Ever since completing the first verison of ODOTS I have recieved a steady stream of emails from orienteers interested in the design for much the same reasons I made it initially. That is, they want a cheap orienteering focussed timing system and have the electronics skills to attempt a build. However, one recent exchange got me thinking about how the world has changed and to what extent the idea of ODOTS has stayed relevant.
I'll preface this discussion with an acknowledgement that this project has been allowed to slide. I really enjoy designing the full stack of layers that go into an electronic system. ODOTS is a brilliant example, as a design it requires consideration of: the physical layout; the electronic complexity; the power budget; the RF elements; ease of manufacture (and cost); and software integration with Orienteering results software.
However, shortly after releasing the first version of ODOTS I started a career in space instrumentation for large scientific instruments. Unfortunately this satisfies all of the engineering cravings (dialled to 11), and ODOTS has always fallen to the bottom of the todo list. Which isnt to say I have disengaged, aided by a consistent interest in the system I have remained in the game, but mostly in a role directing people to the Sportiduino project, who translated their user manual from cyrillic in late 2019/early 2020 and offer a far more tested version of what ODOTS tries to be.
Between the initial release of ODOTS in 2019 and today I believe its use case has been superseeded, almost entirely. While ODOTS was being brainstormed and designed (2016-2019) the internet of things (IOT) was still an early-stage buzzword. NFC readers were a price boosting extra for a smart phone and GPS watches were mostly still quite dumb. Since then both of these facts have changed.
NFC, or some version of it, is now almost ubiquitous in smart phones (which are themselves near ubiquitous). This changes the basic assumptions of the ODOTS design. If your runners already have their 'smarts' in their hand, there is no need to put it at each flag/control. When designing ODOTS there was a concious decision to do the opposite, twenty boxes of elextronics for controls are cheaper than fifty+ boxes of electronics for runners. Of course, if the runners come with their own box (for free) the equation changes. Even better, the proliferation of QR codes now mean you could do away entirely with any form of custom hardware, all you would need would be a half decent printer and a laminator for rainy weather.
Clearly there is a usabiliy argument to be made here. For the orienteer used to an SI stick/EMIT brick, having to carry a modern smartphone around a course is in their hand is a fairly large imposition. However, using buggy hardware and software is also non-ideal. I would argue that a smartphone based system, being entirely software based, is more straightforward to polish with fewer messy interfaces and able to iterate quickly past bugs that might persist in a system relying on custom hardware.
However, the real change has beenand the arrival smart watches and, critically, MapRun. MapRun, which makes use of a GPS signal to track when runners have reached controls (and alert them with a friendly jingle), pretty much addresses the use case for ODOTS, cheaply, unobtrusively, and with some very polished software. Because the programme alerts the user when they have reached a control many clubs don't even leave out flags, instead leaving competitors to chase flags of the mind. This means that there is nothing for locals to run off with during an event (a key ODOTS objective), but also there is no time limitation on any of the controls: there is no battery to run out and people are unlikely to complain about the control being left at the end of their street. During COVID there were some good examples of this idea being taken to the extreme with start windows measured in days or even weeks. Furthemore, as smart watches have gotten smarter even entry level exercise watches now have the ability to run the MapRun app, which means the timing system can be running on a bit of hardware the runner had anyway! Even better, this is almost a self-solving problem, any runner who doesnt want to run around with MapRun on a smart phone (in their pocket) is probably a runner who will happily run around collecting stats for Strava on their wrist.
Because it is GPS based, MapRun does struggle with precise controls and control features under foliage which limits it to urban races and club nights. I would argue that this is good, these are the kinds of low-barrier-to-entry for competitors and organisers that I would argue help establish a club with an event calendar and thriving social and volunteer communities. This barrier was a key target for ODOTS, which was about reducing the financial buy-in and potential penalty for these kinds of events. Even as a member of an established club as a junior it was a big deal to be entrusted with the club's SI boxes for my first event, the stress of which probably meant I only really started coordinating orienteering activites when I got to Uni and could use coloured streamers and honesty instead of a timing system.
This probably means that there is still a use-case for an ODOTS-like system. For a club with one or two soldering enthusiasts an entire ODOTS-like system can still be manufactured in a month or so for a price well below the going rate for a pair of SI boxes. It could be used as a drop in replacement for existing systems, and while the ODOTS itself is a bit rough around the edges, something like Sportiuino offers a well tested design.
Ultimately though, the problems that ODOTS set out to solve have been solved, just not by ODOTS. MapRun is the cheap, high quality, user friendly, and competitor accessible alternative to more expensive electronic timing systems. It is cheap and acceptable enough that it has even been able to replace pin-punches (or flower-pots) as a staple of club night orienteering for established clubs.
Sometimes as an engineer solving a problem it is important to remember that the most important outcome is that the problem is solved, not that it is solved by your own answer to it.
So I will probably to continue rumbling along with the ODOTS, maybe someday releasing the mythical V2 with all of its upgrades. Until then I am more than happy to answer emails (l.jones278@gmail.com) with questions or comments, though you may just get an abridged version of this post in reply.
