-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
Copy pathgap.tex
1781 lines (1594 loc) · 80.8 KB
/
gap.tex
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
% !TEX TS-program = xelatex
% !TEX encoding = UTF-8 Unicode
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{civl}
% SEE: https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/132582/transparent-foreground-watermark
\newsavebox\draftbox
\savebox\draftbox{\tikz[color=red,opacity=0.1]\node{DRAFT};}
\newwatermark*[
allpages,
angle=45,
scale=6,
xpos=-20,
ypos=15
]{\usebox\draftbox}
% SEE: https://ctan.org/pkg/titlepages
\newcommand*{\titleGap}{\begingroup
\raggedleft
\vspace*{16\baselineskip}
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{@{}rXr@{}}
\textit{Fédération} & & \\
\textit{Aéronautique} & & \multirow{2}{*}{} \\ \cline{2-3}
\textit{Internationale} & & \\
\end{tabularx}
{\Huge CIVL GAP}\\
{\Huge Annex to Section 7A}\\
\vspace*{2\baselineskip}
{\Large Centralised Cross-Country Competition Scoring for}\\
{\Large Hang-Gliding and Paragliding}\\
{\Large Classes 1 to 5}\\
\vspace*{2\baselineskip}
2018 Edition\\
Work in Progress, Draft\\
\vspace*{10\baselineskip}
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{@{}rXr@{}}
\textit{Maison du Sport International} & & \\
\textit{Av. de Rhodanie 54} & & \\
\textit{CH-1007 Lausanne} & & \\
\textit{(Switzerland)} & & \\
\textit{Tél. +41 (0)21 345 10 70} & & \\
\textit{Fax +41 (0)21 345 10 77} & & \\
\textit{E-mail: \href{mailto:[email protected]}{[email protected]}} & & \\
\textit{Web: \href{www.fai.org}{www.fai.org}} & & \\
\end{tabularx}
\endgroup}
\import{}{footer}
\pagestyle{gen}
\begin{document}
\import{}{header}
% SEE: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/86249/maketitle-text-before-title
{\let\newpage\relax\titleGap}\thispagestyle{pageone}
\newpage
\vspace*{\fill}
\section*{FEDERATION AERONAUTIQUE INTERNATIONALE\\MSI – Avenue de Rhodanie 54 – CH-1007 Lausanne – Switzerland}
Copyright 2017\\\\
All rights reserved. Copyright in this document is owned by the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Any person acting on behalf of the FAI or
one of its Members is hereby authorised to copy, print, and distribute this
document, subject to the following conditions:\\
\textbf{
\begin{enumerate}
\item
The document may be used for information only and may not be
exploited for commercial purposes.
\item
Any copy of this document or portion thereof must include this
copyright notice.
\item
Regulations applicable to air law, air traffic and control in the
respective countries are reserved in any event. They must be
observed and, where applicable, take precedence over any sport
regulations
\end{enumerate}
}
Note that any product, process or technology described in the document may be
the subject of other Intellectual Property rights reserved by the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale or other entities and is not licensed hereunder.
\newpage
\section*{RIGHTS TO FAI INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENTS}
All international sporting events organised wholly or partly under the rules of
the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Sporting Code
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 1, ...................para. 1.6}
are termed FAI International Sporting Events
\footnote{FAI Sporting Code, Gen. Section, ......................................... Chapter 4, ...................para 4.1.2}
. Under the FAI Statutes
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 1, ...................para 1.8.1}
, FAI owns and controls all rights relating to FAI International Sporting
Events. FAI Members
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 2, ...................para 2.1.1; 2.4.2; 2.5.2 and 2.7.2}
shall, within their national territories
\footnote{FAI By-Laws, ......................................................................... Chapter 1, ...................para 1.2.1}
, enforce FAI ownership of FAI International Sporting Events and require them
to be registered in the FAI Sporting Calendar
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 2, ...................para 2.4.2.2.5}
.
An event organiser who wishes to exploit rights to any commercial activity at
such events shall seek prior agreement with FAI. The rights owned by FAI which
may, by agreement, be transferred to event organisers include, but are not
limited to advertising at or for FAI events, use of the event name or logo for
merchandising purposes and use of any sound, image, program and/or data,
whether recorded electronically or otherwise or transmitted in real time. This
includes specifically all rights to the use of any material, electronic or
other, including software, that forms part of any method or system for judging,
scoring, performance evaluation or information utilised in any FAI
International Sporting Event
\footnote{FAI By-Laws, ......................................................................... Chapter 1, ...................paras 1.2.2 to 1.2.5}
.
Each FAI Air Sport Commission
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 5, ...................paras 5.1.1, 5.2, 5.2.3 and 5.2.3.3}
may negotiate agreements, with FAI Members or other entities authorised by the
appropriate FAI Member, for the transfer of all or parts of the rights to any
FAI International Sporting Event (except World Air Games events
\footnote{FAI Sporting Code, Gen. Section, ......................................... Chapter 4, ...................para 4.1.5}
) in the discipline
\footnote{FAI Sporting Code, Gen. Section, ......................................... Chapter 2, ...................para 2.2.}
, for which it is responsible
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 5, ...................para 5.2.3.3.7}
or waive the rights. Any such agreement or waiver, after approval by the
appropriate Air Sport Commission President, shall be signed by FAI Officers
\footnote{FAI Statutes, .......................................................................... Chapter 6, ...................para 6.1.2.1.3}
.
