Computerized Real-Time Analysis of Football Games

Computer systems support many coaching activities performed before and after competitions, such as strategy development and performance evaluation, but competent assistance during games is much more demanding. It requires real-time interpretation of sensor data, the recognition and classification of ball actions, and fast-action game analysis and assessment. Only recently has high-precision microwave technology enabled computer systems to simultaneously track the position of players and the ball. Consequently, real-time game analysis systems must be able to automatically recognize intentional activities in a multiagent system with continually acting agents. To meet these demands, we've developed the football interaction and process model and a software system that can acquire, interpret, and analyze this model. Our FIPM system can acquire models of player skills, infer action-selection criteria, and determine player and team strengths and weaknesses.