Mobile Scoring consists of 3 software parts:

  1. the mobile client being used by appraisers to record scores
  2. the DI Scoring Program that scores the tournament
  3. the DI Resource Area (aka the RA) that facilitates moving scores from #1 to #2

You can find more detail on this relationship in the RA's help here:

        http://www.diatlas.org/help/hints/MobileScoringGF.html. 


As the ATO you will be managing the flow of scores from the mobile client (#1) to the scoring program (#2).  You can monitor the process using the Resource Area (#3).


A key advantage of mobile scoring to the score room is that no scores need to be entered by the ATO or the score room.  This eliminates most of the red dots.  While the tournament is still setup for dual entry of scores with a cross check, with mobile scoring both the ATO's version of the scoring program and the score room's version will be getting their scores from #1 via #3.


In terms of setup, the ATO copy of the scoring program you will be using is the same as you used in your affiliate (20180204 version or later) and will be initialized with the teams you will see during Global Finals.  It could be used for entering scores from score sheets.  The Scoring Team will have turned on 2 features:

  1. Enable DIHQ Integration Features
  2. Enable Mobile Scoring

#1 will be used to load appraiser assignments.  #2 will be used to load appraiser scores.  When you use either of these features, the DI Scoring Program will prompt you for the login credentials (email and password) of your DI Account.  You will use the same DI account you used to register for Global Finals this year.  Note that these are also the credentials you use for #3 (accessing the RA).  Once successfully verified, the DI Scoring Program will not ask you for this info again unless you restart it.  For security reasons, please do not have browsers remember these credentials.


Loading Appraiser Assignments

RA Appraiser assignment controls the scored items each appraiser will see in the mobile client.  So we need to get the assignments setup in the RA.  The Scoring Team will work with the ICMs and HAs to do this well before the morning of the tournament.  Most likely they will be locked down Tuesday evening, however, there could be late breaking changes even as late as the first morning of the tournament.


As the ATO with the approval of the the HA, you can make appraiser assignment changes.  Once we start scoring teams, appraiser assignments do not change without a discussion with the Score Room.


You make appraiser assignments in the RA as follows:

  1. log into the RA using your credentials
  2. select the tournament (Tournaments=>dashboard)
  3. pick Tournaments=>appraisers
  4. select the Appraiser Assignments pane on the red tab menu
  5. select your challenge room in drop down menu
  6. you should now see your appraisers and their assignments
  7. click on the check boxes to add or remove an item

This help (http://www.diatlas.org/help/hints/ApprAsg.html) has a screen shot of the page where assignments are done.


Appraiser assignments will be loaded into the scoring program the first morning of the tournament.  Do this after these assignments have been correctly entered into the RA. The steps for doing this as described below.  The help (http://www.diatlas.org/help/hints/ImportAppraisersinaChallengeLeve.html) has screen shots of these steps.

  1. Launch the DI Scoring Program on the ATO computer
  2. pick your TC challenge-level (for rooms doing more than one level, repeat 2-7 for each level)
  3. from the challenge-level window, click the TC Appraisers button
  4. from the TC Appraisers dialog box, click the Import Appraisers from DIHQ button
  5. if you have not yet been asked for your DI credentials, you will be asked to enter them at this point and select the Global Finals tournament
  6. you should see a display of your appraisers.  We want to add the appraisers and ignore the HA.  Confirm by clicking OK.
  7. the Appraisers and their assignments should then be displayed.

At this point you should confirm that the assignments in the RA have been transfered.  You will need to indicate the appraiser that will supply Other Deductions.  Clicking Save will register these assignments with the scoring program.  You can click Cancel if all does not look right.


At this point you should be ready to receive scores from the mobile clients.  IM the score room that the appraiser assignment are "in" for your challenge levels(s).


Getting Appraisers on the WiFi

The appraisers will be on the same WiFi network as the ATOs computer.  You can give them the WiFi password, but when doing so let them know they should not share the password with others or use it for non-DI purposes.  The Scoring Team will be around before each challenge rooms start to help with any problems.