Any person or legal entity that accepts responsibility for organising an FAI
Sporting Event, whether or not by written agreement, in doing so also accepts
the proprietary rights of FAI as stated above. Where no transfer of rights has
been agreed in writing, FAI shall retain all rights to the event. Regardless of
any agreement or transfer of rights, FAI shall have, free of charge for its own
archival and/or promotional use, full access to any sound and/or visual images
of any FAI Sporting Event. The FAI also reserves the right to arrange at its
own expense for any and all parts of any event to be recorded.
Editor’s note: Hang-gliding and paragliding are sports in which both men and
women participate. Throughout this document the words “he”, “him” or “his” are
intended to apply equally to either sex unless it is specifically stated
otherwise.
\newpage
Editor’s note: Hang-gliding and paragliding are sports in which both men and
women participate. Throughout this document the words “he”, “him” or “his” are
intended to apply equally to either sex unless it is specifically stated
otherwise.
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|l|l|X|}
\hline
\textbf{Revision} & \textbf{Author} & \textbf{Changes} \\
\hline
2014 R1.1 & Joerg Ewald & Correction of a number of typos \\
\hline
2015 R1.0 & Joerg Ewald & Added changes from the 2015 CIVL Plenary:
\begin{itemize}
\item Use same leading coefficient calculation for both hang gliding and paragliding
\item Use QNH for altitude measurement
\item Final glide decelerators in paragliding no longer mandatory
\item Distance measurement based on WGS84 ellipsoid postponed
\end{itemize} \\
\hline
2016 R1.0 & Joerg Ewald & Added changes from the 2016 CIVL Plenary:
\begin{itemize}
\item PG: Double the amount of available leading points (reducing time points accordingly)
\item PG: If no pilot in goal, the leading points weight is proportional to the task distance covered by pilots, up to 100 points.
\item HG: Jump the gun penalty is now one point for every 2 seconds (was for every 3 seconds).
\end{itemize} \\
\hline
2016 R1.1 & Joerg Ewald & Correct Figures 6 and 7 (point allocation graphs) \\
\hline
2017 R1.0 & Elena Filonova & Made changes according to 2017 CIVL Plenary decisions related to Chapters 3,7,13,14. \\
\hline
\end{tabularx}
\newpage
\tableofcontents
\newpage
\section{Introduction}
This document contains all definitions required to score centralised
cross-country competitions for both hang-gliding and paragliding. Its main
purpose is to serve as an addendum to sections 7A and 7B of the FAI sporting
code. Additionally, it should serve as an educational tool for all parties
involved in such competitions, as a reference for the implementation of scoring
systems, as well as a basis for future improvements and modifications.
\subsection{Scope}
The document’s scope is restricted to scoring of FAI Category 1 cross-country
competitions for hang-gliding and paragliding: World and Continental
championships in both sports. CIVL’s rule setting targets these competitions
exclusively, whereas organisers of FAI Category 2 competitions as well as
non-sanctioned competitions are free to score their competitions however they
like. Most of them do follow CIVL’s lead, though, so this document should also
cover the majority of Category 2 events as well.
\subsection{Sources}
The remainder of this document is based on:
\begin{itemize}
\item “The GAP Guide” (2011 edition)
\item FAI Sporting Code Section 7A for Hang-Gliding (2013 edition)
\item FAI Sporting Code Section 7B for Paragliding (2013 edition)
\item The scoring implementation within CIVL’s scoring software, FS (aka “FScomp”)
\item Appendix C of the Paragliding World Cup Association’s 2013 Competition Rules
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Changes from previous edition}
Changes from the previous edition of this document are underlined (a few words)
or marked with a vertical sidebar (whole paragraph).
\subsection{Differences between Hang-Gliding and Paragliding}
Initially, both hang-gliding and paragliding competitions used the same system
for scoring, generally known as “GAP”. But over time, through their two
separate sporting codes, the two disciplines introduced more and more changes
that would only apply to one, but not the other. This mainly in non-standard
situations such as stopped tasks, pilots landing just short of goal, or pilots
crossing the start line too early. Where not explicitly stated otherwise, the
contents of this document always apply to both disciplines. Definitions
applying only to one, but not the other, are clearly marked as such.
\begin{hg}
Text marked in blue applies exclusively to hang-gliding.
\end{hg}
\begin{pg}
Text marked in orange applies exclusively to paragliding.
\end{pg}
\newpage
\section{The GAP Philosophy}
CIVL’s scoring system is generally known as “GAP”, named after the first-name
initials of its three inventors Gerolf Heinrichs (G), Angelo Crapanzano (A) and
Paul Mollison (P). Their intention was to “create a fair scoring system easily
adaptable to any competition anywhere in the world, both for hang gliding and
paragliding, with a philosophy that is easy for the pilot to understand,
regardless of the mathematical complexity of the underlying formulas”.
\subsection{History}
Work on GAP started in 1998, and it was officially introduced in 2000, to allow
scoring of competitions based on GPS track logs, instead of photographic
evidence as it had been used until then.
