The 152nd Open: Golf Championship and Human Petri Dish

The 152nd Open: Golf Championship and Human Petri Dish

The 152nd Open once again featured the famous NTT DATA Wall, being employed not just to provide updates on the run of play but also to raise awareness of how spectators could reduce their environmental impact at the event. The NTT DATA Wall will one day be enabled by low-energy all-photonic networks and power-efficient generative AI, but as NTT DATA works to bring these ground-breaking innovations to market, we are mindful that technology is not the only answer to a harmonious and sustainable society.

Last year was the first time we used the NTT DATA Wall to broadcast data about sustainability initiatives at The Open. Information included the use of water refill stations, travel to the Championship by public transport and bicycle, and purchase of low carbon meals on the site. I wrote about these initiatives last year - including the Sustainability Hub where I made my own pledge on the Pledge Wall (and yes, I came good on it!).

NTT DATA's Sustainability Initiatives at The 152nd Open（4:05）

How effective is the NTT DATA Wall messaging?

The unresolved question in the previous article was whether these messages - together with the sustainability initiatives undertaken by The R&A - had any impact and encourage spectators to make more sustainable choices both at the Championship and later in everyday life.

Cardiff University's impactful research - funded by the UK Research and Innovation and supported by NTT DATA and The R&A - sought to answer this question. Some highlights of the research were:

• Spectators attending The Open are generally concerned about the environment. Only a small proportion however are worried about the environmental impacts of golf tournaments.
• Spectators are less knowledgeable about the environmental impacts and the difference they can make at a tournament.
• A majority of spectators stated they noticed the environmental sustainability initiatives and messages around The Open course at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake.
• The more sustainability communications spectators saw during the Championship, the more they engaged in sustainability initiatives.
• Sustainability messages on the NTT DATA Wall were informative, easy to understand, and relevant.
• 60% agreed that sustainability messages on the NTT DATA Wall had increased their awareness of the environmental impact of golf tournaments.
• Spectators prefer The Open Website and App for future messaging about The Open's sustainability initiatives.
• Six months following The 151st Open, 35% of spectators stated they used a refillable water bottle more often and 34% recycled/composted food waste more often.
• In the next 12 months, almost two-thirds of spectators intend to reduce their environmental impact in daily life.

While there are some caveats to this work, these results exceeded our expectations of the impact we were able to make last year.

Applying the research

One would naturally wish to change the parameters of such an experiment and note the effects. This year's Championship has allowed us to do just that. The messages were on screen for longer and we also changed the language to reinforce the sentiment that everyone can make a bigger difference when we act together.

Additionally, we displayed data relating to sustainable tournament infrastructure - specifically the yield from solar panels that help to power the contractors' compound. The weather brought special challenges for the professional golfers this year, but the solar panels still produced enough energy to power an electric golf buggy for 144,527 miles. A survey will happen again following this year's event to gauge the effect of the changes.

Amplifying the research

Together with other related research around different types of sporting events and festivals, Cardiff University, The R&A, and NTT DATA believe there is enough learning to start making recommendations to organisers of other similar events - so that the effects of our partnership are felt well beyond the world of golf. This autumn, we're working together to package that learning to create a toolkit which offers something new for sustainable sport: measuring drivers of spectator behaviour change.

This is a vital area of research - principally because we already know from NTT DATA's work on emissions at other events such as MotoGP that the environmental impact of sporting events is driven by spectator choices, particularly relating to travel. In some cases, those positive choices have longer term implications (highlighted by Cardiff University's research), turning sports events into a force for good in tackling climate change.

Digital nudging

We also know that digital solutions can be an important part of 'nudging' behaviour - an obvious opportunity would be the integration of travel planning into The Open Tickets App. However, this is a pattern NTT DATA have already proven elsewhere.

For example, on the Danish Island of Fanø, the Municipality has 8 recommendations for sustainable tourism (including the use of public transport and staying on defined footpaths), which it wanted to turn into behaviour change. The Digital Assistant we developed is trained with information about the area and uses generative AI to provide useful information to visitors, while also communicating the area's code of conduct to help preserve nature and wildlife.
One of NTT DATA's strengths is being a catalyst for connecting similar client challenges across sectors. It is exactly this kind of cross-fertilisation that is urgently needed to solve sustainability challenges with the speed that is now patently necessary.

Why NTT DATA?

NTT DATA helps develop effective IT solutions that not only drive business growth, but also contribute to building a prosperous and sustainable society. We help clients achieve their goals, both economically and environmentally. If you'd like to know how we can help you with your ambitions, take a moment to explore the website of your local branch of NTT DATA.