Cellular IoT-powered ski resort management solution tracks skier location on mountains

The flaik tag employs Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 SiP to send GNSS location data from device to the Cloud via cellular IoT connectivity

Snow sports product company, flaik, has upgraded its ski school workforce management solution to include IoT network capabilities to further enhance visibility of thousands of guests and instructors anywhere on the mountain in near ‘real time’.

Precise position monitoring

The ‘flaik SnowSports Workforce Management solution with GPS Tracking’ platform comprises the ‘flaik tag’ wearable device integrating the Nordic nRF9160 SiP and the associated ‘Mountain View’ web-based dashboard. The Nordic nRF9160 low power SiP with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem provides the GNSS positioning and cellular IoT connectivity that allows the skier’s location data to be relayed from the flaik tag to a smartphone or tablet via the Cloud. The nRF9160 combines the LTE-M cellular network location data with the GNSS trilateration for precise position monitoring of the device and the skier.

The positions of ski school guests and instructors are continually relayed to the flaik servers, allowing ski schools and resorts to access live and historical GNSS data for a comprehensive understanding of what is happening on the ski fields. From the Cloud, all the flaik tag location information can then be viewed through the Mountain View Web-based dashboard.

For example, ski management personnel can connect late students to classes in minutes or track any classes late to return at the end of the day. At the same time, data-driven feedback helps instructors set level-appropriate lessons ensuring a superior guest experience. At the biggest resort at which it is deployed in Whistler, Canada, flaik can scan and associate up to 3,500 devices to guests and instructors in a 30-60 minute window.

Reduced integration

“We selected the nRF9160 for the flaik tag due to the Nordic SiP’s compact size, generous Flash and RAM, power-saving features, Zephyr RTOS capability, and numerous components included in the package which reduced the hardware and antenna integration,” said David Wood, Co-founder and CTO/CPO, flaik.

“In addition, Nordic offers extensive knowledge on aspects of LTE-M integration including certification, as well as fast response times and highly competent application engineers.

“By moving to the Nordic nRF9160 SiP we are also ensuring the tags we build today will be used for several years – thereby significantly reducing waste and the carbon impact of new tags.”