[CompInaBox-discuss] How about a single competition tool?

[Karri K. <ka...@si...>]

Hi to everybody in the group.

I have been educating scrutineers and competition directors if Finland 
for more than 10 years now and I am currently a bit tired of the 
problems caused by proprietary software. The rules keep changing and the 
original authors lose interest and refuse to let others have the sources 
for various reasons. So today I run lots of classes by hand or Excel sheets.

I would like to help in writing a totally free, open source 
scrutineering tool for the CIB. It should be able to handle result feeds 
to broadcasting systems and also be able to handle electronic judging. 
(I have already written some feasibility studies in using Java applets 
in WiFi capable PDA's and tablets. An example is available at 
http://sipo.fi/lomake.html )

The requirements we have in Finland are identical to the way IDSF 
calculates the results. But in addition we need to be able to handle 
Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie and Rock'n'Roll.

I also have a need to feed more data into the database than is available 
to the general audience. For evaluating judge performances I am 
interested in the capability of judges to spot the semifinal and final 
couples from the preliminary rounds and I would also like to get some 
correlation value of the judges marks compared to the final result of 
the competition and perhaps also to the ranking list before the competition.

Another thing I have found very useful is to be able to dynamically 
choose the number of crosses for the next round. If you want to have 12 
couples for the semifinals and have a tie that requires 15 couples you 
could pass only 11 crosses to the calculation of the next stage and that 
may solve the tie.

This works only if the judges use points instead of crosses. But that is 
the case in all WRRC dance disciplines.

I would prefer an engine that would warn on errors in the judges marks 
but would not require the errors to be corrected. Sometimes I have 
judges who judge using the wrong techniques and it is impossible to get 
the info I want out of them in time. But their error does not perhaps 
have any effect on the result so I can do a final skating with a judge 
that has given two 3's etc. When TV is present and sending live you just 
make things work and sweep some minor problems under the carpet. The 
tool should be able to do this.

I am hoping to have something available by 2007.
Any comments or others with same kind of interests?

I am currently judging WRRC disciplines internationally using digital 
judging systems and also on paper. So I have some ideas of what works by 
now.
--
Regards,

Karri Kaksonen
ka...@si...