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2024-04-06:

Request Start Time

Updated: 2024-04-06

If you want to let the participants choose the start time, for example to make it easier for families with children, but still want to have control that not too many start at the same time and that no two in the same class or on the same course start too close together, the Request Start Time function is available on the page SportIdent.

• Choose which classes can book a start time. Preselected are the classes where book start time is selected on the page Classes (Show advanced settings).
• Enter the basic settings: first start time, last start time and start interval. The minimum time to start field is the time from now to the first admissible start time. It should correspond to the time needed for the participants to get from the time request station to the starting point in good order.
• Choose start time means that MeOS presents a list of possible start times to the participant. The participant chooses the desired start time (if it has been taken since the list was presented, another time is allocated nearby). The alternative is that MeOS assigns the first possible start time (taking into account the minimum time to start). This option can be good if the start booking is adjacent to the start location. If you let the participant choose between proposals, you specify how close the proposals should be (distance between suggestions). In order not to overwhelm the participant with options, MeOS will thin out the suggested times slightly the further into the future they are.
• Choose which rules should apply when starting allocation, e.g. if participants in different classes with the same course are allowed to start at the same time. See the draw start list documentation for more detailed explanations of the choices. The stricter the rules you set, the more difficult it can be to find a suitable start time, depending on whether large classes share the track and so on. See simulation below.
• To control the maximum number of people who can start at the same time (per starting place), enter the max number of parallel start. The limit includes participants with a preallocated start time, but (of course) not those with a free start time.

Select Activate to start requesting start times.

MeOS now displays a page prompting the participant to stamp to select or assign a start time (if you have not enabled an SI unit, you will be prompted to do so). There is also a manual mode where you can select a participant and enter a desired start time. MeOS will allocate a free time close to this.

Select start certificate and printer settings to automatically print a start certificate with the allocated time (good for the participant and can be handed in at the start).

If you are using a online result service, the allocated start time will (typically) appear there.

Kiosk mode

The Activate Kiosk Mode command puts MeOS in a mode where only the start reservation function is available according to the settings you have made. Use this mode to let participants book a start time themselves. Only way to get out of kiosk mode is to close and restart MeOS.

Simulation

To test whether the entered starting depth is sufficient for the number of participants you have in different classes and the settings you have made, you can carry out a simulation. Select Simulation.

The simulation works by letting all the participants request a start time at a random time during the start period, and MeOS tries to assign a start time according to specified rules. The result of the simulation shows whether everyone got a start time during the specified period and the average waiting time to start (compared to the desired time) in the different classes.

The simulation is done in a copy of the competition, so your competition is not affected. When the simulation is complete, you can choose to save that copy of the competition to further analyze the simulated start lists and minute start list.