While both CAIROS and GoalRef use magnetic fields around the goal and need to insert a chip in the ball, Hawk-Eye and GoalControl use a 3D imaging system to determine the precise location of the ball.

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Over the next six decades, however, as television networks were able to personalize their coverage for sports fans, the networks introduced visual statistics, instant replay and graphics that could pinpoint the exact location of the ball.

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SportVU uses the concept behind missile-tracking technology to log the exact location of every player and the ball 25 times per second on X, Y and Z coordinates, leading to millions of data points for NBA teams' resident quants to study.

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