In 2002, an updated version, named “GAP 2002” was published. This introduced
the concept of leading points, which are calculated by comparing the complete
track logs of all pilots in a task. Leading points replaced the departure
points used in GAP 2000
In 2005, a variation of GAP 2002 was introduced in Australia, named “OzGAP” or
“OzGAP 2005”. The difference to GAP lies mainly in the way arrival points are
calculated, but this was never adopted by CIVL.
In 2008, “GAP 2008” was officially released. The main scoring mechanisms
remained unchanged from the 2002 edition, but the implementation of GAP 2008
included several rules introduced in the sporting codes for either hang-gliding
or paragliding. These cover stopped tasks, starting too early, and landing
between the end of the speed section and goal.
In 2011, “GAP 2011” marked another software release where the main scoring
remained unchanged from the 2002 definition and implementation. The main
changes were all for paragliding: altitude bonus in stopped tasks, as well as
a reduced number of available points in stopped tasks and in tasks with no
pilots in goal.
In 2012, the “Jump the Gun” rule for early starts in hang-gliding competitions
changed in S7A. This was implemented in FS, but this was also released,
unfortunately, as “GAP 2011”.
The 2014 edition introduced a number of significant changes for paragliding,
a few of which also applied to hang gliding. The majority of those changes
originated from the Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA), and 2014 was the
first time that both CIVL and PWCA scored their paragliding competitions using
the same formula. The changes were:
\begin{itemize}
\item
Nominal launch parameter, see~\ref{sec:nominal-launch} (hang gliding
and paragliding)
\item
Final glide decelerator, see~\ref{sec:final-glide-decelerator}
(paragliding)
\item
Goal shape, see~\ref{sec:goal-definition} (paragliding)
\item
Purely linear distance points, see~\ref{sec:distance-points}
(paragliding)
\item
Adjusted formula for leading points, see~\ref{sec:leading-points}
(paragliding)
\item
No more arrival points, see~\ref{sec:arrival-points} (paragliding)
\item
Scoring of stopped tasks, see~\ref{sec:stopped-tasks} (hang gliding and
paragliding)
\item
Use of FTV for competition scoring,
see~\ref{sec:overall-competition-ranking} (paragliding)
\end{itemize}
This 2015 edition applies the 2014 changes in leading points calculations for
paragliding now also to hang gliding. In paragliding, the use of final glide
deceleration methods is no longer mandatory. QNH is now used as the primary
altitude measurement. Distance calculations continue to be based on the FAI
sphere, the introduction of a new distance measurement regime, based on the
WGS84 ellipsoid, has been postponed.
2016: In Paragliding, the leading points weight (maximum available leading
points) is doubled compared to the previous version. This reduces the available
time points. Also, if no pilot is in goal, the weight is now calculated as the
ratio between task distance and actual distance covered by the pilot who flew
the furthest. The maximum in this case is 0.1 (equivalent to 100 points for
a task with task quality 1). In hang gliding, the penalty for jumping the gun
was increased for one point every three seconds to one point every 2 seconds.
\subsection{Scoring Process}
Scoring follows a nine-step process, as depicted in
Figure~\ref{fig:scoring-process}:
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\input{score-process}
\caption{Scoring process}
\label{fig:scoring-process}
\end{figure}
\begin{enumerate}
\item
Setting the competition parameters, or “GAP parameters”, according to
the competition site, the expected pilot level and the expected tasks.
This happens once for each competition, at the outset, and must not be
changed throughout the competition. See
section~\ref{sec:use-of-tracklog-data}.
\item
Setting a task – this happens typically once per day on flyable days.
See section~\ref{sec:task-setting}.
\item
Letting the pilots fly the task. See section~\ref{sec:flying-a-task}.
\item
Evaluating the task, by collecting all pilots’ track logs for this
task, and determining for each pilot the distance flown and, if the end
of speed section was reached, in what time this happened. See
section~\ref{sec:task-evaluation}.
\item
Calculating the task validity based on the task’s statistical values
such as fastest time to ESS, number of pilots in goal, average distance
flown and several others. See section~\ref{sec:task-validity}.
\item
Points allocation: Calculating the maximum number of points awarded for
distance, speed, leading and arrival, based on the task validity and
the statistical values found in the task evaluation. See
section~\ref{sec:points-allocation}.
\item
Scoring each pilot’s flight, by calculating the awarded points for
distance, speed, leading and arrival. The outcome, the pilots’ total
score, is the sum of these four values. See
sections~\ref{sec:pilot-score} and ~\ref{sec:special-cases}.
\item
Ranking all pilots according to their total score for the task results.
See section~\ref{sec:task-ranking}.
\item
Aggregation of task results for competition scoring and ranking. See
section~\ref{sec:competition-ranking}.
\end{enumerate}
\newpage
\section{Definitions}
The definitions of flights, locations, distances and times of CIVL GAP are
described in Section 7A 5.2.1.
\begin{itemize}
\item Flight
\item Free flight
\item Competition task
\item Competition flight
\item Take-off
\item Speed section
\item Start of speed section (SSS)
\item Turnpoint (TP)
\item Control zone
\item End of speed section (ESS).