Collecting Scores From the Mobile Clients

Let's start by suggesting a process for collecting scores.  We want the appraisers to get into a similar rhythm as you likely had with score sheets.  Having appraisers dealing with 2 teams' score sheets at a time is a recipe for getting paperwork confused.  Many ATOs solve this by indicating that they will provide the next team's TDF when an appraiser hands in their score sheets.  We can still do this with mobile scoring as you still want to collect score sheets, but what we want to make sure is that the appraiser has submitted.  While the appraiser might say I want to think a bit more about this score, an appraiser with multiple unsubmitted scores covering the last hour is not a good thing.  You can't print the raw scores and subsequent teams are getting less of the appraiser's attention.


You can monitor who has submitted using the RA as we described in the last note to ICMs, HAs, and ATOs.


Here is a process:

  1. provide TDFs in exchange for score sheets and an acknowledgment the appraiser has submitted
  2. after collecting all the paperwork, check the RA that the scores are submitted
    If someone has not, ask them to do so as you need that to proceed.  You should also check if some entered the scores for the wrong team.  This would show up as scores entered for a team that has not performed yet.
  3. in the DI scoring program
    1. import the scores as follows
      1. bring up the detailed score entry page for the team (like you would for entering scores)
      2. click the Import Scores button (you can do this more than once without any ill effects)
    2. perform any manual entry such as
      • reason for a score of zero
      • a deduction
      • anyone using paper score sheets
    1. click Save which should cause the printing of raw results
  1. file the paperwork
    • in the folder (stickies, team scores, HA scores, copy of TDF)
    • rest goes into the packet in the prescribed order
      • this includes the score room copy of the appraiser scores


Making sure Mobile Scoring is working

At the start of the tournament, we want to make sure that scores are flowing.  This means that the ATO can capture the mobile client scores for the first team.  The DI Scoring Program only collects submitted scores.  Therefore we will NOT wait for the appraisers to see the first 3 teams before they submit their scores.  They should submit when they have entered their scores.  If there is a need for change after 3 teams, the ATO can unlock the appraisers scores.


You can IM the results of your initial import.  Members of the Scoring Team should be onsite at this time to assist with any technical glitches. If all went well, the same process can be done in the score room too.


Protocol for Unlocking / Unsubmitting Scores

We need to unlock scores with care such that the running copies of the scoring program and the scores given to the team managers remain in sync.  A way to do this is as follows:

  • if the challenge room still has the scoring packet in its possession, it can unlock and change scores
    This covers the first 3 teams of the tournament.  It also covers the case where an appraiser, clicks submit too soon for one reason or another.  There is no need to involve the score room.  
  • if the challenge room does not have the scoring packet, it can still unlock and change scores but needs to notify the Score Room of the change
    The score room will import scores when the packet arrives in the score room. If the packet has left the challenge room, the ATO should IM the score room with the team that changed.  The score room will then re-import that teams scores. 


Keep the Tournament Moving Forward

The challenge rooms have full schedules.  If you have international teams with translators, these people can be on a tight schedule. We should keep this in mind if problems are encountered.  Keep the following in mind:

  1. if we lose WiFi, we can continue to use the mobile client
    • the mobile client will retry to send its scores for hours/days until it reconnects to the database server
    • an appraiser might be willing to shift to using their data plan rather than WiFi - typically there is no need to restart the mobile client
    • an appraiser could change locations for better reception
    • the ATO computer is perhaps a bigger issue as it is harder to move - if you are unable to IM, have someone call the score room about the outage.
  2. if a mobile client becomes unusable, the appraiser can use a different mobile device
    • we will lose any unsaved scores, but typically they are very recent
  3. dropping back to paper might not be good for mobile scoring, but as a challenge room you have all you need to switch
    • appraisers use their score sheets
      We have talked to the appraisers about being able to move back to paper.  It our expectation that only the last team might be lost.  If you are update to date as ATO, you have the appraisers scores in the HA raw scores you printed out.  The appraisers also have scores in their mobile clients.
    • the ATO goes back to doing data entry


Support from the Scoring Team

The Scoring Team is prepared to help you out.  If you have questions or something does not look correct, contact us.