Database - how would you employ one in this scenario?

[robjf]

Evening boys and girls, got a scenario.

Theres an event im involved in which is basically 26 mile night hike/run in the cotswolds with several checkpoints around the route. Each one has several laptops, with 3g cards in them, kindly provided at a very special price by vodaphone. There are approximately 50 teams of 4 (about that) who run the route. Currently there is an access database which all of the laptops upload batch files too with the times every half hour (i think) so that the teams where abouts can be monitored, and then final times can be calculated when they return.

How would you do this, is there an easier way, i doubt it will be changed but im curious as to how you guys would do it?

Rob

 

[robjf]

See this is why i think they should start looking into other solutions as the batch uploading is now more or less unnecessary as the connections could be permanently on.This is going to be the first year using 3g, in previous years old nokias have been used, connecting useing WAP and some remote programe. Its all v technical though, the guy who makes all the databases is an absolute genius lol. (geek is more appropriate)

GPS is also un-needed as the checkpoints are preplanned, and times not being attched to a location, but too a fixed place (eg CP1, CP2 etc). this is so we can get times between checkpoints etc.