A TECH BASED SOLUTION
CONTINUES KIWI INGENUITY
standards for APIs. The only practical solution
is to use another integrating application that
translates APIs from one application to the
next. This integrating application can then
be used to communicate with, and control,
connected applications through their APIs.
When different applications are integrated,
they can provide features not available on
stand-alone systems.
Mímirbox was specifically designed to be
an integrating application from the outset.
It is modular and uses internal APIs to
communicate and control different parts of
the system. Mímirbox has already been successfully
integrated with the Alpha-Timing
system and more are planned, including
Mylaps. The modular architecture allows
for system modifications and upgrades to meet
current and future needs. Everything in Mímirbox
is written in Java and both the internal and
external APIs are language agnostic. The control
server runs on Linux for improved reliability.
The Mímirbox system design is based on Darren’s
experience with implementation of advanced
military systems. Peter Wright in the February
issue of Racecar Engineering stated that
"Motorsport is a bit different from other hazardous
environments, the nearest equivalent being war",
so a military style approach to racecar product
development is appropriate.
The military implement Command, Control and
Communications (C3) systems, which integrate
widely varying connected systems. C3 systems
gather, filter and present real time information
to users to maintain situational awareness and
enable them to make good decisions based on
good up-to-date information.
A Mímirbox C3 system for motorsport is
implemented in different layers. The communications
layer gathers and distributes information to
integrated applications. The control layer displays
information to officials and implements control
over the management of the event and track.
The command layer provides the Race Director
and senior officials with a real time flow of key
information to enable informed decision making
and overall management of the event.
Darren’s military background means that he
understands what is needed to make a system
rugged, simple to operate, safe and secure. It
takes less than 2 minutes to train an official in
the basics of the Mímirbox electronic flag control.
Achieving simplicity of operation requires smart
system design. Displays automatically configure
themselves based on their location by GPS. The
wireless mesh communications network is robust
and self-healing. Permissions for individual officials
can be set to control which flags they can show
on displays at specific locations. The system is
continuously monitoring its status and operational
health.
The operation of Mímirbox has proven it to be
popular with drivers and users. Mímirbox appeals
to younger users, because it is like a supersized
computer game. Practical experience has shown
that concentrating the operation of electronic flags
to a small number of dedicated and self-motivated
Mímirbox users significantly improves the
quality and therefore safety of the signals seen by
the drivers.
Mímirbox is named after Mímir a figure
in Norse mythology, renowned for his
knowledge and wisdom.
The traditional approach to motorsport applications
is to have a collection of systems
that operate stand-alone. The timing system,
event registration, track signals, incident
response, pit control and others are traditionally
separate systems. These stand-alone
systems require dedicated people to operate
them and coordinate information flow. This is
labour intensive and prone to error.
Many motorsport software applications
already have Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) that allow integration with
other applications, but there are no industry
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