\item Goal
\item Landing place
\item Task distance
\item Flown distance
\item Finish point
\item Race start
\item Start time
\item Start gate
\item Window open time
\item Task deadline
\item Finish time
\item Task time
\item Landing time
\end{itemize}
\newpage
\section{Use of Tracklog Data}
\label{sec:use-of-tracklog-data}
\subsection{Position}
Coordinates of positions, such as turn points or pilot positions, are always
given as WGS84 coordinates, based on the WGS84 ellipsoid. The coordinate format
is UTM by default, but other formats can be chosen by organisers as
appropriate.
\subsection{Distance}
\label{sec:distance}
In general, task evaluation occurs in the \(x/y\) plain, therefore distance
measurements are always exclusively horizontal measurements. The earth model used
is the FAI sphere, with a radius of 6371.0 km.
\begin{pg}
In paragliding, for final glide decelerators (\ref{sec:final-glide-decelerator})
and altitude bonus in stopped tasks (\ref{sec:distance-stopped-tasks}), altitude
is also considered, but this does not affect distance calculations between two
geographic points.
\end{pg}
\begin{hg}
In hang gliding, for altitude bonus in stopped tasks (\ref{sec:distance-stopped-tasks}),
altitude is also considered, but this does not affect distance calculations between
two geographic points.
\end{hg}
The distance between two points, identified by their radian coordinates
\(lat_1/long_1\) and \(lat_2/long_2\), is calculated using the Haversine formula.
\begin{align*}
distLat &= lat_2 - lat_1 \\
distLong &= long_2 - long_1 \\
a &= \sin(\frac{distLat}{2})^2 + \cos lat_1 * \cos lat_2 * \sin(\frac{distLong}{2})^2 \\
radianDistance &= 2 * \atantwo(\sqrt a, \sqrt{1 - a}) \\
distance &= radianDistance * 6371000 \\
\end{align*}
To reproduce this formula in Excel, the following modification is necessary due
to a different implementation of the \(arctan2\) function:
\[ radianDistance = pi - 2 * \atantwo(\sqrt a, \sqrt{1 - a}) \]
\subsection{Altitude}
All altitude evaluation is primarily based on barometric altitude, as recorded
in the flight instrument tracklog (the International Standard Atmosphere
pressure altitude QNE) and then when necessary corrected by the scoring
software for the pressure conditions of the task (QNH). GNSS altitude may be
taken into consideration (from the primary tracklog or a backup log) only in
case of problems with barometric logging.
Category 2 Organisers may choose to use the less accurate GPS altitude instead
of barometric altitude.
\subsection{Time}
Time evaluation is based on GPS time, as given in GPS tracklogs. For better
readability, times of the day may be expressed in local time for the
competition location.
\newpage
\section{Competition Parameters}
Before the first task, the following parameters must be defined by the meet
director, or another person or group as defined by the competition’s local
regulations:
\begin{enumerate}
\item Nominal Launch
\item Nominal Distance
\item Minimum Distance
\item Nominal Goal
\item Nominal Time
\end{enumerate}
The values set for these parameters define how each task’s validity is
calculated. They should therefore be chosen very carefully, considering the
realistic potential of the flying site. Setting the values too low will prevent
the formula from distinguishing between demanding, high quality tasks and
quick, easy low quality tasks which are sometimes the only option due to
weather conditions.
\begin{pg}
In paragliding competitions, the following must also be defined by the same
person or group who defines the first five competition parameters above:
\begin{enumerate}
\setcounter{enumi}{5}
\item Final glide decelerator
\item Score-back time for stopped task
\end{enumerate}
\end{pg}
\subsection{Nominal Launch}
\label{sec:nominal-launch}
When pilots do not take off for safety reasons, to avoid difficult launch
conditions or bad conditions in the air, Launch Validity is reduced (see
section ~\ref{sec:launch-validity}). Nominal Launch defines a threshold as a percentage of the pilots
in a competition. Launch Validity is only reduced if fewer pilots than defined
by that threshold decide to launch.
The recommended default value for Nominal Launch is 96\%, which means that
Launch Validity will only be reduced if fewer than 96\% of the pilots present at
launch chose to launch.
\subsection{Nominal Distance}
Nominal distance should be set to the expected average task distance for the
competition. Depending on the other competition parameters and the distances
actually flown by pilots, tasks shorter than Nominal Distance will be devalued
in most cases. Tasks longer than nominal distance will usually not be devalued,
as long as the pilots fly most of the distance.
In order for GAP to be able to distinguish between good and not-so-good tasks,
and devalue the latter, it is important to set nominal distance high
enough\footnote{See also this excellent series of articles on the subject: Part
1: \url{http://ozreport.com/1360767307}; Part 2:
\url{http://ozreport.com/1360858575}; Part3:
\url{http://ozreport.com/1360944246}}.
\subsection{Minimum Distance}
The minimum distance awarded to every pilot who takes off. It is the distance
below which it is pointless to measure a pilot's performance. The minimum
distance parameter is set so that pilots who are about to "bomb out" will not
be tempted to fly into the next field to get past a group of pilots – they all
receive the same amount of points anyway.
\subsection{Nominal Goal}
The percentage of pilots the meet director would wish to have in goal in
a well-chosen task. This is typically 20 to 40\%. This parameter has a very
marginal effect on distance validity (see section~\ref{sec:distance-validity}).
