CASE STUDY
Squash Game Analytics Platform
Problem Statement
While sports analytics platforms exist for sports such as cricket and football, there is currently no dedicated solution for the sport of squash. Upon conducting market research, it became evident that players lack a structured approach for performance analysis, progress tracking, and identifying areas for improvement. Without an effective method to gather and analyze relevant data, players face challenges in refining their skills and advancing in the sport.
Need for Solution
A tailored analytics platform is required to assist squash players in monitoring and analyzing their performance. By collecting and examining various match metrics, players can make data-informed decisions to improve their skills. Such a system would provide insights into several key aspects of the game, such as player movement, shot accuracy, and gameplay patterns, allowing players to improve their performance over time by leveraging data derived from their own matches.
Proposed Solution
A squash analytics platform was developed that integrates computer vision for automated data collection through visual sources, manual annotation by experts using a custom-built tool, and data visualization through interactive dashboards. This platform enables players to track and analyze their performance by monitoring:
- Player positioning and movement patterns on the court during the match.
- Ball position, impact location, and player interception points.
- Distance covered by players throughout the match.
- Game-specific events, such as referee decisions.
- Shot types, accuracy, and placement during each rally.
- Rally duration and shot counts across the match.
- Performance trends over multiple matches.
The system combines computer vision techniques for collection of data from visual sources such as match footage, and manual annotation to capture detailed events, such as shot types, match timing, and other key variables. The collected data is then processed and visualized in interactive dashboards, providing users with comprehensible insights to evaluate performance trends and make informed decisions. The platform’s interactive visualizations are generated using powerful industry standard visualization tools.
Benefits Due to Solution
- A specialized analytics platform designed specifically for squash.
- Assists players in analyzing and improving their game performance.
- Utilizes computer vision for tracking player movement and ball impact.
- Presents match statistics via an interactive dashboard for easier interpretation.
- Enables tracking of player progress across multiple games.
Limitations of Solution
- The initial phase of data collection required manual input due to lack of historical data.
- AI-based tracking can face limitations during high-speed moments of the game.
- Some data points rely on manual input to ensure accuracy.
- Data quality and tracking precision depend on the quality of the cameras and tracking equipment used.
- The system struggles to track players during extended occlusion or when players are obscured from view.
