Case Study: Paris 2012 zooms in on technology - May 2005  

Paris is a city used to trying to win the chance to host an Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its bid for the 2012 Games is the French capital’s third attempt to win the crown jewel event. And it is a bid in which the city is using all the technology available at its fingertips in order to impress the people who matter the most – the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voting members. S&T spoke to Paris 2012’s planning project manager Franck Ladouce about how technology was used as part of its pitch to the IOC evaluation commission who visited the city in March 2005, comprising its tour of all five bidding cities – London, Madrid, Moscow and New York being the other contenders. The IOC is due to select the winning bid on 6 July in Singapore.

Paris 2012 already has unprecedented government, private sector and public support for its bid that claims to have at its heart ‘simplicity, compactness and efficiency’. The Olympic Village, at the centre of Paris 2012’s concept, will be situated in the north-west quarter of Paris known as Les Batignolles. The Village will be located 6km away from the two competition venue clusters that will host 75% of the events. With successful events such as the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final and 2003 IAAF World Championships already under its belt, Paris is certainly considered a favourite in the race to host the 2012 Games.

Interactive animation

Paris 2012 has certainly not been resting on its laurels however in terms of trying to win key votes. The bidding organisation teamed up with bid technology sponsor France Telecom, to develop an interactive aerial photograph of the city, complete with zooming technology and virtual animation, which allowed the IOC evaluation commission to explore key elements of the bid visually during its visit. From the north to the west of the capital, the members of the delegation were introduced to the Paris 2012 concept of ‘One Village, two Clusters’.
“It wasn’t about using technology for technology’s sake,” says Ladouce, commenting on the zooming tool, “but instead had three main objectives – reliability, cost effectiveness and user-friendliness. We only had a short period of time to develop the technology for the evaluation commission visit so we were extremely pleased with the results. France Telecom’s R&D department has done a fantastic job.”
It was Paris 2012’s aim to provide an element of reality to its hefty bid document thus allowing IOC evaluation commission members to visualise the venues, facilities and also legacy in a virtual environment. This was done through embedding elements in a satellite photograph of Paris that could be clicked on, zoomed in on and then transformed into 3D images of venues and additional facilities in the three different Olympic zones proposed around the city. The interactive elements also include details of costs and capacities, and are linked by the proposed Olympic transport routes in the French capital - dedicated Olympic lanes will connect the Village and two Clusters.
The Paris 2012 bid book was also completely embedded in the software so that questions arising from IOC evaluation commission members could be immediately addressed through a couple of clicks of a mouse. “It was a completely new way of presenting a bid,” says Ladouce. “Paris was not always considered a leader in technology, but the way we were able to present our bid has changed things for us considerably.”

Handheld devices and beyond

The IOC evaluation commission members were also lent a pocket PC each during their stay in Paris that included their full itinerary for their four day visit which was constantly updated via an extranet. Proposed venue information and other bid details were also stored in the devices as well as a messaging system for easy communication. “The handheld devices certainly created a more personal experience for the delegation,” says Ladouce. “My opinion is that there has been no big difference between the bids in terms of the types of technology used. However, what has been different is how technology has been used by Paris 2012 to deliver our message.”
As far as catering for the needs of technology during the Games if Paris is successful in winning its bid in July, the city is committed to make the event as secure and efficient as possible. “The main word for us is security,” explains Ladouce. “Everything is based on technology and we have to find a good way to use technology without any risk. Obviously we don’t know what new technologies may be around in 2012, but our aim won’t be to showcase new technology as such but instead to deliver a Games with total security and proven capability.”

For further information on the Paris 2012 bid, see www.parisjo2012.fr. Next month, S&T will look at how technology has been important to the London 2012 bid.

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