\subsection{Nominal Time}
Nominal time indicates the expected task duration, the amount of time required
to fly the speed section. If the fastest pilot’s time is below nominal time,
the task will be devalued. There is no devaluation if the fastest pilot’s time
is above nominal time.
Nominal time should be set to the expected “normal” task duration for the
competition site, and nominal distance / nominal time should be a bit higher
than typical average speeds for the area.
\begin{pg}
\subsection{Final Glide Decelerator}
\label{sec:final-glide-decelerator}
The concept of a final glide decelerator was introduced to counteract
a development in competition paraglider design which favoured stability at high
speeds over stability at trim speed. The two final glide decelerators available
are:
\begin{description}
\item [Conical end of speed section (CESS)]
Instead of a cylinder, the end of speed section is an inverted cone.
Time stops for a pilot when they enter that cone. For details
see~\ref{sec:define-CESS}.
\item [Arrival altitude time bonus (AATB)]
The time bonus is calculated based on each pilot’s altitude above goal
when crossing the end of speed section cylinder. This bonus is then
deducted from the pilot’s speed section time to determine the score
time. See also~\ref{sec:time-for-speed-section}.
\end{description}
A meet director may choose to use no final glide decelerator, or use either of
the two outlined above.
\end{pg}
\begin{pg}
\subsection{Score-back Time}
\label{sec:score-back-time}
In a stopped task, this value defines the amount of time before the task stop
was announced that will not be considered for scoring. The default is
5 minutes, but depending on local meteorological circumstances, it may be set
to a longer period for a whole competition. See also section~\ref{sec:stop-task-time}.
\end{pg}
\newpage
\section{Task Setting}
\label{sec:task-setting}
\subsection{Definition of a task}
\label{sec:task-definition}
A task can be either a race task or an open distance task.
\subsubsection{Race task}
A race task definition consists of:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A launch point, given as GPS coordinates
\item A number of control zones
\item A goal
\item
An indication which of the control zones is the start (start of speed
section)
\item
If goal does not serve as end of speed section: An indication which of
the control zones is the end of speed section, along with its specific
parameters (such as incline and radius for CESS, altitude time bonus
factor for AATB)
\item A launch time window
\item A start procedure, including timing
\item Optionally, a task deadline
\end{enumerate}
\begin{pg}
In exceptional circumstances, with regard to restricted launch areas and poor
flying conditions, to ensure the task is fair for 2/3rds of the pilots, a task
may be run without leading/departure points. This is to be declared at the task
briefing.
\end{pg}
\subsubsection{Open distance task}
An open distance task definition consists of:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A launch point, given as GPS coordinates
\item A number of control zones
\item Optionally, an indication which of the control zones is the start
\item Optionally, a direction for the final, open distance leg
\item A launch time window
\item If a start control zone exists: A start time
\item A task deadline
\end{enumerate}
\subsection{Definition of control zones}
Control zones are geographical areas which must be reached by the pilots in the
course of a task. The three types of control zones are the turnpoint cylinder,
the conical end of speed section and the goal semi-circle.
\subsubsection{Definition of a turnpoint cylinder}
A turnpoint cylinder is defined as:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A centre point \(c\), given as GPS coordinates
\item A radius \(r\), given in meters
\item
An indication whether the cylinder is an “exit” or an “enter” cylinder.
This defines whether the corresponding turnpoint is considered reached
by a pilot when crossing the cylinder’s boundary from its inside to the
outside, or from its outside to the inside.
\end{enumerate}
A turnpoint cylinder is then given as the cylinder with radius \(r\) around the
axis which cuts the \(x/y\) plain orthogonally at the cylinder’s centre point
\(c\). For task evaluation purposes, only the cylinder’s projection in the
\(x/y\) plain is considered: a circle of radius \(r\) around \(c\).
Note that for start cylinders (SSS), “enter” only makes sense if the following
turnpoint cylinder lies within the SSS cylinder. Likewise, an “exit” only makes
sense if the first turnpoint lies outside of the SSS cylinder. Currently, the
start direction cannot be set within FS. Instead the program automatically
scores according to this logic.
\subsubsection{Definition of conical end of speed section}
\label{sec:define-CESS}
\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\input{conical-end}
\caption{Conical end of speed section from the side}
\end{figure}
\begin{pg}
A conical end of speed section is defined as:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A centre point \(c\), given as GPS coordinates and altitude
\item
An incline \(i\), given as a ratio of altitude/distance to the centre
point
\item
A radius \(r\), indicating the size of the circle resulting from the
intersection between the cone and a horizontal plane at goal altitude
\end{enumerate}
A conical end of speed section is given as the cone resulting from an axis of
inclination \(i\) through the centre point \(c'\), which is equal to point
\(c\), but has its altitude lowered by \(r/i\) metres compared to \(c\). The
incline is chosen for each task. The default value is 1:3.5. Values suggested
for use are between
1:2.5 and 1:4.
