Technology Brings Rugged Iditarod Race to Global Audience

Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race uses technology so organizers and fans worldwide can monitor the competition in real time.

This year's race has 51 contenders traveling between remote village checkpoints across the 1,000-mile (1,600-km) route, tracked electronically by operators in Anchorage hotels.

Volunteers and race contractors monitor the dog teams via sleds outfitted with global-positioning system (GPS) trackers, which let fans follow them online while organizers ensure no one is missing.

Some operators function as aircraft dispatchers for pilots who ferry supplies, as well as competitors and dogs that drop out; others process live video streamed from checkpoints, using satellite dishes.

Still others oversee race-standing updates broadcast through equipment first tested last year, making it possible to activate a super-size hot spot in the most remote locations with satellite links.

From Associated Press
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