stroke and turn judges, Scorer/ribbon writers and Announcers. Runners and Recorders are no longer needed. Scorers and Ribbon writers can be merged, saving up to 5 volunteers.

ONDECK is a web application and can be executed in all modern browsers. It has been tested on iPhone 5 and iPad 4. It is expected that a mobile phone is used for all parts except the Scorer/ribbon writer component because it is nicer to have a larger display such as a tablet or laptop.

To access the Ondeck system, please start from http://www.tsaswimteam.com/ondeck.html . You should see the following page.



Click the link for your position and log in using your TSTM credentials.


The five(5) components:

1. Clerk of course (COC)
A COC starts by clicking on the top of the page that displays the meet date and place. You should see a dropdown box with all events listed. Select the starting event and click Done to close the dropdown box (on iOS devices). You should see a screen similar to the following.




Clicking on the left and right arrows on the top of the page can navigate the events. You can also click on the current event to re-select a new event.

For non-relay events, you can switch swimmers if needed. To do so, click on a swimmer's name and use the dropdown box to pick a new swimmer in that age group.

When all swimmers are verified to be available on deck, click on the Confirm button at the bottom of the page. The Cancel button will "undo" the Confirmation. Event will automatically advance, but you can use the arrows to navigate to the previous event, if needed. Entries with green background mean they are confirmed. Entries with red background are unconfirmed.

2. Place judge (PJ)
A PJ starts by clicking on the top of the page that displays the meet date and place. You should see a dropdown box with all events listed. Select the starting event and click Done to close the dropdown box (on iOS devices). You should see a screen similar to the following.




PJs should also select the place they will work on. Touch on the big Place number allows place to be changed if needed. First place judge can enter the time for the first place swimmer. Only enter digits in the entry field. For example, to enter time 1:23.45, only type12345.

Lane buttons will turn green after the lanes are confirmed by a COC.  Any lanes that don't have swimmers will be disabled to avoid unintended touches.

When a main heat finishes, PJs click the corresponding lane button on the screen to collect the place data.


If two or more lanes tie in a place of an event, that place judge should click all lanes that are tied for that place. Scores for tied swimmers will be calculated automatically. ONDECK supports multi-way (2 through 6) ties. If a judge clicked a wrong lane, the correction must be done by the PJ who records the correct place. Last data entered wins. For example, PJ2 wrongly recorded Lane 3 as the second place when Lane 3 is actually first place, PJ1 must click Lane 3 to make the correction. There is no way for PJ2 to correct this type of error.

3. Stroke and turn judges (STJ)
A STJ starts by clicking on the top of the page that displays the meet date and place. You should see a dropdown box with all events listed. Select the starting event and click Done to close the dropdown box (on iOS devices). You should see a screen similar to the following.





To DQ a swimmer, select the corresponding lane checkbox and type comments in the text field below. Then click the Submit button. You can do so for multiple swimmers, one at a time. If you make a mistake, select a checkbox and click on the Undo button to remove the DQ. DQed lane will be displayed in red.

To review DQ remark, go to the event and select a checkbox. Remark text should show up in the remark area.


4. Scorer/Ribbon writer (SC)

A SC will see a screen like the following. Refresh the browser page will show the most up to date score information.

...
...


5. Announcer (AN)

An announcer will see a screen like the following. Click on the Refresh button to get the latest scores.



If your team has access to a big screen TV at the pool, it is quite possible to use it as a monitor and display current scores at the pool.

Ondeck System is a fee based service. Because it requires both teams to use TSTM and its auto lineup program, it will be free until further notice.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Introducing the Penguin Timing System (PGTiming)

Penguin Timing System (PGTiming) is a sports timing system based on smart phones.  There are two parts of the system, the smart phone PGTiming app and the PGTiming server.  Timers use the PGTiming app as a stopwatch to time athletes.  The results will be transmitted to the server via wireless network (wifi or cellular data service). The result transfer can happen instantly (per heat during a meet) or after the meet in a batch mode.

Here are the screen shots of the PGTiming stopwatch:





Main features:
1. Download lineup data from the server.
2. Use phone as a stopwatch to time athletes' results.  Alternatively, you can manually enter timing result into the phone based on the lineup order with the timing result from an external stopwatch.
3. Upload results to server for report processing.

Integration with TSTM:
PGTiming is seamlessly integrated with TSTM.  Using the TSTM automatic lineup results, PGTiming can time swimmers based on their lineup heat order.  Results are automatically sent back to the server.  Families can instantly see their swimmers' result on their mobile devices from the TSTM's web site.  PGTiming also eliminates manual result entry work after a meet, making a meet more efficient to run.

Preparation to use PGTiming in a meet:

Use TSTM auto lineup feature to prepare lineup for a meet.  Do necessary manual adjustment if needed.
Create lineup event sheets from menus Meets->Setup->"Ribbon icon".  Check the "all heats" checkbox then click on "Event Sheets" button.

Download the PGTiming app and install it.

Make sure the mobile phone is fully charged and can last the entire meet.

Extend the phone's auto standby time to at least 10 minutes, or disable it so that the screen doesn't go off during a race.

Avoid receiving calls during a meet so that the stopwatch function is not interrupted while timing a race.

On the set up page, log in using your TSTM credentials.

Clear past timing results on the Set up page if needed.

Switch to the stopwatch mode by clicking on the Stopwatch button.

With internet connection, select the lane.  Lineup data will be downloaded automatically.

NOTE: Once in stopwatch mode, don't leave it by clicking on the Setup button during a meet.  It will reset the current timing position in the lineup.  Only go back to the Setup mode when the meet is completed.

Heats will be automatically advanced after each timing.  When there is a blank heat (no swimmer) for this lane, use the Next (Down) button to manually advance the heat.  To view past heat results, use the Prev (Up) button.

The current timing result applies to the middle of the 3 swimmer rows (with larger font).

The stopwatch uses a 3 touch cycle.  Starting from 0:00.00, touch the black square to start the stopwatch.  Touch it again to stop it.  Touch the 3rd time to reset the stopwatch and advance to the next heat.  If you use an external stopwatch, you can manually enter result on the phone (the text field). Timing result will be saved locally in the phone and also uploaded to the PGTiming server if the "auto submit time" option is turned on and internet connection is available.

The number to the right of the lane drop down box is the number of records currently cached in the phone to be uploaded. Results can be uploaded multiple times (the last time wins if there is a discrepancy among the uploads). The green ON sign (or black OFF) indicates whether the previous heat result has been uploaded.

After a meet is over, if the timing data has not been sent to TSTM during the meet, you can go to the Setup page and click on the  "Upload" button to upload all timing results stored in the phone.

Currently PGTiming does not support timing of relays. PGTiming mobile app is only available for Android based devices.