\end{pg}
\subsection{Definition of goal}
\label{sec:goal-definition}
A goal can be
\begin{enumerate}
\item A cylinder (enter or exit), see above, or
\item A line, defined by:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A centre point \(c\), given as GPS coordinates
\item A length \(l\), given in meters
\end{enumerate}
\end{enumerate}
\begin{pg}
If CESS is used, goal must either be a line at the cone’s centre point,
a cylinder at the cone’s centre point with a radius smaller than radius r of
the cone definition, or be located at a point that is different from the cone’s
centre point.
\end{pg}
\subsubsection{Goal line}
\label{sec:goal-line}
\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\input{goal-line}
\caption{Goal line definition for paragliding}
\end{figure}
The goal control zone consists of the semi-circle with radius \(l/2\) behind
the goal line, when coming from the last turn point that is different from the
goal line centre. Entering that zone without prior crossing of the goal line is
equivalent to crossing the goal line. Physical lines can be used in addition
to the official, virtual goal line as defined by GPS coordinates, to increase
attractiveness for spectators and media, and to increase visibility for pilots.
Physical lines must be at least 50m long and 1m wide, made of white material
and securely attached to the ground. The physical line must match as closely as
possible the corresponding virtual line as defined by the goal GPS coordinates
and the direction of the last task leg. It must not be laid out further from
the previous turn point than the goal GPS coordinates.
By default, the goal line length \(l\) is set to 400m.
\subsection{Start procedures}
Start procedures define how an individual pilot’s start time is determined.
A start can be either air- or ground-started, and it can be either a race to
goal or an elapsed time start.
\subsubsection{Air start}
For air-started tasks, the competitors are free to launch any time during the
launch window, and to fly about, regardless of any turnpoint or start
cylinders, up to their race start. Race start is defined as the crossing of the
start cylinder in the prescribed direction for the last time before continuing
to flying through the remainder of the task.
\subsubsection{Ground start}
In a ground-started task, the race starts with the pilots’ launch. Since
a launch can be difficult to detect from a GPS track, the task setters must set
a cylinder around the launch area as the first turnpoint. A pilot’s start is
registered when he exits this cylinder for the first time. In the case of
a race to goal task, the launch window open time is the same as the first (or
only) start gate time.
\subsubsection{Race to goal}
A race to goal start is defined by one or more so-called “start gates”. The
first – or only – start gate is given as a daytime. Subsequent start gates are
given as a time interval, along with the number of start gates.
\textit{Example 1: “We have a Race to Goal task, the start gate opens at 13:00”}
\textit{Example 2: “We have a Race to Goal task with 5 start gates from 13:30 at a 20
minutes interval.”} – the start gate times in this case are 13:30, 13:50, 14:10,
14:30, and 14.50. Pilots are free to start any time after the first (or
single) start gate. A pilot’s start time is then defined as the time of the
last start gate after which he started flying the speed section of the task.
\textit{Example 3: Given the start gates from Example 2 above, pilot A, crossing the
start cylinder at 13:49:01, will be given a start time of 13:30. Any pilot
starting after 14:50 will be given a start time of 14:50.}
Starting before the first (or only) start gate is considered a failed start.
Some refer to this as “jumping the gun”. The two disciplines handle failed
starts differently, see section~\ref{sec:early-start}.
\subsubsection{Elapsed time}
An elapsed time start is defined by a single “start gate”, given as a daytime.
Pilots are free to start any time after this start gate. A pilot’s start time
is then defined as the time at which he started flying the speed section of the
task. Each pilot has therefore an individual start time.
\textit{Example 1: “We have an Elapsed Time task, the start gate opens at 12:30”}
– pilot A starting at 12:31:03 has a start time of 12:31:03, pilot B starting
at 15:48:28 has a start time of 15:48:28.
\subsection{Distances}
\subsubsection{Task distance}
\label{sec:task-distance}
Task distance is defined as the path of shortest distance from the start point
to goal that touches all turnpoint cylinders, see appendix~\ref{sec:shortest-route}.
\subsubsection{Speed section distance}
Speed section distance is defined as the path of shortest distance from start
of speed section to end of speed section that touches all turnpoint cylinders.
The method to calculate this distance is the same as for task distance.
\newpage
\section{Flying a task}
\label{sec:flying-a-task}
There are 2 task types: race task and open distance task. The definitions are
given in Section 7A-5.2.2.
\newpage
\section{Task evaluation}
\label{sec:task-evaluation}
From each pilot’s track, task evaluation determines the distance this pilot
flew along the task, and the time this pilot took to fly the speed section.
\subsection{Reaching a control zone}
\subsubsection{Reaching a turnpoint cylinder}
\label{sec:reaching-a-turnpoint-cylinder}
A cylinder is considered “reached” by a pilot if that pilot’s track log shows
the pilot crossing out of the cylinder in the case of an exit cylinder, or into
the cylinder in case of an enter cylinder, by containing at least one track
point closer to the cylinder’s centre than the cylinder radius (enter) or
further away from the cylinder’s centre than the cylinder radius (exit). During
task evaluation, only the \(x/y\) coordinates are considered, and a point must
lie within (enter) or outside of (exit) the circle representing the turnpoint
cylinder in the \(x/y\) plain. This is determined by measuring the distance
between a track point and the turnpoint. This distance must be greater (exit)
or smaller (enter) than the cylinder’s radius. To compensate for different
distance calculations and different earth models in use by today’s GPS devices
(FAI sphere vs. WGS84 ellipsoid), a 0.5\% tolerance is used for this
calculation. This had to be introduced so that a pilot reading the distance to
the next cylinder centre from his GPS device can rely on having reached the
turnpoint when the distance displayed by the instrument is smaller than the
defined turnpoint cylinder radius.
