Running a Vector 8 Live Activity in Catapult Vector

Rob Heyworth
  • Updated

This guide explains how to run a live Activity using the Catapult Vector app with Vector 8, including connecting to a Receiver, managing Periods, and viewing live data.

In this article:

Prerequisites

Before running a live Activity for the first time, ensure the following steps are complete:

  • Install the Receiver and register it to your account
  • Navigate to the Hardware tab to verify the Receiver is listed and all updates have been completed.


 

Connecting to a Receiver

To view and collect live data, you must connect the app to your Receiver.  You can connect either via:

  1. The local network (Wifi Symbol) by connecting both the receiver and the iPad to the same network.  The iPad will automatically detect any receivers on the same network and you can pick from a list which one you want to run the activity on.  Importantly you'll need this network to be available where you plan to run your live activity to be able to connect this way.
  2. The reciever's Wifi (Link symbol) directly.  Within this mode you'll be restricted to viewing the data up to 100m of the reciever and won't be able to access the internet on the iPad whilst collecting data.

To connect to a receiver you can select from the top right of the app or when creating the activity by:

  1. Pick your receiver from the list and the way you want to connect to it by selecting the symbol.
    • Wifi Symbol = Local Network
    • Link Symbol = Reciever's Wifi
  2. If using the receiver's wifi, you'll then need to select join when prompted which will switch the network of the device automatically to the receiver's network.

Note: You must be on the same local network as the Receiver, or connect directly to its Wi-Fi network to run a live Activity.


 

Creating an Activity

  1. Click + Activity in the top right corner.
  2. Enter an Activity Name.
  3. Select your team from the drop-down menu.
  4. Select a Day Code and apply any relevant Activity tags.
  5. Click Create activity to begin.

Note: If you receive a warning for unmapped athletes, navigate to More, then select Athlete device mapping to assign Devices to athletes before starting.


 

The Editor: Managing Periods, Annotations, and Rotations

The Editor side of the app (default view) is where you manage the structure of your Activity including period, annotations, rotations and tracking live traces.

Creating and Managing Periods

  1. Click + Period to create a Period.
  2. Select the athletes to include in the Period from the period info panel by selecting + Athletes, then select the athletes you want to include and hit Add.
  3. Nothing will start until you connect to a receiver and hit play on a period so at this point you can hit back to store the plan for future use.  This will sync with the cloud automatically and can be updated in the web on the app.
  4. Use the Stop button either within the table or timeline view to end a Period, or click + Period again to create multiple live Periods.

Annotations

  1. Click the + Category button to create new annotation categories then add a name.  
  2. From the Annotation panel, click on the newly created annotation category pad to start an annotation.
  3. Select the athletes to include in the Annotation from the annotation info panel by selecting + Athletes, then select the athletes you want to include and hit Add.
  4. Click the annotation category pad again to stop the annotation.  Multiple annotations can then be created by clicking the pad on and off.

Important - Athletes MUST be assigned to an annotation to see any data for them in reporting. The annotation info panel will only show on the creation of the first annotation within a category and will utilise the same athletes for any annotation in this category following this.

Rotations

Rotations can be applied from the period info panel or the traces.  To edit within the Traces select the rotations button from the traces header: 

  1. Select a Period on the Timeline.
  2. Use the handles to drag and create a Rotation then resize to exclude any data.
  3. To delete a rotation drag the handle over the complete rotation either right to left or left to right.

To edit from the period info panel:

  1. Select the period to rotate athlete in/out from/to.
  2. Pick the athletes you want to rotate out or in within the panel and select rotate/rotate out/rotate in.

Important:  Unlike in the previous app you no longer need to add all athlete to a period at the start in order to rotate them in part way through the period (eg a substitute comes on after 60 minutes).  When rotated on the athlete will be added into the period and rotated out up until the point they were added.

Live Traces

  1. Click the Traces button in the Editor.
  2. Select the athletes you want to view to see their real-time traces side-by-side by clicking + Athletes.
  3. Use the drop-down menu to switch between live velocity and heart rate data directly on the Timeline.


 

Data Visualisation: Reporting and Filters

The Data Visualisation section is dedicated to viewing performance metrics through various charts and tables, and applying filters to group your data.

Visualising Data

  1. Click the Reporting button at the top left of the screen.
  2. Select the Table view, Tile view, Bar chart, or Scatter plot icon to change how performance data is displayed.
  3. Click on any column header in the table to sort the data.

Grouping and Filtering

  1. Select how to group the data by choosing an option under the View by menu.
  2. Click the Filters button on the right side and use the filter panel to select specific options.

Examples of view by and filter options include:

  • Annotations
  • Athletes
  • Periods
  • Positions
  • Teams


 

Device Diagnostics

  1. Click the Device diagnostics icon (battery symbol).
  2. View real-time connection status and battery life for all active Devices and Receivers.
  3. Identify any Devices that have gone out of range or are disconnected.


 

Saving and Syncing an Activity

  1. Click Stop at the top of the screen when the Activity is complete.
  2. Select Save & exit to save the session data.
  3. Plug the Devices into the dock to automatically upload the session data to the Cloud.
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