Digital Sports Hub

A Contribution of German Elite Sport to Smart Health Promotion

Project Justification

The BMWi-funded project proposal Digital Sports Hub aims to build an ecosystem as a sports data space for sport–, fitness–, and health-related data. The core idea is to create a decentralized database based on top-level and recreational sports data optimized for AI business models.

Our Approach

Existing high-quality sport-related databases will be prepared in a quality-assured and standardized format to ensure their usability and interoperability. In parallel, new interfaces will be developed to support the creation and integration of additional user-generated databases. Secure data exchange will be enabled through a decentralized data marketplace, ensuring privacy and transparency in accordance with current data protection standards.

To promote broad participation and accessibility, simplified AI tools will be provided, enabling non-experts to engage with artificial intelligence models within the framework of citizen science initiatives. These tools aim to democratize data-driven insights and foster innovation in the domains of personal fitness and health.

Moreover, coordinated activities involving a wide network of actors and stakeholders will contribute to the standardization and norming of data structures and usage practices. These collaborative efforts are essential to promote trust, transparency, and societal acceptance in the sensitive field of personal health and performance data.

Core elements of the Digital Sports Hub

Work Packages, Insights and Outcomes

IXP played a central role in the project by leading the overall coordination, strategic conceptualization, and business model development. Drawing on its extensive expertise in AI-based affective computing systems, IXP contributed domain-specific knowledge in the areas of health, prevention, and sports.

In addition to its strategic responsibilities, IXP supported the iterative design and redesign phases and oversaw the test operation of the developed systems. Following implementation, IXP was also responsible for conducting comprehensive evaluation processes to assess functionality, usability, and impact.

Finally, IXP managed the dissemination of results from the test phase, ensuring that key findings were communicated to stakeholders and the broader scientific and professional communities.

The Digital Sports Hub project was recognized as one of the successful initiatives in the innovation competition “Artificial Intelligence as a Driver for Economically Relevant Ecosystems,” organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

Associated partners