For enter cylinders, this means that a tracklog point that is closer to the
turnpoint than \(r*1.005\) is considered proof of reaching the turnpoint. For
exit cylinders, this means that a tracklog point that is further away from the
turnpoint than \(r*0.995\) is considered proof of reaching the turnpoint.
Starting January 1st, 2015 – provided all distance measurements are then based
on the WGS84 ellipsoid (see~\ref{sec:distance}) – the tolerance for turnpoint
cylinders in CIVL’s FAI Category 1 events will be reduced to 0.01\% of the
cylinder radius, with a minimum of 5 meter. Organisers of FAI Category 2 events
may continue using the existing 0.5\% tolerance, to accommodate pilots flying
with instruments which calculate distance based on the FAI sphere.
The time when a control zone was reached is determined by the time a so-called
“crossing” occurred. A crossing is defined as a pair of consecutive track
points, of which at least one lies inside the band determined by the
turnpoint’s centre, its radius and the tolerance value.
\begin{align*}
tolerance &= 0.5\% | 0.01\% \\
minTolerance &= 0m | 5m \\
turpoint_i : innerRadius_i &= \min(radius_i * (1 - tolerance), radius_i - minTolerance) \\
turpoint_i : outerRadius_i &= \max(radius_i * (1 + tolerance), radius_i + minTolerance) \\
\end{align*}
\begin{equation*}
crossing_i = \exists_j (a \land b) \lor (c \land d)
\end{equation*}
\begin{align*}
a = distance(center_i, trackpoint_j) &>= innerRadius_i \\
b = distance(center_i, trackpoint_{j+1}) &<= outerRadius_i \\
c = distance(center_i, trackpoint_j) &<= outerRadius_i \\
d = distance(center_i, trackpoint_{j+1}) &>= innerRadius_i \\
\end{align*}
The time of a crossing depends on whether it actually cuts across the actual
cylinder, or whether both points lie within the tolerance band, but on the same
side of the actual cylinder.
\begin{align*}
crossing . time &= trackpoint_{j+1} . time \ when \ A \\
crossing . time &= trackpoint_j . time \ when \ B \\
crossing . time &= interpolateTime(trackpoint_{j+1}, trackpoint_{j+1}) . time \ when \ C \\
\end{align*}
\begin{align*}
A &= (a \land b) \lor (c \land d) \land turnpoint_i = ESS \\
B &= (a \land b) \lor (c \land d) \land turnpoint_i \neq ESS \\
C &= (a \land d) \lor (c \land b) \\
\\
a = distance(center_i, trackpoint_j) &< radius_i \\
b = distance(center_i, trackpoint_{j+1}) &< radius_i \\
c = distance(center_i, trackpoint_j) &> radius_i \\
d = distance(center_i, trackpoint_{j+1}) &> radius_i \\
\end{align*}
The method used to interpolate the crossing time is buried in FS’ code and will
have to be documented at a later point.
Finally, given all n crossings for a turnpoint cylinder, sorted in ascending
order by their crossing time, the time when the cylinder was reached is
determined.
\begin{align*}
turnpoint_i &= SSS : reachingTime_i = crossing_n . time \\
turnpoint_i &\neq SSS : reachingTime_i = crossing_0 . time
\end{align*}
\subsection{Reaching a conical end of speed section}
\begin{pg}
A conical end of speed section is considered “reached” by a pilot if that
pilot’s track log contains at least one point where the required glide angle to
the cone’s centre point is equal to or smaller than the cone’s incline.
\begin{align*}
crossing_i : \exists j : \\
\frac{trackpoint_j . altitude - center_{CESS} . altitude}{center_{CESS}, trackpoint_{j}} \leq incline \\
\land \frac{trackpoint_{j - 1} . altitude - center_{CESS} . altitude}{distance(center_{CESS}, trackpoint_{j - 1})} > incline \\
\\
crossing_i . time &= interpolateTime(trackpoint_{j + 1}, trackpoint_{j + 1})
\end{align*}
Given all n crossings for a CESS, sorted in ascending order by their crossing
time, the time when CESS was reached is determined.
\[ reachingTime_{CESS} = crossing_0 . time \]
If goal is at the CESS centre point, and a pilot reaches goal without
previously entering the CESS, he is considered having reached CESS at the time
when he crossed the goal line.
\end{pg}
\subsection{Reaching goal}
\subsubsection{Goal cylinder}
Verification of a pilot reaching a goal cylinder is achieved by the same method
as verification of reaching a turnpoint cylinder (~\ref{sec:reaching-a-turnpoint-cylinder})
\subsubsection{Goal line}
To reach goal in the case of a goal line, the goal line must be crossed in
flight. This is achieved when a line drawn between two adjacent points in the
pilot’s tracklog crosses the goal line in the correct direction.
\begin{pg}
Entering the goal control zone (semi-circle behind the goal line,
see~\ref{sec:goal-line}) from any direction without prior crossing of the goal
line is equivalent to crossing the goal line.
