Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to apply data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance equine safety.

The Authority says this will add to their deep and growing well of data, by analyzing the factors contributing to equine injuries and making potential recommendations to further reduce them in the future.

Under HISA, for the first time in the sport’s history, uniform reporting of key metrics – including track surface conditions and horses’ medication and treatment histories – is required across the country. Working with AWS, HISA will seek to use this data to unlock additional insights and test theories long debated within the sport.

“The insights gleaned from big data and machine learning have revolutionized industries around the world, said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus.  “Thanks to HISA’s uniform reporting requirements, we are now able to apply these powerful tools to help solve the sport’s most pressing equine welfare issues.  “We’re excited to collaborate with the best data experts in the world, including AWS, to develop concrete solutions to address the root causes of equine injuries.”

In addition to sensor data from wearable devices, racing and training performance data, racetrack surface data, weather information and veterinary records, HISA and AWS are also exploring potential input from other sources to measure horses’ movements with a level of detail never measured before.

The goal is to create a comprehensive analytics and insights platform that would use HISA’s data to test experts’ hypotheses about the root causes of equine injuries and provide horses’ care teams with the tools needed to potentially predict and prevent injuries before they occur.  First steps of this process, including data standardization and data capture/ingestion, are already underway.

“This collaboration signifies a fusion of technology, invention and the vast experience of dozens of leaders in horse racing who care greatly for these equine athletes,” said AWS Business Innovation Principal Glenn Holland.  “We are honored to have HISA use the AWS Cloud to accelerate their vision and drive this impactful initiative.  This project is part of a new era in horse racing, where innovation delivers long-lasting positive impact to the sport.”