Computer Vision: Build AND Deploy

Computer vision engineers are not scarce. Every major tech company employs them. Universities produce thousands annually. The CV market in sports alone is projected to grow from $2.39 billion to $8.7 billion by 2029 - a 30% annual growth rate.

But here's what's scarce: CV engineers who understand deployment in stadium environments. TRACAB, the Emmy Award-winning optical tracking system now owned by EA, operates in 300+ stadiums globally. Someone has to install those camera arrays, calibrate them for varying lighting conditions, and maintain them through seasons of use.

The technical challenges are substantial. Stadium lighting changes throughout matches as natural light fades. Camera positions must handle occlusion from players clustering. Ball tracking requires different algorithms than player tracking. Weather affects image quality. None of this appears in standard CV coursework.

And then there's match-day pressure. Hawk-Eye systems process 480 messages per second with sub-second latency requirements. When the Premier League uses semi-automated offside technology, decisions must be accurate AND fast. A system that works in testing but fails under load is useless.

The talent gap exists because career paths diverge. Strong CV engineers typically stay in research or big tech companies with comfortable lab environments. Sports deployments require travel, weekend work, and debugging under pressure. The compensation rarely matches big tech salaries.

For hiring managers, this means looking beyond traditional CV backgrounds. Broadcast engineers understand live production environments. Field service engineers know hardware deployment. Sports science graduates bring domain context. The winning candidate often combines 70% of the CV skills with 100% of the operational understanding.