\end{pg}
If a physical line is used, crossing either the virtual or the physical goal
line counts as having reached goal. An official observation (through a goal
marshal or similar) of a pilot crossing the line in flight overrules a negative
goal crossing decision based on the pilot’s tracklog. Not crossing a physical
goal line for obvious safety reasons must be considered in the pilots’ favour.
\begin{hg}
The physical goal line is crossed when the hang glider’s nose cuts the line, in
the correct direction, before a landing is made.
\end{hg}
\begin{pg}
The physical goal line is crossed when the paraglider pilot’s leading foot cuts
the line, in the correct direction, before a landing is made.
\end{pg}
\subsection{Flown distance}
\subsubsection{Race task}
\label{sec:race-task}
To determine a pilot’s flown distance, a first step determines which turnpoints
he reached considering all timing restrictions: launch within launch time
window, valid start, but only until the task deadline time. After the last
turnpoint the pilot reached, for every remaining track point, the shortest
distance to goal is calculated using the method described in section
\ref{sec:task-distance}. The flown distance is then calculated as task distance
minus the shortest distance the pilot still had to fly. Therefore, for scoring,
the pilot’s best distance along the course line is considered, regardless of
where the pilot landed in the end.
If a pilot flies less than minimum distance, he will be scored for this minimum
distance. This also applies to pilots who are not able to produce a valid GPS
tracklog, but for whom launch officials verify launch within the launch window.
If a pilot reaches goal, he will be scored for the task distance.
\begin{align*}
\forall p : p \in PilotsLandingBeforeGoal : bestDistance_p &= \max(minimumDistance, taskDistance - shortest) \\
shortest &= \min(\forall track_p . point_i shortestDistanceToGoal(track_p . point_i))) \\
\forall p : p \in PilotsReachingGoal : bestDistance_p &= taskDistance
\end{align*}
\subsubsection{Open distance task}
In an open distance task, if a pilot lands before the last of any given control
zones, his flown distance is calculated according to \ref{sec:race-task}. For
pilots flying further than the last control zone, the flown distance is
calculated by adding the pilot’s best distance flown in the open distance part
of the task (after the last control zone) to task distance between launch and
the last control zone. If the task gave a direction for the open distance leg,
then the pilot’s best distance projected onto that direction is considered.
\subsection{Time for speed section}
\label{sec:time-for-speed-section}
The time a pilot took to fly the speed section is determined by his start time
(which is influenced by the task’s start procedure and the time he crossed the
start of speed section cylinder) and the time when he crossed the end of speed
section after reaching all previous turn points. The smallest unit for time
measurement is one second.
Pilots who do not reach the end of speed section cylinder do not get a time.
\begin{align*}
\forall p : p \in PilotsReachingESS : time_p &= timeAtESS_p - startTime_p
\end{align*}
\begin{pg}
If AATB is used, pilots receive a time bonus for their altitude above goal when crossing the ESS cylinder.
The number of seconds they receive for each meter is expressed by the ATTB factor.
By default, the ATTB factor is \(0.45 \ s/m\). Values suggested for use are between \(0.2 \ s/m\) and \(0.7 \ s/m\).
\begin{align*}
\forall p : p \in PilotsReachingESS \\
arrivalAltitudeTimeBonus_p &= (crossing_{p.ESS} . altitude - goal . altitude) * ATTBfactor \\
time_p &= timeAtESS_p - startTime_p - arrivalAltitudeTimeBonus_p
\end{align*}
\end{pg}
\newpage
\section{Task Validity}
\label{sec:task-validity}
The task validity is a value between 0 and 1 and measures how suitable
a competition task is to evaluate pilots’ skills. It is calculated for each
task after the task has been flown, by multiplying the three validity
coefficients: Launch validity, distance validity, and time validity.
\begin{equation*}
TaskValidity = LaunchValidity * DistanceValidity * TimeValidity
\end{equation*}
\subsection{Launch Validity}
\label{sec:launch-validity}
Launch validity depends on nominal launch and the percentage of pilots actually
present at take-off who launched. If the percentage of pilots on take-off who
launch is equal to nominal launch, or higher, then launch validity is 1. If,
for example, only 20\% of the pilots present at take-off launch, launch
validity goes down to about 0.1.
The reasoning behind launch validity: Launch conditions may be dangerous, or
otherwise unfavourable. If a significant number of pilots at launch think that
the day is not worth the risk of launching, then the gung-ho pilots who did go
will not get so many points. This is a safety mechanism.
‘Pilots present’ are pilots arriving on take-off, with their gear, with the
intention of flying. For scoring purposes, ‘Pilots present’ are all pilots not
in the ‘Absent’ status (ABS): Pilots who took off, plus pilots present who did
not fly (DNF). DNFs need to be attributed carefully. A pilot who does not
launch due to illness, for instance, is not a DNF, but an ABS.
\begin{align*}
LVR &= \min(1, \frac{NumberOfPilotsFlying}{NumberOfPilotsPresent * NominalLaunch}) \\
LaunchValidity &= 0.027 * LVR + 2.917 * LVR^2 - 1.944 * LVR^3
\end{align*}